The Village Café, a staple in Miami Shores for the past decade, closed its doors last month.

During the summer, Mooie’s ice cream shop, which had been open for only a year and a half, also shut down, amid a dispute with its landlord.

But a new pizza restaurant already has plans to move into the Village Café’s space. The Mooie’s building is being renovated, with plans for additional tenants to arrive in the future.

So village leaders and residents remain optimistic about downtown’s prospects.

“Our downtown area is bouncing back from the recession. Here we have got an entire city block that is being remodeled. There are lots of small shops and food shops that have opened up,” said Tim Benton, the village manager.

Some residents were not surprised when Village Café shut down in December. Chefs changed, and the food was inconsistent, said resident Kim Krause, who stopped eating there almost two years ago.

Patrick Devaney said it was a good spot for a burger, but a bit pricey.

“It’s closed, and I’m a little disappointed,” Devaney said.

PizzaFiore will move into the café’s former location, at 9540 NE Second Ave. on Feb.1.

The pizzeria’s owner, Arcoub Abderrahim, said it will be his second location; he also has a shop on 71st Street in Miami Beach.

Devaney said he would like to see more restaurants in downtown, so he wouldn’t have to drive 15 to 20 minutes to eat out in Aventura as much.

Restaurants, though, need a sewage system and downtown Miami Shores doesn’t have one. Septic tanks can’t handle the heavy volumes of wastewater produced by a restaurant, so they have to be emptied frequently.

Village Manager Tom Benton and Mayor Jim McCoy said they are gathering information on what it would take to get a sewage system installed in the downtown area, along Northeast Second Avenue between 94th and 101st streets.

The remodeling of the building where Mooie’s used to be began in July. A company called DVS LLC, owned by Theresa and Richard Caccamise, bought the property in December 2010. Construction is still underway, but Theresa Caccamise said the space will be used for retail.

While businesses in the building like Primal Fit and Integrative Chiropractic remain open, Mooie’s closed in August. The construction interfered with foot traffic and daily business, according to owner Sean Saladino. He has been sued by DVS for back rent, which he said he doesn’t owe. Theresa Caccamise declined to comment.

Saladino considered moving his business, but says he put $25,000 into a septic and drainage system for the shop, which would not be included if he left.

With a population a little over 10,000 in Miami Shores, its size is part of the reason people move there and the close community they find is in part why businesses thrive.

Alison Espinosa and her husband, George, owners of The Village Stand a specialty food shop on 98th Street, have been living in Miami Shores since Spring of 2010.

“It’s a very, very strong sense of community,” said Alison. “Ninety-eight percent of our business is word of mouth.”

Owner of A & A Village Treasures, Amado Mesa, began his gift shop with 400 square feet and moved into a space of 1,000 square feet in April. Mesa is a member of the Miami Shores Chamber of Commerce, and sells jewelry and gifts made by local artists in his shop. He believes connecting with the community and getting involved helped his business thrive.

Mayor McCoy, who is a commercial real estate broker, said now is a good time for building owners.

“We want a main street, a pedestrian friendly environment where the community can congregate,” McCoy said.