- Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
- Tomgirl Kitchen
Burlington’s Tomgirl Kitchen has closed “until further notice” as of Monday, February 12, the company announced in a social media post on Sunday. Founder Gabrielle Kammerer told Seven Days that the future of the smoothie and juice bar in the Soda Plant at 266 Pine Street is uncertain.
Kammerer — who started delivering juices around town via bicycle in 2012 and is the face of Tomgirl — is a minority owner, holding 41 percent of the business. She said she and her business partners “have different visions for the brand.”
Tomgirl had recently returned to selling juice in glass jars, Kammerer said, and she was excited about Valentine’s Day specials.
While the business’ website and social media bill the closure as temporary, a sign taped to the door says “Permantely [sic] closed.”
“It was not my choice to close,” Kammerer said. “I was prepared to stay open and look for solutions, and I am going to remain a business partner if there’s a chance for the brand to become something I believe in.”
In November 2018, the juice biz moved from its original brick-and-mortar space on St. Paul Street to the Soda Plant café, where it served a rainbow of juices, smoothies, salads and other plant-based food and drinks. Last summer, Tomgirl briefly operated a satellite location in Stowe.
For now, Kammerer will focus on a new fortune-telling and intuitive counseling venture, Pretty Poison. She said she’s eager to incorporate astrology, crystals and energy work into "the subterranean version of Tomgirl," where she'll facilitate conversations about how love, doubt, pressure and fear affect wellness. Eventually, Pretty Poison might get its own brick-and-mortar with tea, chocolate and crystals.
“I think it’s important for my community to know that I didn’t just get bored,” Kammerer said of Tomgirl’s abrupt closure. “I would have gone about it differently — more slowly — and I would have presented a plan to the team and the community with greater notice.”
Jonathan Abodeely, one of Kammerer's business partners, declined to comment on a timeline for reopening or a reason for the closure.
Kammerer — who started delivering juices around town via bicycle in 2012 and is the face of Tomgirl — is a minority owner, holding 41 percent of the business. She said she and her business partners “have different visions for the brand.”
- Jordan Barry ©️ Seven Days
- A sign on the door of Tomgirl Kitchen on Wednesday, February 14
While the business’ website and social media bill the closure as temporary, a sign taped to the door says “Permantely [sic] closed.”
“It was not my choice to close,” Kammerer said. “I was prepared to stay open and look for solutions, and I am going to remain a business partner if there’s a chance for the brand to become something I believe in.”
In November 2018, the juice biz moved from its original brick-and-mortar space on St. Paul Street to the Soda Plant café, where it served a rainbow of juices, smoothies, salads and other plant-based food and drinks. Last summer, Tomgirl briefly operated a satellite location in Stowe.
For now, Kammerer will focus on a new fortune-telling and intuitive counseling venture, Pretty Poison. She said she’s eager to incorporate astrology, crystals and energy work into "the subterranean version of Tomgirl," where she'll facilitate conversations about how love, doubt, pressure and fear affect wellness. Eventually, Pretty Poison might get its own brick-and-mortar with tea, chocolate and crystals.
“I think it’s important for my community to know that I didn’t just get bored,” Kammerer said of Tomgirl’s abrupt closure. “I would have gone about it differently — more slowly — and I would have presented a plan to the team and the community with greater notice.”
Jonathan Abodeely, one of Kammerer's business partners, declined to comment on a timeline for reopening or a reason for the closure.
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