The market and cafe posted this message on its Facebook page on September 24th:
With very heavy hearts, we have some sad news to share. Uptown Market will be closing permanently.
Our last day of service will be Sunday October 2nd. Join us for a last dinner, brunch or stroll through the market. All prepared foods, beer and wine will be 25% off through our last day of business.
Thank you for your support.
An additional message, in the post’s attached image, hinted at the reasons: “The past two years have been difficult for all hospitality businesses, and we have not been immune to those struggles.”
Uptown Market got a warm welcome from the neighborhood upon its October 2019 opening at 4465 Connecticut Avenue, which included a “welcome to the neighborhood” message from Bread Furst owner Mark Furstenberg. But within a few months, Covid-19 turned the hospitality industry upside down. Uptown rapidly implemented changes including online ordering and delivery.
Soapstone Market occupied the space from 2016 to 2018.
Chris says
The neighborhood does not need a “market”, especially with the overwhelming amount of grocery stores in the area. Plus Bread Furst and Calvert Woodley already occupied the niche they were going for. Soapstone market failed for the same reasons. Why paid double here for something I can get down the street?
What we do need is a casual, mid-sized American oriented Bar and Grill. Somewhere to get a burger, a sandwich, breakfast, beer. Forget any retail and make this a restaurant only. A complimentary down scale position opposite Sfoglina down the block. I shouldn’t have to drive up to Chevy Chase to go out to affordable dinner. (IE, The Avenue, etc…)
Just my two cents. If a similar concept tries again, it will fail again.
FHC says
The concept you describe sounds similar to Flavor Garden, which opened across the street at 4400 Connecticut in
AugustJune.TJ says
Flavor Garden’s menu leaves a lot to be desired, as does the curb appeal (and the name itself). I wish the owner much success but I also think she has made some major errors and would benefit from a re-launch.
Alison says
I agree completely. I was so disappointed when I looked at Flavor Garden’s menu. Looks like a menu with food selections from the 1970’s. I won’t be going in there at all unless, as you suggest, a re-launch with a new updated and appealing menu is introduced. There’s much potential there, but not in the Flavor Garden’s current menu.
TJ says
Agree 100%. How many places in a two block stretch do we need selling high end jams and charcuterie? Yet there’s no where besides Potbelly to grab a decent sandwich! With more people working from home, we need a basic lunch counter place – in addition to what you’ve described.
Mercedes says
Oh my Gosh so sorry to hear about it. I go there very often! To the market and for dinner. I will miss it very much
Adrian Salsgiver says
I blame Bowser. She says she deserves to be reelected because she kept us safe from covid. But I think she destroyed many lives and small businesses with all her rules, orders, and lockdowns, so I’m voting for Rodney Red Grant for Mayor.
It’s also a reason I’m running for Ward 3 DC Council. If elected I will work with my colleagues on the Council to end all covid restrictions and make sure they never return.
Anna says
There are many of us, and we are a small mom and pop business owner also, that are very grateful for the COVID restrictions and support, and for keeping us safe.
Margaret says
It’s a shame that you feel public health shouldn’t be a priority. I’m grateful to have a mayor who wants to keep us alive!
Barbara Kraft says
We have so loved Thurs. eve jazz sessions at Upton Market, led by Edmund Burke School music teacher John Howard. He features a lot of his student musicians, plus seasoned performers. Uptown has always been full on the Thurs. evenings we’ve been there. I agree with other writers, though, that BreadFurst has its niche, and that we need a nice family restaurant like you see in so many other cities and neighborhoods, a place where young pros, older people and everybody in between can get breakfast, lunch & dinner. What’s preventing that? What about combining a casual food place with a used bookstore or campus bookstoreand local musicians, maybe featuring UDC musicians, as well as students from Burke, Jackson-Reed, GDS, etc.? Many of us drive to Politics & Prose; having a bookstore nr a metro stop & UDC would be great.
Sandy says
I knew this would happen. They tore down a small strip mall with viable businesses, which we need, to put up a large, expensive apartment complex – which we didn’t need – and promised retail on the ground floor. The only retail we got was the market. It’s pricey, but I have to say there are a number of prepared food items I would go back and purchase on a regular basis. So, now we won’t have the market and only a higher end restaurant. I agree that we need affordable basic American restaurants that serve breakfast, lunch, etc. But we also need other retail. We used to be able to shop in this neighborhood for gift items, office items, stationery, kitchen supplies, PET SUPPLIES. All that is gone and we have to go online or out of our area. Ugh.
Barbara Kraft says
Sandy, your comments are right on! I do think we need nice affordable apartments near the Van Ness/UDC metro though. Can we not have both — apartments, and convenient retail and restaurants?
Michele says
The developers building these new, expensive apartments/condos in “mixed-use” projects are charging very high retail rents, thus precluding smaller, non-chain businesses that aren’t high-end boutiques (see Bethesda Row). The developers are only interested in making as much money as they can from their projects. Unfortunately, those wanting affordable housing have fallen for the developers’ “smart growth” push for increasing density — resulting in mostly very expensive market-rate housing and pushing out our small businesses. The large apartment building built on this block didn’t help to keep Uptown Market alive, but the developers insist we just need more and more density. What you need is parking, so people who don’t live very close to Connecticut will come. For example, the small parking lot behind BreadFurst is an enormous help for them. But more density just makes parking even harder.
Green Eyeshades says
I will repeat a comment I made on a different blogpost. There is parking underground under the Park Van Ness which is available for customers of the Sfoglina restaurant and was available for customers of the former Uptown Market, now closed.
There. Is. Parking. For. Retail. Customers. That. Is. Not. Visible. On. The. Street.
Barbara Kraft says
To Michele’s point, my husband and I toured City Ridge last night and while we were blown away by the beauty of it, we were disappointed to learn that only 8% of its residential square footage is not market rate. That 8% included 2-3 bedroom family-side units, but it’s not enough. (There is lots of parking, BTW.) We can combine additional density with affordability if we insist on law changes that require developers to include more affordable units in their buildings. Current law allowed City Ridge, Mazza and 5333 Wisconsin and others to be re-developed without enough affordability, given the needs of our city.