Kensington coffee shop mourns after sudden death of co-owner

About two years ago, Josh Mullins was hit by a car while biking to Coffee House Too in Kensington for his shift. The first person he called — while getting strapped onto a gurney — was his boss, Sal Licastri, to say he wouldn't be in.

"That's just how much I care about the job and the work Sal did here," said Mullins, now the shop's manager. "He was inspiring."

Licastri, a co-owner of the shop, died Tuesday after a heart attack Saturday. That's why the shop at York and Belgrade Streets looks as if it's been papered in condolence notes.

The shop offered its limited menu, including all pastries and beverages, free on Wednesday, because that's "what Sal would want," Mullins said. It closed on Thursday in his memory.

The day after Licastri's heart attack, Coffee House Too also was closed as Mullins, other staffers, and regular customers visited Licastri in the hospital.

That same day, Fishtown resident Aly Banks wrote, "Come back soon, I need you to butter my muffin," on a Post-it note and stuck it to the shop's front door.

She left a pad of sticky notes and a pen on the step so others could leave notes. Soon the notes multiplied.

"I love you Sal … Your my 6th brother," one note reads. Others are dotted with hand-drawn hearts and messages like "I miss you already."

"I wasn't surprised at all," said Banks, a regular customer nicknamed "Aly Cat" by the staff. "He was the type of guy who let you pay for a coffee the next day if you were a hot mess and forgot your wallet. Just a really great person."

On Wednesday, Mullins made a display with photos he borrowed from Licastri's bedroom and hung them around the shop. Customers dropped off cards and flowers — making the day a "memorial for Sal's Philadelphia family," Mullins said. Licastri was from Staten Island, N.Y.

Anthony Lolio, the owner of Fishtown's Heffe Tacos, gave the shop's staff food from his menu Wednesday. He met Licastri six years ago as a customer at Coffee House Too.

Lolio, who saw Licastri every morning when buying coffee at his shop, said they became close friends over the years.

"I'd say Coffee House Too … is a true neighborhood coffee shop," said Lolio, a lifelong Philadelphian. "What Sal had with the customers is what makes it a true Philadelphia shop, and you don't see that a lot anymore."

The shop opened in 2011 and was named Best Coffee Spot in the Best of the Riverwards contest, run by the Star, a neighborhood paper, four years in a row. It was also recognized for its customer service.

Mullins said Licastri taught him that "we are not in the food business serving people, we are in the people business serving food." Licastri remembered customers' names, orders, and progress of their families.

And Licastri was more than a boss to Mullins, who said they became friends during conversations after closing the shop and nights when Licastri would let Mullins — who bikes to work from South Philadelphia — stay at his Fishtown home if the weather turned bad.

"He was warm, witty, charming, clever," Mullins said. "I honestly can't find enough good things to say about him. He was so genuine."