The owners of Folks Café, a coffee roastery and restaurant with a loyal local following, announced via Facebook on Wednesday that they have made the difficult decision to sell the property where the café is located at 1202 Princess St.

Tammy and Juan Pacini have owned and operated the café since 2010. In 2014, they opened a second location at 706 N. Fourth St., which they operated for about three years. They sold the property to the owners of Brooklyn Café, which continues to operate at that location.

The Facebook post, which stated that the Pacinis are ready to retire, was met with sadness, praise, gratitude and well wishes from followers.

In a quote from the post, the owners stated:

“We deeply value the community and the relationships we’ve built, and this decision wasn’t easy. We especially want to express our love and gratitude to all our customers who have supported us over the years.”

Tammy Pacini declined to comment on the announcement or any plans for the business; however, the post stated that Folks will remain open for the foreseeable future.

The Pacinis relocated from California to Wilmington in 2009 and opened Folks Café shortly thereafter as a way to connect with the community and meet new people. Through food, coffee and conversation, they quickly gained a loyal group of customers they fondly refer to now as friends.

Jeff Hovis of Intracoastal Realty Corp. is the agent contracted to sell the Folks Café property. He stated that he had been hired to sell the property but not the business.

“There will be a list of items that will convey with the property, but as far as selling Folks as a business entity, that’s not something we’ve been empowered to do,” Jeff Hovis said.