Amor y Queso’s Deep Ellum storefront is dark again. The petite cheese shop and catering hub quietly closed its doors on July 20, just weeks after bringing back retail service earlier this summer. Owner Sarah Carlock said the combination of a very small space and sluggish sales made keeping the brick-and-mortar open untenable, even after a June reboot that turned the shop into more of a bodega-style market.
Owner Says Daily Losses Forced The Shutdown
Carlock broke the news on Instagram and told The Dallas Morning News she was "losing money every day that I was open." According to the paper, the storefront stopped operating on Monday, and Carlock shared the decision publicly on Wednesday. She said the numbers simply did not work anymore, citing declining sales as the key factor rather than a lack of loyalty from her customer base.
Reopened In June With A Wider Menu
Before the shutdown, the shop had tried a fresh approach. After using the space as a prep kitchen for her catering business, Carlock reopened the Deep Ellum spot to the public on June 1 with coffee, matcha, pastries, sandwiches and locally made snacks, according to the Dallas Observer. The pivot aimed to move beyond made-to-order cheese boards by adding grab-and-go options and goods from partner producers. The Observer also reported that Amor y Queso planned rotating residencies with local food makers to keep offerings changing.
Small Space, Pandemic-Era Pivot
Carlock originally opened the brick-and-mortar shop in the first week of December 2020, during the pandemic. At that time she was preparing about 40 cheese boxes a week, according to The Dallas Morning News. The paper also reported the storefront measured roughly 700 square feet and that by 2022 the space had transitioned into a prep kitchen. Amor y Queso’s website still lists the Main Street address, along with booking details for cheese boards and events.
Another Vacancy For Main Street
Amor y Queso’s departure adds one more empty space to a stretch of Main Street that has seen plenty of turnover. D Magazine reported that Patagonia closed its Main Street store in April, and local coverage has continued to note churn among Deep Ellum shops and restaurants. That constant reshuffling has pushed operators to rethink concepts and lineups as they try to capture both everyday foot traffic and event-driven crowds. For small, tightly budgeted independents, even a short run of slow days can flip a fragile profit margin into a loss.
What’s Next
For now, Amor y Queso is retreating to the part of the business that still works. The storefront may be closed, but the catering side and online ordering appear to be ongoing, with the company site continuing to list pre-order and booking options along with the Main Street contact info. Customers who still want boards or event catering can find details on Amor y Queso’s website. The retail experiment has ended, at least for the moment, leaving the brand focused squarely on catering.
