Coffee shop near Charlotte had seances + a coffin. It closed after ‘endless threats’
Nocturna Coffee & Oddities, a gothic-themed coffeehouse that made its debut in downtown Salisbury less than four months ago, has abruptly closed. Its co-owner cited “endless threats” and “unrelenting” community harassment as the cause.
The shop at 213 S. Lee St. announced on social media Sunday that it had permanently closed and plans to relocate. “It’s with heavy hearts that we are making this post,” the statement said. In an exclusive interview this week, the shop’s co-owner Madison Moore shared what led to the decision with The Charlotte Observer.
Nocturna quickly became known for its “spooky vibes,” serving up drinks with names like Scream Queen, Nosferatu and Ghostbuster. Unlike traditional coffee shops, it operated in the evening.
The store offered tarot readings and seances, as well as a room full of oddities, including a coffin, taxidermies and an electroshock therapy kit, according to The Salisbury Post.
The business was initially “overwhelmed” by community support at its grand opening. “We served over 200 guests tonight!,” Nocturna said on Facebook.
But that excitement quickly devolved into a nightmare of “unrelenting” community harassment, Moore said.
“It was endless, and my peace was being taken from me,” she said. “What started out as dream and something really fun to go to became a place of fear for me.”
Coffee shop harassment followed NC holiday parade
Moore said the decision to close the store was finalized after weeks of harassment that intensified following the city’s holiday parade in late November.
Kids from a local Baptist church threw sticks and rocks at Nocturna’s Krampus float, according to Moore. Krampus, a horned beast from European folklore that accompanies St. Nicholas, is said to punish misbehaving children during the Christmas season.
“Everyone thought that Satan was riding through Salisbury,” Moore said. “We don’t practice anything; we just like weird stuff.”
Since the parade, Moore said she has received a constant stream of texts and calls involving verbal attacks, as well as threats to vandalize and even burn down the rented building down.
“It was still going on in January,” Moore said. She said she asked customers who were police officers for advice, but did not file a police report.
There were other problems, too, at the 1900s, one-story commercial house that was home to the coffee shop.
After returning from a January vacation, the Moores found a group of unhoused people camped on the back patio who did not leave, Moore said.
The homeless group factored into the decision that Moore and her husband Ken made to close the coffee shop, but the main reason was the ongoing threats.
“We’re just ready to move locations,” Moore said. “We’re going to try to relocate maybe in the Charlotte or Concord area, or may go mobile.”
Online support for beleaguered NC coffee shop
The sudden closing surprised many, especially with events like a fully-booked photography session that was planned for this month.
The day before Nocturna’s closing announcement, the Salisbury-based Carolina Association of Paranormal Studies posted a give-away basket that included a gift card to the coffee shop, saying “where the strange and unusual await. Along with some of the best coffee.”
Nocturna’s announcement prompted a lot of support on Facebook, with nearly 400 people commenting as of Tuesday. Many promised to follow the business wherever it lands.
“You all were such a unique and wonderful addition to the small town boredom that Salisbury has to offer,” one person said.
“This was such a place of refuge for me and my kids,” another person wrote. “We have made good memories as a family playing games in the seance room and watching movies and shows on the couch. This is a huge loss.”
Suggestions for relocation spanned from Winston-Salem to Rock Hill. “Definitely need to come to a city and get out these small towns,” one person suggested on Facebook.
‘We do not worship Satan’
The coffee shop was not without its online critics. Negative comments on the coffee shop’s social media included one in mid-November that called for a boycott of the shop, claiming, “Salisbury is being destroyed by New Comers bringing in LBGT and Satanic Rituals.”
Another person said they thought Moore practices witchcraft.
Moore responded: “We do not worship Satan and don’t practice any sort of religious belief.” She said everyone was welcome at Nocturna, “no matter what religion you are.”
Some people online reveled in Nocturna’s closing announcement, with one person posting, “Praise the Lord! Now I just hope you never open back up!” Another person added, “I personally don’t want them in any town! And obviously I’m not the only one!”
For Madison Moore, she’ll miss her customers, including the Catawba College students “who kept us laughing.
“We’re going to miss everybody,” she said.
