Kingston Market Fletcher & Lu to Close

When Fletcher & Lu opened two years ago on Broadway in Kingston, sandwiched between Ollie’s Slice Shop and Eliza Bistro, it was the public face for a behind-the-scenes operation that kept the other two establishments (plus Ollie’s Pizza in High Falls) fully stocked with freshly butchered meat, charcuterie, smoked fish, artisanal stock, pizza dough, pasta, cheese, fermented vegetables, and the like.

The concept was quietly radical: a vertically integrated supply chain with co-owner Julien Shapiro butchering and prepping whole animals for the restaurants and transforming the rest into value-added goodness for Fletcher & Lu’s retail shop. Leftover pork might turn into sausage, bacon, smoked ham or pate, while beef might get turned into brisket, meatballs, hamburgers, or stews. The selection of goods produced made onsite was complemented with local and artisanal products for rounding out a quick grocery shop.

And while the initial idea was to limit the expense both to the business and the customer while maximizing the quality, co-owner Sophie Petzer-Rollo says “the cost of doing business just outpaced revenue. We’ve been losing money for a couple years.” In a post-pandemic world, variability was the only constant, and the team behind Fletcher & Lu hung on for as long as they could.

“There is a lot of unpredictability in food costs vary week to week, making pricing and forecasting extremely complicated,” says co-owner Innis Lawrence. “We were never willing to sacrifice the quality and integrity of our products, and we were always committed to paying our employees a living wage.” These factors, together with rising overhead costs like electric, gas, and insurance, made it impossible for Fletcher & Lu to continue operating, despite a consistent and growing fan base.

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With clean white-and-blue tiled interior, tin ceilings, vintage light fixtures, and gleaming display counters, Fletcher & Lu always had the charm of a delicatessen from another era. The rotating deli case selection was as much a reflection of the seasons and the demands of kitchen prep as it was an invitation to home chefs to try something new. With reliably tasty rotisserie chicken, weekly sandwich specials, and a handful of bar seats in the front window, Fletcher & Lu worked its way into the fabric of Midtown Kingston as a lunch spot and quick place to grab high-quality ingredients for dinner. 

“No one could have anticipated how far the market pressures could have gone,” says Lawrence, with Petzer-Rollo adding, “We’re really grateful for everything we’ve been able to do. It still feels like it was a really good decision to try.”

Fletcher & Lu will continue closed-door, limited operation short-term to supply Eliza and Ollie’s High Falls. It is unclear what will happen with the Fletcher & Lu retail space on Broadway. “This is all unfolding in real time,” Petzer-Rollo says. “We don’t have concrete plans as of yet.”

Now, two years down the line, on October 17, the team at Fletcher & Lu has announced that they will be closing to the public. Their final day of operation will be Sunday, November 2, with the shop open Wednesdays through Sundays until then. Get there before the deli counter empties out.

Fletcher & Lu
582 Broadway, Suite 2, Kingston