The closures come several months after previous cutbacks at Dedalus locations, including the abrupt end of its Boulder, Colo. outpost and what was billed as a “brief 45-day pause” at Burlington sister biz Paradiso Hi-Fi in early August. (Paradiso remains closed.) The small retail location inside Middlebury’s Stone Mill Public Market closed in early September.
Founder Jason Zuliani announced the news in a press release on Wednesday afternoon; customers were alerted with a sign on the door.
The release cited “ongoing workforce and business growth challenges,” and said staff were “informed today and offered severance to ease the transition back into the job market.” Zuliani did not immediately reply to a request to confirm how many staff members were affected by the closure.
Zuliani founded Dedalus in 2007 from the office of his telecommunications business on Burlington’s College Street; the wine shop, market and bar on Pine Street opened in 2017. Dedalus expanded to Middlebury in 2019, and its Stowe location opened in the former Harvest Market the following year.
In an email to staff obtained by Seven Days this summer, Zuliani said the Boulder closure and first round of cutbacks came “from a place of necessity as we work to get Dedalus back on track financially by the end of 2024.”
In Wednesday’s release, Zuliani said, “we are no longer able to manage the head winds we face.”
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