01/18/2025
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Dear Friends,
It is with heavy hearts but deep gratitude that we announce today will be the final day of service at d. Donatelli Italian Kitchen + Market. We will close our doors at 9 PM tonight, marking the end of a cherished chapter for us.
This journey has been one filled with joy, challenges, and incredible support from so many. Unfortunately, we find ourselves unable to meet the financial obligations necessary to keep the business running. While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, we are overwhelmed with thankfulness for the time we’ve been able to share with all of you.
To our landlords, the Kirkmans, thank you for believing in our vision and helping us bring it to life. The grace and wisdom you have bestowed upon us came without measure. We are eternally grateful to you both and will continue to champion the work you do here at the Mill. To my partner, Lucy, unconditional support and honesty allowed us to keep focused on the things that truly matter. It means the world to us to have had your confidence, be around your encouragement, and redirected when my focus was awry. Thank you for believing in our vision for d.Donatelli and being the catalyst to get us open and working. We will forever be indebted to you. To our Dalton/Whitfield Community, we are endlessly grateful for your encouragement, loyalty, and love. From your visits to your kind words, you’ve made every effort worthwhile.
Small businesses like ours are the heartbeat of local economies. They bring people together, create jobs, and foster connections that make neighborhoods thrive. As we step away, we urge you to continue supporting local businesses. Whether it’s purchasing a gift certificate, dining out, or simply sharing a kind review, your support means more than you can imagine to the entrepreneurs pouring their hearts into their dreams.
To the most important person in the room, Nikki, my beloved. During this crazy adventure you have kept pace at my side the entire time, well except for those times you have carried me, talked me off the edge, laughed with me, cried with me, told me it would all be okay. You have supported my dream as if it was your own. You have been my partner in every way. You've worked an impossible household budget when the business needed the last dime to our name just to make payroll. The miracles that you and our King Jesus worked just to provide food for our table. The grace you have poured over me as I worked so late into the evening that morning was there. I love you more today than ever. Proverbs 31 says, "A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it." You are the perfect depiction of this verse in living flesh. Our Lord finds great joy in you Nikki. Facing adversity you hit your knees in prayer, dealing with a husband who has truly lost his mind, you encourage and pray over him. You are the outpouring of God's love for me. He has woven our lives together so tightly that only He can determine where you end, and I begin. Thank you for trusting Jesus more than anything. Jude and I are so blessed because of you.
As we close this door, we are looking to God for guidance and strength in what comes next. We humbly ask for your prayers for our family and employees during this time of transition. We trust that this is not an ending but a step toward a new beginning, and we hope to carry the lessons and love from this experience into the future.
Thank you for being part of our story. Your support has been a beacon of light in every season. May we all continue to lift one another up and cherish the incredible value of community.
With heartfelt gratitude and hope,
Matt
