For months, it's been one of Midtown's worst-kept secrets: YOBS is in trouble. On Saturday, that secret was confirmed. Despite a beautiful, 7,500-square foot storefront on Woodward Avenue, Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe will go dark in just a few days.
Five things to know about Ye Olde Butcher Floppe
1. Whole Foods isn't the Whole Story: In a press release, the YOBS ownership alleges their revenues fell sixty percent when Whole Foods appeared in June. But there were other nails in the coffin earlier on, including break-ins, a flood, and an unfavorable lease after the original landlord went bankrupt.
2. Whole Foods actually tried to help: The press release mentions that Whole Foods wanted YOBS to survive. They even distributed advertisements for their smaller competitor.
3. Too liquor, too late: YOBS planned to go after Whole Foods' one giant shortcoming: Liquor. They were "close" to gaining approval for a liquor license but couldn't hold on long enough. YOBS was open for just sixteen months.
4. Back to Mack: For various reasons, the development march of Midtown has been slow to cross Mack Avenue. The swath of abandonment sandwiched between Midtown and the arena development has now lost two of its anchors—YOBS and Atlas Global Bistro.
5. A Cheap Farewell: For its last few days in business, YOBS is offering a 25% discount on all of its merchandise. We recommend mourning with discounted wine and fancy cheese—it's what YOBS would've wanted.
Relive the life of Ye Olde Butcher Shoppe! The captions link to the original posts.
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