CHRISTIANSBURG — Barring some intervention, a historic property downtown appears to be losing another business.
The Blue Ridge Fudge Lady Cafe in Christiansburg has announced on social media that it will, as of now, not be reopening.
“We are looking for someone to either partner with or take over the space with a similar type restaurant,” the business wrote in a Facebook post that also highlighted other points such as the fact the kitchen is certified by the health department and that the equipment could be purchased.
The cafe in Christiansburg had opened its doors inside the building at 4 W. Main St. just this past December. The Blue Ridge Fudge Lady had replaced another popular eatery, the Mockingbird Cafe, which itself closed about a year ago after spending years in that spot and developing a dedicated following across Montgomery County.
People are also reading…
The Blue Ridge Fudge Lady includes an online component and the closure appears to affect the entire business. One person, responding to the recent post on Facebook, asked “Is this is just the café closing or Blue Ridge Fudge Lady altogether?”
The business replied with: “Yes. It is everything. The café is my only location/business.”
Owner Robin Burdette previously said the online component became popular in its own right after her shop received some national news coverage several years ago.
Fox Business had been working on a series in 2018 that focused on local businesses that were based in rural communities and played an active role in the areas they served.
Through a long-time friend and former classmate, Burdette was put in contact with a reporter at the news outlet. Her business, which operated a Pulaski-based shop at the time, was spotlighted in an article titled “Blue Ridge Fudge Lady: A veteran with a lot of sweetness, a whole lotta gumption.”
Burdette previously said the business operated exclusively online for nearly two years before she opened the Christiansburg shop. She had closed the Pulaski store in early 2021 following the end of its lease and as she, and a great number of small businesses, grappled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burdette hasn’t returned a request for comment on the closure of the Christiansburg cafe.
The business owner, however, did upload a video on Facebook in June and she addressed the cafe’s plans at the time.
Burdette brought up her employment with the U.S. Department of Defense. She told The Roanoke Times during an interview last year that she’s a cybersecurity engineer and served as a cryptologist after joining the Navy in 2000.
“My side gig is the Blue Ridge Fudge lady,” she said in the June 21 Facebook clip. “I have to travel for them [DOD] on an important mission from June to the end of July, so I will be gone. I thought I had a great plan to keep the fudge shop open.”
Burdette said she shrunk the menu, limited the ingredients and even had plans for a baker.
“That blew up in my face yesterday. The baker’s not able to be here for a weeks,” she said. “So anyway, I leave in a couple days and I have to shut the fudge shop down until I come back the first week in August.”
Burdette said she wouldn’t have made that decision if there wasn’t another urgent matter at hand. She also voiced her gratitude for the support the shop has received and asked that patrons keep her and her peers in their thoughts and prayers as they travel for the government.
"cafe" - Google News
August 02, 2023 at 03:57AM
https://ift.tt/F2gGYyX
Downtown Christiansburg cafe closes - Roanoke Times
"cafe" - Google News
https://ift.tt/UpTcDxg
https://ift.tt/uTYnVQH
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25244079/4.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment