Courtesy Society Fair
Society Fair, the Alexandria gourmet food emporium, has closed its doors for good, according to a report by Washington City Paper. Its last day was Monday.
"Dan and I decided on Sunday," co-owner Nadine Brown told City Paper's Laura Hayes. "It has been difficult. The summer slowdown, the relentless rain, the Metro closures in Alexandria and more were the last straw."
The business, located at 277 S. Washington St., has not announced its closing on its social media sites and no one answered the phone Tuesday.
The food emporium, restaurant and catering business hoped to raise $30,000 back in February to stay open; they raised $7,825, according to their GoFundMe page. They stayed open despite not reaching their funding goal, thanks to a generous and understanding landlord. Society Fair looked forward to bringing in-demand services to the restaurant, such as quick pick-up, possible delivery services and more as they staffed up and revamped operations.
The business was launched seven years ago by The Eat Good Food Group, owned by award-winning chef Cathal Armstrong and wife Meshelle; the new co-owners, husband and wife Dan Fisher and Brown, took over the business in 2017. Fisher was the longtime chef at Armstrong's Restaurant Eve, now closed; Brown is a sommelier and came to the operation from Charlie Palmer Steak.
Society Fair was already struggling financially when Fisher and Brown took it over, according to Brown's GoFundMe summary.
Read the full City Paper story here.
