A Massachusetts neighborhood market known for oysters, specialty provisions and everyday groceries announced that it would close its East Boston storefront after its owner decided not to renew the lease. The planned goodbye adds an independent business to the wider conversation about grocery stores closing in 2026.
EBO & Co. Grocery occupied 110 Meridian Street in East Boston. Owner Alexis Cervasio said in August that the shop would operate through the final week of September, bringing an end to a storefront that opened in late 2021.
Why the Meridian Street market announced its farewell
Cervasio explained in a public social-media message that, after considerable thought, she had chosen not to sign another lease. That is the clearest explanation available for the announced closure; the statement did not say that the business had filed for bankruptcy or that all of the owner’s related projects were ending.
The store planned a temporary pause from August 23 through September 1, followed by a final month of business beginning September 2. The owner described a celebratory last stretch featuring specialty foods and gatherings before the end-of-September closing.
Boston Restaurant Talk reported the announcement and quoted the owner’s message. The Boston Globe separately confirmed the late-September closing window after speaking with Cervasio, who said the choice was bittersweet and connected to the lease ending.
More than an ordinary supermarket shelf
Although EBO & Co. carried basic items, it operated as a specialty provisions store rather than a big conventional supermarket. Its selection included oysters, caviar, cheeses, bread, eggs, milk, produce and other foods that made it distinctive in its East Boston neighborhood.
That mix gave the storefront a different role from the full-service chains many shoppers rely on for a complete weekly grocery run. It offered a place for people seeking something special for dinner or an event, while also stocking familiar staples.
Its short history is part of the story. Unlike grocers closing after several generations, EBO & Co. arrived in 2021 and built a local following over roughly five years. The decision to end the lease shows that even newer, distinctive neighborhood stores can change course.
The owner indicated that East Boston Oysters, her separate popup-events business, would continue. She also alluded to potential neighborhood news without giving confirmed details. Neither point should be mistaken for an announcement that the grocery storefront will reopen elsewhere.
The reporting reviewed did not independently verify a specific last day within September’s final week, a worker layoff count or a new tenant for 110 Meridian Street. For that reason, the strongest confirmed statement is the owner’s announced end-of-September plan.
For regular customers, the loss is less about a nationwide grocery chain and more about the absence of one unusual local place to shop, browse and find specialty foods.
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