07/09/2024
A little more than 5 weeks ago, I took this photo and handed over the cheese shop keys to the building landlord. It's taken me this long to be able to find the right words (well, maybe not “right” but at least adequate), a modicum of emotional grounding, and enough mental space to share a semblance of an update with you all, our lactose-loving supporters and fans.
Faced with many, many, many questions, opinions, and suggestions that flooded in from literally thousands of people following the news that our lease was not being renewed, along with messages and words of sadness and disappointment from our community, customers, culinary friends, and cheese comrades while being forced to shutter the retail business has been truly an overwhelming time. Helping our staff find jobs, transitioning wholesale accounts, rapidly finding new homes for our equipment, moving every scrap of physical infrastructure, and untangling our day-to-day operations became priority and took a lot out of everyone involved in the short period of time and runway given. Even now, there are many ample loose ends to attend!
Many of you have reached out after the news broke (and continue to ask even now with increasing regularity): Where are you relocating?
The short answer: we're not.
I know, it's heartbreaking for you all.
Trust me, it's been heartbreaking for me and the rest of our staff too.
Does that mean the end of Sweet Freedom Cheese? No!
But... What's the next step? What's the plan?
Sweet Freedom Cheese will still plan to periodically offer private and public workshops, classes, appearances, and cheesemonger services at a *slow* and thoughtful pace while I recharge and regroup after a very intense 7+ years of planning, building, and operating the brick & mortar. I'm so grateful for our strong network of community and small business partners with whom we have connected with along the way and have been brainstorming some fun collaborations and events with many of them while I sort out the practical logistics of ex*****on.
So... stay tuned as we announce more public events, starting with the 3rd Annual Evening of Historical Spirits, happening next week on Sept. 12th, featuring spirits from Delta Dirt Distillery, cocktails from South Maple Street Cocktails, and benefiting our longtime non-profit friends at the Rogers Historical Museum Foundation.
More about this event tomorrow and toodaloo for now!
- Jessica, the Big Cheese 🧀
