Arepateca, the Venezuelan arepa vendor that became a Sunday morning fixture at the Bethesda Central Farm Market, will make its last appearance there on Aug. 16 before shutting down permanently at the end of the month.

The business announced its closure on The MoCo Show on Thursday, Aug. 13, saying Aug. 31 will be its final day of operations. Arepateca most recently ran a brick-and-mortar location inside Downtown Brew's at 5751 Fishers Lane in Rockville, in addition to its regular farmers market circuit.

In its closure announcement, the business thanked customers, employees, market organizers and fellow vendors for years of support, saying it had introduced Venezuelan cuisine to thousands of customers across the DMV.

The vendor's gluten-free arepas were a regular draw at the market. Its menu featured the Brisket Caribe with smoked brisket and aged cheddar, the Crunchy Reina with chicken avocado salad, and the Sweet Domino O' Mine with black beans, Caribbean cheese and sweet plantains.

Arepateca labeled its final market run a "Last Dance" in an Aug. 8 Instagram post, listing four farewell appearances across two weekends. The Bethesda stop on Sunday, Aug. 16, is the last of those four.

No reason for the closure was given.

The vendor wrote in its announcement that it hopes to see familiar faces one more time before Aug. 31, calling it a chance to celebrate what the business and its customers built together. Arepateca has not announced any future plans.

The Bethesda Central Farm Market runs Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Bethesda Elementary School, 7600 Arlington Road. The market hosts more than 100 vendors year-round.