Chlöe, a trailblazing BYOB in Old City Philadelphia, has closed after nearly 21 years

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”

With those words attributed to Dr. Seuss, Mary Ann Ferrie and Dan Grimes took to Instagram to announce the closing of Chlöe, the cozy, casual BYOB they opened across from the Betsy Ross House in Old City in fall 2000.

Ferrie told The Inquirer on Friday that she was not yet ready to discuss the closing. The restaurant had been closed since mid-July after Grimes had taken a fall while trying to get out of the way of a speeding car and shattered both heels. This misfortune followed nearly a year and half of pandemic business, which includes months of takeout — not at all the true Chlöe dining experience.

Friday, Ferrie followed up on Instagram with a note of thanks:

“How do we sum up Chlöe? Joyous, exhilarating, magnificent, insane, crazy fun, festive, delicious, blessed, exhausting, backbreaking, amazing, filled with love. We have cherished every moment that we have spent with you all, feeding you and becoming a part of your lives. We have forged lifelong friendships and celebrated countless special moments. We have made it through lean times, street [closures], water main breaks, and a pandemic. We have come through it all with the unwavering support of our beautiful customers who are truly family to us. There are no words to describe what you all have given us, so we will simply say THANK YOU.

“It is with heavy hearts that we now must move to the next chapter, turn the page, and close Chlöe for good. We are heartbroken that we won’t get to say a proper goodbye.”

Ferrie and Grimes, a married couple, met in 1997 at The Latest Dish, a long-gone restaurant in Queen Village. He was sous chef and, while he was on vacation, she was brought in as executive chef. This did not sit well with Grimes. They bickered. Then: “One time he was done with work and he was in the basement standing in the dishwashing area,” Ferrie told The Inquirer in 2016. “It was the summer. He was sweating like crazy and he took off his shirt. He was washing up in the sink. I walked downstairs and I squealed because my boy is cut. He’s like, what’s the matter? I said, ‘Umm, I saw a mouse.’”

» READ MORE: From 2016: The love story that was Chloe

Ferrie and Grimes chose to go the BYOB route at 232 Arch St. because “what we were really interested in having was a place that focused on food, not coming to see your favorite bartender, not having happy hour, not getting wasted,” Ferrie told The Inquirer in 2016. “We wanted a place where people would come and the only reason they were coming was for our food.”

Their menu was eclectic and seasonal. In summer, you’d get the cod filet crusted in cornmeal and Old Bay, served with clams, cherry tomatoes, corn, mashed potatoes, and lemon aioli, and maybe a grilled shrimp and watermelon salad dressed in Green Goddess, or a ratatouille quesadilla.