Squares, also open for less than a year, announced a temporary closing at the beginning of summer. By July, Bluestone Realty was posting a For Lease sign in the window on E. Liberty. “I feel bad for them. They lost half a million dollars. I don’t like to see anyone lose that kind of money,” says Nick Stamadianos, owner of the Cloverleaf, a few doors down. It’s an exceptionally gracious sentiment on his part, considering that Squares several times had people standing in front of Cloverleaf handing out Squares discount coupons, a violation of the most basic restaurant-owner etiquette.
“They had a $7 gyro,” says Nick (whose long last name puts him on a first-name basis with everyone), “and I didn’t hear anyone say they would go back for another one.” But Nick says that even after all his years of being in business, he still can’t predict what makes it and what doesn’t. “What happened to @burger? They had it all, a liquor license, everything. Oh well, I sell a Knight’s burger for $2.50, and I don’t see people rushing in here for it.”
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“The long and the short of it is the economy hit us pretty hard and we decided it was time to get out,” says Mike Hanss. He planned to close Putt N Glow at the end of August. Hanss opened Putt N Glow in 2007 in partnership with friends Cindy Hart and Sue Souder. Miniature golf played under black lights was popular mainly with kids. Given its proximity to Mocha Mountain, the indoor jungle gym, kids who played their cards right could often pull off a double-header. But kids don’t pay the bills–and, kids, if you’ve been reading the financial pages, you know you should be preparing for a long season of cheaper pleasures like Kick the Can and shooting hoops.
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The Citgo gas station on Packard just west of Platt closed at the end of June. Chuck Gallup, owner of the property, says, “My dealer just closed up one day–said he wasn’t making any money. I’m looking for another dealer, but I may do some modernization first.”
