Owners of the popular restaurant Ruby’s – thought to be relocating soon to a space on Congress Street in Portland – announced on social media yesterday that they will not be opening as planned.

In a brief post Monday on Ruby’s Facebook page, owners Matt and Corrinna Stum said, “As much as we love being a part of the community, things didn’t work out the way that we intended.

“This isn’t a permanent goodbye, just a see you later,” the Stums added at the end of their post.

In an email to the Press Herald, the Stums declined to discuss why they decided not to reopen on Congress Street. “Ruby’s was dear to us and this decision was extremely difficult,” the Stums wrote. “We intend to find a new location for Ruby’s in Portland when the time is right.”

Ruby’s West End opened at 64 Pine St. in April 2021. The Stums had exhausted their financial resources just before opening, and put out a call to the community for decor and tableware donations. The many items they received from donors around town – along with their own vintage photographs of their families, including the restaurant’s namesake, Matt’s grandmother, Ruby – gave the bright, airy brunch-focused restaurant a homey, charmingly mismatched vibe.

The restaurant announced plans early this year to move to 642 Congress St., a space formerly occupied by Ada’s. Ruby’s held its last meal service on Pine Street at the end of January.

According to its website, the Ruby’s team expected to be moved and up and running on Congress Street by February. Late last year, the Stums opened Back River Bistro, a seasonally driven restaurant celebrating local ingredients, at 65 Gardiner Road in Wiscasset.

“We are taking time to focus on our sister restaurant in Wiscasset for now,” the Stum’s Facebook post said.