When Jodie's Cafe & Bakery on Water Street, Wiscasset closed in May, owner Jodie Roquemore thought that was temporary. It was not, she would find. 

"I honestly thought we would find a way to reopen. I held onto that hope for as long as I could. But as the weeks turned into months, I had to face the reality that reopening simply wasn’t going to happen," Roquemore has written on the business' Facebook page. 

"Running a small business is incredibly difficult. Every meal purchased, every review shared, every recommendation to a friend, every visit mattered. Unfortunately, so did the visits that never happened and the promises of 'We’ll come next week' that never became reality. Small businesses don’t survive on good intentions—they survive because people choose to walk through the door."

Roquemore thanked supporters, described her grief about closing, and urged people to support other local businesses. 

"We all assume our favorite little places will always be there—until one day they aren’t ... Support the little stores and businesses that make your community feel like home. Don’t wait until they announce they’re closing to make one last visit," Roquemore advised. "If you love a local business, let them know while they’re still here. Your meal, your purchase, your recommendation, and your support matter more than you probably realize."

Roquemore is proud of her team. "(We) gave everything we had, even when it wasn’t enough."

She wrote, "(This) wasn’t simply closing a business. It felt like giving up a part of myself. This restaurant has been my heart, my dream, my stress, my pride, and my home for the last several years. Making the decision to let it go has honestly been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. The only way I can describe it is that it feels like grieving. It’s a loss that has felt, in many ways, like a death or the end of a long-term relationship. You know it’s over, but your heart hasn’t quite caught up yet."

Wiscasset Newspaper has sought any further comment from Roquemore.

According to Wiscasset Newspaper files, she bought the former Sarah's Cafe property in June 2023, a year after she'd opened Jodie's Cafe and Bakery on Route One; the move to Water Street meant a water view, a larger kitchen and a chance to carry on Sarah's Cafe's tradition of supporting the community.

In her new Facebook post about closing, Roquemore wrote: "To every single person who chose to spend your time, your money, your birthdays, your anniversaries, your Sunday brunch, or even just a quick cup of coffee with us—thank you. You kept us going far longer than you probably realize. We celebrated milestones with you, watched your children grow, laughed with you, cried with you, and built friendships that I’ll always treasure. You were never 'just customers.' You became part of our story, part of our family.

"Thank you to everyone who believed in us, supported us, encouraged us, and made this journey unforgettable. You gave me memories I’ll carry for the rest of my life. This chapter is ending, and while I don’t know exactly what comes next, I know I’ll always be grateful that this chapter happened at all."

The loss of the restaurant ends, for now, the town's shot at Community Development Block Grant funds to rehabilitate the building's facade, Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky told Wiscasset Newspaper; the project would take no town funds, but a 25% match from the owner.

"(That) project will not happen because of her going out of business. Whether the town gets to use it for another business is another story. And so I don't know, but I'll find out" from the state, he said. And he said the town could try again with whoever is in the building next.

Chrostowsky said this does not impact the town's parallel effort for CDBG funds to rehabilitate the facade of 80 Main St.'s Rundlett Block, home to Treats. Both the Water and Main Street buildings are "cornerstone structures essential to the vitality and safety of Wiscasset's historic village center," then-Selectmen's Chair Sarah Whitfield told Maine's Office of Community Development in a letter last month.

The Water Street building was the final home of Sarah's Cafe. Sarah Heald moved the restaurant there in 1997 from Main Street.

What are Chrostowsky's hopes for the site? He called it prime property "right in the heart of downtown Wiscasset (and) it's an iconic location, with the history of Sarah's ... I think the town would welcome any type of restaurant or any type of business that would maximize that location (and) utilize the building to its full capacity because upstairs, there's apartments that could either be made into offices or apartments; we'd invite any business to look at that site as a potential location for them.

"We would love to potentially see another restaurant, but also a market, like a grocery market or a general store," something he said the village "sorely needs."