The future of Blue Note Coffee Café is becoming clearer after the shop's landlord said an agreement has been reached between parties.

It appears the cafe's owners are closer to knowing whether the five-year-old business will continue from its current location. In September, the landlord said an unknown franchise made a bid to replace the shop on Grand River Avenue.

On Oct. 31, owner Judy Wang and her family were expected to move out of their building or pay more rent to match the offer made to Douglas Cron, owner of Cron Management, by the franchise.

But the Wangs did neither, turning the matter to legal counsel.

"Basically, it's all legal now. We can't really do much," Wang said. "That's the best way we could do something about our situation is get a lawyer and then take care of it. Otherwise, it would just be us moving out period. It wouldn't even be an issue."

But according to Cron, "the situation's been settled." A settlement could potentially serve to allow the Wangs to continue serving coffee from the current location.

However, Wang maintained that she has not been notified of any legal resolution and that the future of her cafe remains uncertain.

Wang's attorney, Christopher Brown, declined to comment, explaining that he didn't want to jeopardize negotiations or a settlement with a statement.

In early September, Cron notified Wang of his intention to increase rent. At that time, Wang conceded that she couldn't afford the increase and planned to close the cafe.

A clause in Wang's contract allows management to increase rent if another vendor offered higher rent for the property.

Then, on Oct. 19, with the help of the Direct Action activist group, which includes regular Blue Note customers, a protest was held in support of Wang and the cafe.

For now, Wang is waiting for news from her lawyer.

"Everyday we wait for answers. We can't run a business, thinking that we're supposed to be moving out," she said.

"It's hard because our customers care, and they want to know if we're going to be here."

Tenants often stay beyond predesignated move-out dates issued by a landlord, said real estate attorney Steve Dulan, who could not comment specifically on this case.