After more than 14 years of operation, a cherished cheese shop in Sarasota is shutting down. The Artisan Cheese Company will close this week and will begin the inventory and pantry products from Tuesday. The cheese shop shared the closure announcement on social media and cited financial challenges as the major reason for the closure.
Sarasota’s Artisan Cheese Company Set to Close
Artisan Cheese Company is well known for its high-quality cheeses, gourmet sandwiches, and charcuterie. Operated by Louise, the shop is located in the heart of Rosemary District and has been a cheese staple for the community for the last 14.5 years.
Through a social media announcement, the restaurant owner shared the closure news. On September 11, the cheese company confirmed, “We will sell off our inventory and pantry goods from Tuesday.”
The owner thanked the customers for their support. In the post, the owner encouraged the community also to support local and small businesses.
“If you have an independent cheese shop near you, go,” said the owner. “Please go and shop at your local shops; you have no idea what they are going through behind the shiny facade of social media.”
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What Led to the Closure
In the social media announcement, the owner explained that the business has been down 40% this year and “the summer has shown us a staggeringly lower % than that.” The decreasing sales have made the cheese shop operation difficult.
The owner also said that they tried to sell the shop in order to keep the cheese shop open but failed. “I had two amazing people who wanted to take over the cheese shop, and we had been working behind the scenes for the last two months to make it happen.”
However, the owner stated, “The space will end up going to a restaurant, as the restaurant won the landlord’s approval over the cheese shop, as is their prerogative, as I am in rent arrears.”
The Artisan Cheese Company’s farewell marks a significant loss to the Sarasota community.
