GLEN BURNIE, Md. — It's a lot of money, but Roberto Silva was more than happy to pay it, to give his only daughter her dream quinceañera next May. He booked an event package with Bleues on the Water near Glen Burnie for more than $15,000.
WMAR-2 News spoke to Silva through a translator: "This was something really big in their life that they wanted to accomplish because for the Latin community, celebrating a quinceañera for a daughter is something really big for the families."
Since April 2024, Silva has paid the business in six installments, totaling more than $9,000. When he and his wife showed up to deliver his final payment, an employee quietly warned them:
"And she said, 'No, don't make any final payments because we're closing this place down.'"
When pressed for more information, the business owner, Thomas Stuehler, gave Silva this letter, which he had previously sent to another customer informing them that he was closing his doors, and no refunds would be issued. He wrote in the letter, "The deposits were utilized to keep the business afloat while I tried to find a solution."
Silva doesn't know when he was going to receive such a letter, but he now knows he's not getting his money back, and had to break the news to his daughter.
"I don't have any money to book anything else right now," the translator said as Silva recalled informing his daughter. "So all your friends who were participating in this dance, we're gonna have to tell them that we're gonna have to postpone or cancel it because we don't have anything reserved right now."
Employees of Bleues on the Water tell WMAR-2 News Stuehler was continuing to accept payments well after he knew the business was going under.
He leases the property and hasn't paid rent in over a year. His landlord filed for eviction back in July.
"Next year we have 53 events booked. And then we have 4 events booked in 2026," employee Heather Norris said.
Norris is contacting customers herself to let them know not to pay the business any more money.
"There's a wedding that [was] paid for 2026 [at] the beginning of the year, that paid their full deposit completely, everything paid off. And he's not reaching out to them yet," Norris said. WMAR-2 News Elizabeth Worthington asked, "He hasn't told them yet?" Norris responded, "No."
Another employee, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she was told suddenly that her next shift would be her last.
"When we asked for our paychecks, we were told, well there's no money. Well, I showed up for three weeks for work so there has to be money."
She eventually was paid what she was owed, but she says not all of the employees have been yet. She says Stuehler owes "a lot of vendors money."
"Their checks are bouncing, thousands of dollars," she said.
An attorney for the business, Robert Stahl, sent WMAR-2 News the following statement on behalf of his client:
"1. The business was shut down during the pandemic, this caused a substantial loss of business. The business did not receive much assistance from the government in the way of loans or grants. This created a financial disruption that the company could not recover from.
2. The economy for the past 3 years has been very bad for the catering business and as a result, the business has suffered a substantial downturn in business.
3. The business had substantial problems with it's landlord. Major repairs were necessary to deal with dangerous conditions and fire hazards. Additionally, because of the downturn of the economy, the company was unable to stay current with it's lease.
In conclusion, as a result of the above financial issues, Bleues on the Water, Inc. will be filing for Bankruptcy Protection this week. Bankruptcy Attorney, Robert M. Stahl, will be filing the case in the Baltimore District of the US Bankruptcy Court."
WMAR-2 News reached out to the Maryland Attorney General's Office to ask what recommendations it has for people in this situation.
A spokesperson said:
“The Attorney General’s office recommends that consumers who have complaints against businesses that are known to be going out of business file their complaints with our Consumer Protection Division, either on our website at www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov [marylandattorneygeneral.gov] or by calling 410-528-8662 to request that a paper complaint form be mailed to them. If bankruptcy has been filed by the business, we recommend that consumers file a claim through the bankruptcy court to attempt to recover any monies alleged to be owed. If bankruptcy has not been filed, the Consumer Protection Division will work with consumers and businesses to try and reach a mutually agreed-upon resolution to the dispute.”