Juice’d Cafe Is New Bedford’s Fourth Eatery to Close in 11 Days

June has not been a good month for New Bedford restaurants. Four local eateries have closed within a span of two weeks.

Less than an hour after we first reported on Wednesday that Cafe Italia had closed after 10 years on Rockdale Avenue and another three years on Pleasant Street, my wife texted me that Juice'd Cafe's location at 984 Kempton Street in New Bedford had closed as well.

An employee at Juice'd Cafe's Fall River location at 1475 Plymouth Avenue confirmed to me in a brief phone call that the New Bedford location had closed for good but could not elaborate on the reasons why. I left my name and number and asked that the owner call me but as of this time my message has not been returned.

I visited the Kempton Street store on Wednesday afternoon; there was no one around and the place had been cleaned out. A sign above the store indicates that the property is for lease.

On June 11, The Vault Music Hall on Purchase Street in Downtown New Bedford suddenly closed. We are told revenue and staffing issues were at the heart of that decision. The pub side of the business will reopen after some retooling, the owners said.

Not long after, the Whaling City Diner, also on Purchase Street, closed on June 19. I am told the owners were unable to reach a satisfactory lease agreement with the building's owners.

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Cafe Italia's closing is perhaps the most tragic of them all as owner Nick Ricciardi announced on Facebook that "due to the unfortunate circumstances of being diagnosed with cancer I no longer have the strength to keep my dream of Cafe Italia open."

City Council President Ian Abreu called it "heartbreaking."

"No matter what the reason may be – whether financial, personal or health-related – it's always a heartbreaking day whenever we see a small business in our community shutter its doors," Abreu said.

Abreu said any business in the city that may be struggling should "reach out to the city council, Mayor's Office, or New Bedford Economic Development Council" before closing "to see if we can point you in the right direction as it relates to grants or low to no-interest lending to help you stay afloat."