D'Amici's Owners Blame 'Hidden' Issues After Abrupt Closure

MELROSE, MA — D'Amici's owners blamed the people who sold it to them two years ago for the bakery's failure, something the company's founders disputed after this week's abrupt closure left many customers with a bad taste in their mouths.

D'Amici's closed its locations in Melrose, Reading and Lynn this week, with a simple piece of paper taped to the front doors Monday morning announcing it was "out of business."

Owner Sandrine Coyer, who along with her husband bought the company from Joe and Sarah Torretta in 2017, posted on Facebook later Monday that "as soon as we took over the business, we discovered things had been hidden from us. These issues condemned us as soon as we took over."

The issues were not specified in the post. Coyer recently filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to records.

A phone call and text to Coyer Monday went unanswered.

Meanwhile, Sarah Shea Torretta took to Facebook and indirectly rebuked Coyer's claim that the company was left in bad shape. "The thriving business that we built over 24 years collapsed under the new owners," she said, continuing that "if we could turn back time and take a different direction we would."

Posts on the Melrose Patch Facebook page and the responses to D'Amici's closing announcement indicate employees weren't told about the closing until right before the locations were set to open Monday.

"It is hard to comprehend how the current owners ruined a long standing business in such a short amount of time," one former employee said on the bakery's page. "It’s disgusting how staff were treated. Further, the current owners are cowards for not owning up to their failures as business owners and blaming the prior owners who sold the business two years ago."

Customers were also at a loss. One woman said her wedding was two weeks away and she ordereda cake from D'Amici's. She, too, found out about the closing on social media.

"Thank you for putting me in this terrible position," she wrote.

D'Amici's did not appear to reply to any of the questions or complaints.

A "For Lease" sign was in the window of the Melrose location before the end of Monday.