Two more Riverside restaurants are closing their doors, and another in St. Augustine could follow.<\/p>\n
Clarke Bros. in Riverside announced it will close June 20, remaining open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the meantime. Prospect Five Points also announced its closure on June 9, citing a rough year for business and the slow season ahead.<\/p>\n
The closings come on the heels of Mossfire, which shut down last year<\/a>. And in St. Augustine, Amici Italian Restaurant signaled that it could close, according to the Jacksonville Daily Record<\/a>.<\/p>\n The news was already drawing a crowd outside Clarke Bros. Don Kelly, a customer standing in line, kept it simple when asked why he showed up.<\/p>\n \u201cThey serve very good food,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n Jason Archer, another customer, said the place holds a special routine for him and his crew.<\/p>\n \u201cEverybody loves coming here, man. We come here every Thursday after work. It\u2019s an awesome niche place,\u201d Archer said.<\/p>\n When told the restaurant was closing for good, Archer\u2019s reaction was heartfelt.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he doesn\u2019t close,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Cheryl Croft, owner of Edge City, said the closings reflect a broader challenge for small businesses right now.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s just been really hard to be able to maintain business. This is not a very supportive economic climate for small business at present,\u201d Croft said.<\/p>\n But she noted her own experience has been different, thanks to the community around her.<\/p>\n \u201cA very local flair for the community and the community has been very supportive of us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Michael Jay of Tweeds said the reality of business in any neighborhood is that not every shop makes it.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, some businesses don\u2019t make it when they come into the area. But I think that\u2019s just the nature of the game,\u201d Jay said.<\/p>\n Casey Roth, with the Five Points Merchant Association, said the closings hit close to home but urged perspective.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, first of all, we hate hearing it because these are our neighbors,\u201d Roth said. \u201cIt\u2019s churn. It\u2019s not like decline of the area. But still, there are like real people in the middle of that churn.\u201d<\/p>\n Roth said the best thing residents can do is simple \u2014 walk through the door.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I can tell you is how to keep those doors open, and that\u2019s for all of us to go through them,\u201d Roth said.<\/p>\n He made the economic case for shopping local.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the study showed like 70% of money spent at local businesses stays in the community versus like 20 to 23% for a chain,\u201d Roth said. \u201cSo you\u2019re not just performing an act of charity for a local business. You\u2019re like paying people\u2019s rent.\u201d<\/p>\n Roth described Riverside as a neighborhood unlike any other in Jacksonville.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s kind of a place here for everybody in Riverside. Riverside does not exclude; it includes people from all walks of life,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a place, not just a space to occupy.\u201d<\/p>\n