Dedalus Wine Shop has closed its remaining locations, including its flagship store, market, and wine bar on Pine Street in Burlington, as well as its retail store in Stowe. The closures mark the end of the once-thriving Vermont-based business, following months of earlier cutbacks.
The decision to shutter the stores follows the closure of Dedalus’ Boulder, Colo. location and a “brief 45-day pause” at its Burlington sister business, Paradiso Hi-Fi, in early August. Paradiso, however, remains closed. Additionally, Dedalus’ small retail space inside Middlebury’s Stone Mill Public Market was closed in early September.
Founder Jason Zuliani announced the closures in a press release on Wednesday, notifying customers via a sign posted on the shop doors. In the release, Zuliani attributed the closures to “ongoing workforce and business growth challenges.” He confirmed that employees were informed of the decision the same day and were offered severance packages to assist with their transition back into the job market. Zuliani did not immediately respond to inquiries about how many staff members were affected.
Dedalus, founded by Zuliani in 2007, began as a small venture out of his telecommunications office on Burlington’s College Street. The Pine Street wine shop, market, and bar opened in 2017, with the business expanding to Middlebury in 2019 and later launching its Stowe location in 2020, housed in the former Harvest Market.
This summer, an email obtained by Seven Days revealed that Zuliani had addressed the Boulder closure and an initial wave of staff cuts, explaining that they were “a necessity” as the company worked to regain financial stability by the end of 2024. However, in the latest press release, Zuliani acknowledged that the business was no longer able to withstand the financial challenges it faced.
“We are no longer able to manage the head winds we face,” Zuliani said in his statement.
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