Out of Business: Plush Gelato Now Closed
The coffee and sweets shop has apparently closed its doors on Maple Avenue, but it's not clear why.
Plush Gelato has quietly disappeared from Vienna.
The cornerstone storefront of Maple Avenue's intersection with Park Street is now vacant: there are no signs on the door nor furniture inside, save the counters from which cashiers used to ring up cups of fresh gelato and specialty coffee.
It's not clear when exactly the store, which first opened in November 2010, shut its doors. Calls to the shop by Patch were not returned, though its website is still up and running.
But fans on Yelp said the last day of business was Jan. 27. The reason: supposedly, it "can't support the business in the winter."
"I am so sad that this great small business will not be continuing because they have such a great product!" one fan wrote on Yelp. "I guess the Vienna rent though was too high for them to support. Such a shame."
Described by some as a "quaint and quiet" shop that anchored one of the town's busiest intersections, Plush Gelato was the creation of Dinh Luong and her husband Henry.
Luong grew up in the U.S., she told Patch at the store's grand opening in 2010, but was born in Vietnam — a place her parents reminisced on often during her childhood.
There, "they would have this delicious velvety smooth ice cream that they could never find here," Luong said.
Luong aimed to create the "ultimate" coffee and gelato experience. Coffees were made using a drip method by the cup.
The gelato was made fresh each day, using all natural ingredients with no preservatives. Along with the usual suspects, flavors included everything from Caramel Latte and Tiramisu to Basil Mint and Cinnamon.
Did you frequent Plush Gelato? Can Vienna sustain a gelato and coffee shop? Tell us in the comments.
Kenneth Connor
7:55 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
I went by PLUSH once, only to find they didn't open until like 11a or something late - That is not a good consumer-friendly opening time for a coffee place - Coffee tends - for me at least - to be a morning activity particularly for folks that have a day job or for folks out foraging for caffene early on the weekend......
Cheryl Schmauss
8:01 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
It's so sad to lose a marvelous gelato place. I just discovered PLUSH in 2012 and found their gelato superior to any other in the area. I hope they'll be able to reopen elsewhere.
Rathbone Gillespie
8:16 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
You don't know why it went out of business? No parking and high rent. Great Gelato but so hard to get to, especially if you have a whole family. The church rents spots to the center across the street but they keep it a secret. A cornerstone store is one that people go to and in turn it helps bring business to the stores around it - That property can never be a cornerstone property.
Erica R. Hendry
9:55 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
Rathbone -- interesting perspective. (For clarity, I reported there was no reason given by the business for its closing but the reasons you give are some that customers have speculated).
I've heard plenty of complaints about parking there from residents. A nearby option some people aren't familiar with: 15 Park St. SE, which is open after 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, after noon on Saturday and anytime on Sunday. The town has struggled with getting the word out about that opportunity -- they've looked for ways the past few years to publicize it better.
Kenneth Gross
10:59 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
I am very confused by that intersection. It is the center of town in many ways, but two of the corners features the Michael Rene building that is falling apart and features necessary but unappealing businesses (shoe repair and barber shop) and a long abandoned gas station.
The Chipotle shopping center is always full, it is clear that Vienna is hungering for a commercial town center.
Wien
9:59 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
Agreed with the above. Great gelato, friendly staff, but to survive with a seasonal product, they needed to take advantage of every hot month and milk every bit of margin out of the store. Ultimately, though the traffic provides good visibility, that storefront's parking situation meant they never stood a chance. That small bit of a business they lost due to poor parking and poor building planning was more than enough to wipe out the margin they generated in the summers.
mdicicco
11:30 am on Friday, February 22, 2013
I agree that the Michele Rene building is an eyesore. I'm sure there are some environmental costs associated with remaking the former BP spot into something else that may be daunting to some developers
Emily Korff
12:49 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
They announced their move from the current location to Smart Markets on their Facebook page in January: http://www.facebook.com/plushgelato
I think the timing of the start of the business was also an issue, with Red Mango and Molly's Yogurt opening all around the same time and all serving frozen treats. For those in the Vienna area craving gelato, Molly's Yogurt at 123 and Nutley sells gelato, and there is new gelato place opening at Mosaic.
Laura B.
2:27 pm on Friday, February 22, 2013
Sweet City Desserts also has excellent gelato. I agree that the location for Plush was a problem. Too bad.
Mel S.
1:38 am on Saturday, February 23, 2013
A real pity. Their gelato was the best I have ever had, period. But from the start, the location kept me from going there as often as we might have. I have lived in Vienna for decades and never heard about these other supposed options for parking (Vienna Baptist, 15 Park St. SE) until right now in this comments thread -- which indicates lousy publicity for those options by everyone involved, both those who provide the spaces and the businesses whose customers could be parking there.
Ultimately the building itself is an issue. Many of the spaces require drivers to pull out or back out directly into a busy intersection. I know Vienna residents who say they've never used any business in that building purely because they "can't figure out how to park there safely" or all the "safer" spaces to one side are either full or seem to be reserved for one business. I don't know how the businesses now there have managed to stay open as long as they have.
Richard Plocica
10:49 am on Sunday, February 24, 2013
Except for the hours it was great for those of us who live nearby and walk.. Let me see when they opened I believe there were 5 gelato shops in Vienna nearby and one what went under? (the custard shop)