Downsizing & Rebranding Announcement

Dear valued customers,

We are both excited and saddened to announce that Bear Dance Market & CBD Cafe is undergoing a transformation. We have made the difficult decision to close down the café half of the business. However, we want to emphasize the positives and assure you that this new direction will bring even more opportunities.

CBD sales have always supported the restaurant operating costs. Factors like our location and the time investment required to maintain the food half of the business make it incredibly challenging. While the profit margins for our menu are excellent, the volume is not where it needs to be. We want to thank our customers for their support over the years, and we look forward to continuing to serve you.

While we understand that this news may disappoint those who come to us exclusively for our food, we want you to know that we appreciate your loyalty and support over the years. The decision to close the café resulted from a drop in revenue following the July 1 hemp regulation changes. Although we've been able to replace most of the products regulated away by SB 903, the confusion and reduced choices make it difficult to justify having two rental locations and the expenses that come with it.

This change means that Chris and I will have more time for freelance graphic design, photography, and music booking. We will also have more time for hemp education and discovering new products. We will continue to host events. This new direction will allow us to continue serving our loyal customers with the same level of excellence and dedication you've come to expect from us.

Starting December 1, we invite you to come and check out our new home for Bear Dance in what was formerly known as the Happy Skunk Room at 3195 Roanoke Street, where you can still find all your favorite CBD products and more! We will have slightly different hours, which are to be determined. We plan to continue cold-pressing fresh juice at a shared kitchen space, so some of our signature refreshing beverages will still be available in our new storefront and at Sweetgrass Yoga in Downtown Christiansburg.

In addition, we would like to offer the option for someone to buy the café's business model (restaurant only, not including hemp/consignment) in case someone wants to purchase our menu and do it elsewhere. If you have investment capital, are passionate about healthy food and whole ingredients, and want to own a unique café but don't want to start from scratch, we might have the perfect toolkit for you to get started. I will be happy to help guide you in your new venture. When we opened in 2019, our investor called us a "business incubator" — we were given a generous start-up loan and a little guidance and ran with it. So, it would be pretty cool to pay that favor forward and enable someone else. Don't hesitate to contact us at beardancemarket@gmail.com if you are interested.

If you want to rent the café location at 3205 Roanoke Street, it will be available December 1 for $850/month. Please contact us for details, and we will put you in touch with our landlord.

The last official day of café operations will be Wednesday, November 22. However, in the interest of preventing food waste, there is a chance we will shut it down a little sooner in mid-November. Online ordering will remain available for now. We recommend coming in ASAP and visiting as often as possible before we conclude our time as restaurant owners. [UPDATE 11/14: We will stop serving food on or before Saturday, November 18. Online ordering has been disabled.]

We will be closed from November 23 to November 30 for Turkey Day and store renovations.

We want to thank our customers for their support over the years, and we look forward to continuing to serve you at Bear Dance Hemp Company.

Sincerely, Bear Dance Market & CBD Cafe