Surprising news over the weekend. Dolce & Ciabatta Bakery Cafe — the popular Leesburg bakery — closed down its Fort Evans Road NE location permanently.
Customers were surprised to find a sign affixed to the front door breaking the bad news.
“We are deeply sorry to announce that this location has been permanently closed,” the message read.
“Dolce & Ciabatta is no longer pursuing the commercial market that this location was geared towards. We will be concentrating on smaller retail venues going forward,” it continued.
The Fort Evans Road location had been opened less than a year. After several years of planning and a pandemic, the much-anticipated location in the Fort Evans Plaza II shopping center opened last October.
It was the second location for the brand after their original bakery opened on Catoctin Circle SE in 2018.
That location remains in business, although it is currently closed for maintenance, per a sign on the door. It is scheduled to reopen this Wednesday, September 20.
The second Dolce & Ciabatta store had expanded on the original bakery, offering a small dining room and a more varied menu, including oven-fired pizzas.
Based on the closing announcement, it sounds like the restaurant-style outlet wasn’t working out and any future expansion will focus on replicating the more intimate bakery experience of the original store.