Bussiness
Ferndale’s ‘The Emory’ to close Sunday after 17 years in business
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A long-standing Ferndale hot spot well known for breakfast and daily brunch will wrap up its final days of service this weekend.
The Emory at 22700 Woodward Avenue is closing after service on Sunday and 17 years in business.
Its closure was announced in early December via social media posts.
Gracing the east side of Woodward Avenue south of 9 Mile, the Emory was also known for its menu of small plates and sliders and the place for wine and craft cocktails.
According to an early December Facebook post, the Emory opened in 2007. Over those 17 years, according to the post, the owners wrote of seeing the city and its staff grow while witnessing “guests’ first dates, New Year’s kisses, farewells, and many other moments that we’re honored to have shared.”
There was no reason given for closing and the post ended with: “And at the end of 2024, we’ll be writing the last chapter of The Emory.”
An employee who answered the phone on Friday confirmed the closure.
Reactions on Instagram lamented that the closing was “the end of an era.” Patrons shared fond memories and expressed how sad they were about the closing.
Chris Johnston, Emory’s owner, told C&G Newspapers that the decision to close the restaurant was a big one.”Every restaurant, unless you’re an iconic restaurant, has a lifespan, and I would say 17 years is well beyond that normal lifespan,” he told the weekly newspaper.
“After a certain point, you probably have to reinvent yourself drastically just to keep things fresh, and I felt that we did what we did there for a long time, and I didn’t want to have to reinvent it myself.”
He said it was “just time to move on, I guess.”
“There was nothing necessarily wrong with it,” he said, “but the location is ready and needs something else, and that’s something that someone else would do better than I would.”
According to the weekly newspaper, Johnston owns the space and will lease it out.Johnston also owns Woodward Avenue Brewers (WAB), across Troy Street from the Emory and music venue The Loving Touch, according to Michigan corporate records.
Messages sent by the Free Press to Johnston, Emory’s owner, were not returned.
The Emory’s final day of service is Sunday and the restaurant’s hours will be 10-10 p.m.
Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news and tips to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.
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