Three storefronts on the short stretch of Atlantic Avenue near downtown Marblehead changed this year. West Marine at 32 Atlantic Ave. had been there since 2006 and is now on the company's bankruptcy list of closed stores. Le Petit Comptoir Wine and Cheese held its soft opening July 10. Lunita, a children's clothing and gift shop at 27 Atlantic Ave., is set to open today, Saturday, Oct. 3.
According to its employees, the store that left lost foot traffic to online ordering. The two that arrived are run by people with Marblehead roots, and each one is built around something a website can't deliver. Read in order, the reporting on all three shows how one end of downtown is resetting.
Twenty years of boat supplies, then a Delaware court filing
West Marine filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 17, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company said it would close 59 of its least profitable stores, and Marblehead was one of them. When Marblehead Weekly News reported the closure on June 10, no closing date had been set.
The reasons in that coverage go beyond any one store. Employees at the Marblehead location described in-store sales falling for years as customers switched to ordering on West Marine's website. The company's filing also pointed to an unreliable inventory system and to bad weather during peak boating seasons, since fewer days on the water mean less wear on boats.
On Sept. 8, 2026, West Marine filed a summary report of store closings with the court. The court requires that report to list the stores that closed, and "WM Marblehead, 32 Atlantic Ave" appears on it. The filing gives no last day of business, and no local outlet has reported a new tenant or plan for the space. Boaters who used to stop in on Atlantic Avenue now have the West Marine stores in Danvers and Salem as their nearest options.
For a town whose harbor fills every summer, that loss is real. It also explains what replaced the old foot traffic, because the businesses opening nearby were designed for the kind of visit that online ordering can't replace.
A wine bar that took six years to open
Alex Lewis bought the business that became Le Petit Comptoir in 2020, right as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Construction and permitting delays then held off the opening for several years. When the doors finally opened for the July 10 soft opening, the dining room filled within 30 minutes, Lewis told the Marblehead Current.
Lewis lives in Marblehead. He and his family moved here from Boston in 2019. His father, Philip Lewis, is co-owner. His explanation of why he chose the town was short: "There were no wine bars in this area."
The menu is built around pairing. Wines rotate and are chosen to go with artisan cheeses, served on boards. The house sandwich, which Lewis calls the "Fancy Grilled Cheese for Adults," combines pecorino, Gouda and Comté. His favorite pairings run from the classic to the surprising, including Stilton with port, Gouda with dark chocolate, brie with kimchi, and Parmigiano-Reggiano with prosecco. Katie Ring covered the soft opening for The Marblehead Independent. She heard the Squealing Pig Rosé recommended with Manchego from more than one table, along with the Tarongino, a sweet orange wine.
The schedule shows the same focus on people sitting down together. Classes include Cheese 101, American Wines and Cheeses, French and Italian Wines, and Unconventional Pairings. In August, the Current's events listings included a Mahjong fundraiser involving Le Petit Comptoir and Mabel of Marblehead. Lewis described the room's appeal this way:
"Customers love that it isn't loud; they can sit and talk and have a glass of wine."
Summer reporting listed hours of Wednesday through Saturday, 5 to 10 p.m. Those hours come from July coverage, so check them before a fall visit. The two local papers also give different addresses. The Current puts the wine bar at 1 Atlantic Ave., and the Independent's column lists 118 Washington St.
Lunita opens today, run by someone who spent years in e-commerce
Kate Danforth's background fits the Atlantic Avenue pattern closely. She grew up in Marblehead and built her career in e-commerce, merchandising and product management at Wayfair, where she helped the company open its first physical store in Chicago. Lunita, opening today at 27 Atlantic Ave., is her own move into a physical store, in the town where she was raised.
The store carries clothing from newborn through age 8, plus gifts, accessories, personalized items and goods from local makers. Many of the brands come from Europe. Danforth's husband grew up in Spain, and family visits introduced her to Spanish children's clothing. The racks include Spanish and other European lines along with names like Pink Chicken, Kissy Kissy and Rachel Riley. She is also working with women-owned businesses and local makers.
Before opening, she looked for what was missing from local shelves, and one gap stood out:
"Girls get racks and racks of options. Boys get a corner with the same five things."
The idea for the store started with her own experience as a parent. Danforth told the Current that she felt "really welcomed and understood" in shops where staff helped her find what she needed, and she wants Lunita to give parents that same kind of help. She first thought about opening a children's store when Pint Size & Up closed on Atlantic Avenue, but the timing was wrong then. The Current's preview listed children's activities from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on opening day.
The same kind of owner, a few blocks away
The pattern on Atlantic Avenue shows up elsewhere downtown too. Most of this year's changes in Marblehead's shops and restaurants involve an owner with a local connection taking on a small, specific business.
- Driftwood Restaurant, 63 Front St. Colleen Galvin sold the restaurant to Maria Torres, owner of Maria's Gourmet, and the last day under the Galvin/Losano family was June 19. By mid-July, the Independent reported that Torres had reopened it, keeping the same layout, the familiar favorites and a menu with few changes.
- New England Needlepoint, Washington Street. Marissa Dittrich opened the shop in the Old & Historic District on July 3.
- Baked by Johnny. Chef John Diamantopoulos launched a home-based micro-bakery with a first cookie drop on Saturday, Aug. 22. Orders are picked up at his home, and there's no storefront.
- Honeycomb, near Five Corners. Lauren and Billy Moran announced a second location for their Hamilton bakery and café in the former Barrelman space on Washington Street. The July announcement gave a target of "February" without a year, so treat it as a plan.
A needlepoint shop, a cookie drop with porch pickup, and a decades-old Front Street restaurant changing hands without a menu overhaul share one requirement. Each depends on customers coming in, or coming by, in person.
Putting the new stretch to use this fall
For the coming weeks, here is the practical version, based on what has been reported:
- Weekday evenings, Wednesday through Saturday. Le Petit Comptoir has been open 5 to 10 p.m. on those nights since summer, and the class lineup is the most structured way to try it. Check current hours first, since the published schedule dates to July.
- Children's clothing and gifts. Lunita at 27 Atlantic Ave. starts at newborn sizes and goes through age 8, with a deliberate selection for toddler boys.
- Boat supplies. With 32 Atlantic Ave. on West Marine's closing report, the nearest company stores are in Danvers and Salem.
- A Front Street dinner. The Driftwood is open under Maria Torres with its familiar layout and menu.
- Later this winter. Watch the former Barrelman space near Five Corners for Honeycomb's second location.
No new use has been reported for 32 Atlantic Ave. It is the one open question on the block, and the court filing that confirms the closure doesn't say what comes next.
At Tyson Lynch, we follow downtown Marblehead block by block, because a corner storefront changing tenants affects the homes within walking distance of it. If you live near Atlantic Avenue and want to understand what this year's changes mean for your property, get your instant home valuation or schedule a consultation.
