Cafe Svago owner Trish Arata still doesn't know whether her Main Street coffee shop will remain open in the long run, but she is confident she will continue serving lattes in the near future, at least.

"I'm open, I'm here, come in and patronize me," was Arata's plea on Monday afternoon.

Several customers have given cash donations to help Arata, who is months delinquent on her rent, keep Svago open. And loyal customer Kate Taylor suggested she set up an e-mail address, pledgecafesvago@gmail.com, to seek further assistance keeping Cafe Svago running.

"I go to the cafe quite regularly, and I can't even conceive of it not being there," said Taylor, a Ridgefield resident. The pledge idea came from NPR's pledge drives, she said—if Arata negotiates with her landlord, Urstadt Biddle Properties, to continue her tenancy, people who pledged will then donate the promised amounts to help ensure her success.

"I think that people genuinely care, and if people knew how immediate the situation was, they would help," Taylor said.

Arata said she continues trying to improve the cafe to attract as many patrons as possible. She pared her staff from 12 to five in recent weeks to save money, and she is providing greater supervision to remaining employees to ensure they offer tip-top customer service. She also started selling bags of the coffee brewed at the cafe, New London-based Bean & Leaf beans.

"I really want to stay here. I think the town—Main Street—needs what I offer," she said.