Operators of Eddie’s of Mount Vernon announced on Facebook that the grocer, a longtime anchor in midtown Baltimore, will close at the end of June.
“It is tough to put in to words the gratitude we have for all the customers that have shopped with us over the years and kept us open this long,” Eddie’s wrote on Facebook Saturday afternoon.
“We have truly enjoyed being a part of the Mt Vernon community and will miss all the employees and customers we have grown to know and love over the years,” store operators wrote.
Items at Eddie’s will be marked down over the coming weeks as a going-out-of-business sale, according to the Facebook post.
In an interview Sunday, owner Dennis Zorn said the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the business climate in Baltimore has been terrible. He said business has slowly been deteriorating with expenses going up.
Parking lots behind the business used to be packed but it’s 60% empty now, he added. He’s also been affected by staffing issues, noting the store has had to close its deli early multiple times because of a lack of staff.
Zorn bought the Mount Vernon location at 7-11 W. Eager St. in 2000.
The store has long been a midtown staple and the neighborhood’s only grocer despite threats of encroaching development.
Eddie’s of Mount Vernon was targeted for demolition in 2017 to make way for a 10-story apartment and retail complex, but the development has not yet come to fruition. The building has served as a grocery store since 1939, according to the Baltimore Brew.
Zorn said he would shutter the Mount Vernon store in August last year after an argument with city health inspectors, according to the Baltimore Business Journal, but reversed course.
“It’s a sad day for us and it’s a sad day for mount Vernon. It deserves better it’s been a wonderful community. It’s been our pleasure to serve,” Zorn said Sunday.
