Rex and Rose, a coffee shop at 203 Fourth Ave. E. in downtown Olympia, has closed for good after an effort to stay open fell short.

A sign on the front door confirmed the shutdown, thanking customers for two years of business and the artists who participated along the way, as first reported by The Olympian on Friday, Oct. 2. The sign offered no reason for the closure.

The shop sits directly across from the State Theater on Fourth Avenue East.

Rex and Rose had announced a closure over the summer but got a reprieve in July. General manager Chancellor Pruett and co-manager Ande Furler told The Olympian at the time that the shop would remain open. The reprieve came with conditions.

Pruett told The Olympian in July that the shop had to show growth over the next two months for the silent owners of the business.

As part of that push, the shop shifted its opening time from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and began closing Mondays and Tuesdays, operating only Wednesdays through Sundays. Pruett said in July that the early hours weren't working because the shop functioned best as a place to hang out, and few people wanted to do that first thing in the morning.

The shop also held a liquor license and had announced plans in July to reintroduce beer and wine and offer charcuterie boards. It featured rotating displays of local art.

The adjusted approach wasn't enough. As recently as Sept. 18, The Olympian had counted Rex and Rose among three downtown businesses that appeared to have bounced back from closure threats over the summer. Within two weeks, the coffee shop's doors were shut.

No statement from the shop's owners or managers has surfaced since the closure. The identity of the "silent owners" Pruett referenced has not been made public. No future tenant for the Fourth Avenue space has been announced.