Post updated at 4:54 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20:
Pizza lovers in Lawrence have one less option now, as Sunday was the last day in business for Sarpino’s Pizzeria.
“It’s been a really long and stressful couple months and we are devastated as well,” said Cathy Darpel, who co-owns the Sarpino’s franchises in Lawrence and Shawnee with her husband, Steve.
The store, tucked back near the inside corner of the strip mall at 711 W. 23rd St., was open from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m., 365 days a year for about five years.
“It’s not by our choosing that this is happening. It’s our landlord,” Darpel said via email Sunday.
“We had many great employees, who are also devastated. It’s a sad day for all of us.”
Darpel did not respond to a follow-up email to clarify what happened with the lease, or whether there’s a possibility that Sarpino’s could return to Lawrence in the future.
Bill Schulteis of Cherry Hill Properties, which owns the strip mall, said Monday afternoon that “The Malls Shopping Center is going in a different direction.”
He said he could not publicly discuss private matters of the lease, but said CHP had fulfilled the terms of the lease.
Ryan Schulteis, of Reece Commercial Real Estate, said Monday morning that there was no one currently lined up to take the space Sarpino’s has occupied.
“I do know that there’s a lot going on at that property, and so our goal is to just get a really vibrant group of businesses and make sure everyone’s businesses complement each other and all that,” he said.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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