BALTIMORE — Charmington's Cafe in Baltimore's Remington neighborhood, which gained attention for a 2015 visit from then-President Barack Obama, is now closing.
The cafe has been on Howard Street for 13 years. Its last day will be Dec. 23.
Amanda Rothschild, one of the managing partners, said it's been tough for the city's small businesses since 2020. She mentioned the recent closure of another popular restaurant, Joe Squared, which, like Charmington's, became a workers' cooperative.
She said:
I don't think it's a huge surprise to a lot of folks in the city that there are a number of other businesses that have closed down or are closing down in the near future... Businesses have gone through so much in the last 3 1/2 years. It's sort of constant. We've been pivoting and pivoting and pivoting. The business ecosystem has changed; the financial ecosystem has changed... for the whole country, really.
She said the managers wanted to "end the year on what I see as a really high note."
"At some point, you just kind of need to make that call. And we didn't want to end up in a situation where we had to shut our doors suddenly and not give our staff notice or anything like that," she said.
In 2015, Obama stopped by the restaurant to promote a bill supporting paid sick leave; he chose the cafe because the owner was very proactive in paying sick leave and paying its employees more than minimum wage.
Obama had a roast-beef-avocado wrap and side salad there during lunch with then-Sen. Barbara Mikulski.
Rothschild added that it remains "to be determined" where things might go from here - although "I don't necessarily see 'Charmington's 2' popping up."
She said she is really grateful for the outpouring of support from customers and neighbors.
"Support your local businesses, even if it's not us. Give them some love this season, because they need it," she said.
