47 Washington Street in Dover is proving to be a difficult location for businesses to stay afloat and I am not sure of the reason.

When I first started working in the area, the building was occupied by an amazing brewery called 7th Settlement. After that it was Smuttlabs in Dover which was a spin off of Smuttynose Brewing in Hampton. Then this past April, Fire and Spice (which also has a location in Newfileds, New Hampshire) opened in that space!

Our hopes were high for this restaurant that describes themselves as a "New American Bistro offering an eclectic mix of cuisines from around the country"

Their menu is 97% plus scratch and made to order with the exception of their pasta, which is locally sourced from Terra Cotta Pasta Co. Dover and Lamarca & Sons Bakery Products.

The restaurant took to their social media to announce that they will be closing their doors for good on December 29th.

With food costs and operating costs increasing it just doesn't make financial sense for them to remain open.

Read More: We Miss These New Hampshire Restaurants That Closed in 2023

Kevin and Melani go on to explain in their heartfelt post that it has been a lifelong dream of theirs own a restaurant and they accomplished that. They were able to share that experience with their three children (who all worked for them at some point) and their grandson as well. (though they didn't put him to work!)

Fire and Spice will be dearly missed by the community (especially the gluten free folks who were welcomed and embraced by their many GF menu items). We wish Kevin and Melani the best of luck in their future endeavors.

I cannot help but what wonder what will be in store next for 47 Washington Street in Dover. Time will tell!