A Tallahassee caf owner says she faces eviction weeks after opening her restaurant due to a foreclosure that left her lease invalid.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: Tootie's Cafe owner faces eviction weeks after opening, says her lease is invalidLatasha "Tootie" Reed-Hopkins, owner of Tootie's Cafe and Catering, says she poured thousands of dollars into her new business only to be told her lease is invalid after the building changed owners following a foreclosure."My dreams are finally coming true. My boys are grown. I can afford them an opportunity to know what it's like to not struggle," Reed-Hopkins said.Opening Tootie's Cafe and Catering in April was the realization of a dream years in the making for Reed-Hopkins. But just weeks later, she says she was told her lease is invalid after the building changed owners due to a foreclosure.Reed-Hopkins says she signed a lease on February 23 with Lisa Washington, who she believed was managing the property for Eusebio Coterillo. She says she thought everything was fine until she received a termination notice from the new property manager weeks later."I asked if this changes anything for me because, you know, this is my first time. She said no it shouldn't change anything. Just send me over a copy of your lease and any information that you have which I did," Reed-Hopkins said. "I received a notice of termination. They basically told me my lease was invalid, and I had until June 15 to vacate the premises."In a viral social media post, Reed-Hopkins wrote: "after just 1 month, I have had my dreams shattered after basically being scammed"In the termination letter, the new property owners said public records showed "Knox Tallahassee LLC" had already been administratively dissolved before the lease was executed.Washington initially said she had no comment when contacted, but also said Reed-Hopkins "was not scammed" and entered into a contract with a private owner of the building. The property management company did not respond to a request for comment.Customers now worry about losing a business many say already feels like family."It just saddens me because she's just trying to make a honest living, you know? And when you see someone honest work as hard as Tootie, of course you're going to kind of be upset," friend and customer Yarnell Mathis said.Reed-Hopkins says she now wants other small business owners to learn from her experience."I hope that everybody can learn even if I have to be the one to learn from. Please make sure that you check out all credentials," Reed-Hopkins said.The family is asking for help to cover moving costs and find a new location.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytimeLike us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X. ...read more read less