Some businesses in the Annapolis area and across Anne Arundel County have announced closures since the coronavirus pandemic began in March. Know of a business that closed? Send us a note at tips@capgaznews.com.
Blackwall Hitch, Smashing Grapes
Blackwall Hitch, and the newly opened Smashing Grapes, are closing indefinitely, the restaurants’ owners announced today ahead of a month-long ban on dining at Anne Arundel restaurants.
Titan Hospitality Group CEO James King, who owns the two restaurants and several others in the county, shared the news with customers in a message Dec. 16.
“We have spent the past several days working on budgets to determine if staying open for carry-out is a viable option,” King wrote. “Unfortunately, we have determined that we would lose thousands of dollars a week more than we will already be losing by being closed. Therefore, effective Tuesday at 10 p.m., we have closed the restaurants until further notice.
49 West
49 West Coffeehouse Wine Bar & Gallery in Annapolis announced on Dec. 10 that it’s temporarily closing due to the rise in coronavirus cases and a slowing down of business.
Owner Sarah Cahalan posted on Instagram and Facebook that the bar would be closing on Saturday with no set date of reopening. The business normally offers coffee, alcohol, breakfast, lunch and dinner along with local artwork and live performances from local musicians.
“We have been talking about for the last month after outdoor dining stopped with the weather turning colder,” Cahalan said.
Michael’s Eighth Avenue
Sarah Roman married her husband, Andrew, at Michael’s Eighth Avenue three years ago. Amid friends and loved ones, she said “I do” in the place her family built a fixture for brides like her over three decades.
Roman is heartbroken her son Eli won’t have a chance to do the same.
Michael’s, the event venue home to 30 years of weddings like Roman’s, closed the hall and gardens on Grayburn Drive in Glen Burnie on Nov. 27. Locally known for its swanky event hall and lush gardens, the venue has been the backdrop of fundraising galas, family parties and political functions, notably Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman’s victory rally in 2018. It is well-known in the sports world as the home of the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame annual banquet.
“I’ve had a week to process that this is actually happening,” Roman said, “but watching liquidation is not easy.
Market & Main
Main & Market, a cafe and catering business with almost 30 years of history in Annapolis, announced on social media in November that new coronavirus restrictions have forced it to close until March.
Managing partner Thomas Hogan posted the news on Instagram, saying the recent decision by Anne Arundel County and Annapolis to limit restaurant seating to 25% to slow the spread of the virus prompted the decision. The business will close its doors on Nov. 29 with plans to continue booking catering events in 2021 and beyond..
“We are looking at this temporary closure as a ‘pause’ in business or hibernation for the winter while the community and world continue to deal with the virus,” he wrote.
Pet Valu
Pet Valu, the pet food and supplies store with four locations in Anne Arundel County, announced in the first week of November that it will shut all of its 358 stores and warehouses because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stores, including those in Annapolis, Edgewater, Gambrills and Pasadena, have started closing sales, the Pennsylvania-based company said in announcing the closure.
Rodizio Grill
Rodizio Grill, a Brazilian steak house that opened at Westfield Annapolis mall last year, has shut down, although it called the closure a temporary step amid coronavirus restrictions on indoor dining.
The restaurant posted a notice on its website in late October about the closing but offered no date for a possible reopening.
City Dock Coffee
City Dock Coffee at Market Space in Annapolis has permanently closed, the property owner confirmed in October.
Sheldon Zeller, who owns 18 Market Space, said the coffee shop owners, Grover and Karen Gedney, have been gone “about two months,” he said. Zeller cited “financial reasons” for the coffee shop’s closure but declined to elaborate for fear of legal action.
Union Jacks
The owner of Union Jack’s Annapolis, a mainstay of the local music scene, is blaming his decision to close suddenly on coronavirus restrictions in Anne Arundel County.
Company president Gary Ouelette said Sept. 28 through a spokesperson that restrictions on audience capacity for live shows, dining capacity and early closing times put in place by the county to slow the spread of the coronavirus hurt the business.
“It’s just too difficult to continue in Anne Arundel,” he said through a spokesperson.
The British-styled pub announced Monday night on Facebook that it would close immediately. The Columbia location remains open.
Sunset Restaurant
For 60 years, Glen Burnie’s iconic Sunset Restaurant has hosted thousands of special meals for area residents, making it famous for favorites like cream of crab soup and shrimp salad.
Instead of celebrating its anniversary, on Monday the Fratantuono – or Fratt – family announced via a Facebook post that the restaurant would close on Sept. 30.
What started as a night club in 1960 with live music, dancing and nickel slot machines, morphed into an area favorite dining option. Managers Dave, Mike and Gary Fratantuono now are inundated with folks who want to tell them what Sunset has meant to their families.
“Memories – that’s what we keep hearing – all the memories,” Mike said.
Regal Cinemas
Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld Group confirmed the temporary suspension of its U.S. and U.K operations on Oct. 5, confirming reports that first emerged Saturday.
In a statement, the group said: “In response to an increasingly challenging theatrical landscape and sustained key market closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cineworld confirms that it will be temporarily suspending operations at all of its 536 Regal theatres in the U.S. and its 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse theaters in the U.K. from Thursday, 8 October 2020.”
The company owns the Regal Waugh Chapel & IMAX in Gambrills and the Regal Bowie. Those locations have not reopened since suspending showings in March, when restrictions were imposed in Maryland to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Enchanted Arts and Sole
After 33 years in the business, Enchanted Arts and Sole Comfort owners Ruth and Max Suberi are ready to retire and transition their store to an online shop after the holiday season.
The Suberis’ decision is yet another example of the coronavirus pandemic forcing businesses to make tough decisions. There was too much uncertainty, ultimately forcing the duo to decide upon closing the physical store. They decided to keep their physical location open through the holiday season to say goodbye to their customers.
“It forced us to reevaluate, and we decided to go exclusively online,” Ruth Suberi said in September. “We went from a busy store to dead-in-the-waters because of COVID 19.”
Ah, Coffee
Ah Coffee, an Eastport coffee shop, announced May 25 on social media that it will not reopen once coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
Owner Diana Gowen and members of her staff wrote that they have been trying to figure out how to adapt the small shop to the emergency regulations across that state that have limited food services to carry out service. Limited lifting of the rules, designed to slow the spread of the virus, have not yet reached restaurants and coffee shops.
“Sadly, we were unable to come to a solution that meets our needs,” the staff wrote on the store’s Facebook page. “We will not be reopening.”
Nordstrom’s
After 20 years at the Annapolis location, Nordstrom closed its doors in August. It was one of 16 locations that will be closing permanently as well.
Nordstrom has 116 full-line stores in 40 states.
“We will not reopen these stores to the public and anticipate all 16 of these stores will be closed by August 2020,” a Nordstrom spokesperson said in a statement. “These types of decisions are never easy because we realize what this means for our employees. We’re committed to taking care of them as best we can, including providing support and resources through this transition.”
Wren’s Bridal
Wren Bridal announced on social media in June that it would close in the fall.
“It has been a difficult year with so many factors outside our control. The impact of not being able to physically host appointments, the uncertainty that lies ahead within the ongoing pandemic, and our lease’s end date this fall, made our difficult decision evident.”
“The last five years, we have felt so incredibly honored to have worked with each and every one of you who came into our store, and therefore our lives. We set out to create a different, more intentional, more intimate, and more thoughtful experience for brides’ and their families, and feel a sense of peace knowing we did that for so many.”
Other businesses
Blair’s Londontowne Pub and Grill, Edgewater.
Paladar Latin Kitchen and Rum Bar, Annapolis.
Brooks Brothers, Annapolis.
Great Gatherings, Annapolis.
Green Turtle, Annapolis.
Green Turtle, Gambrills.
24 Hour Fitness, Annapolis.
Baja Fresh Mexican Grill, Annapolis.
Abercrombie & Fitch Co., Annapolis.
New York & Co., Annapolis
New York & Co., Hanover
New York & Co., Glen Burnie
Kmart, Edgewater.
Tommy Bahama, Annapolis.