WE ARE CLOSED

PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO READ OUR STORY.

This e-mail is intended for all of our Friends, Family, Employees, Customers and Vendors.

It is my heart staking responsibility to inform you all that as of 7/10 the doors of POPI Classic Italian have been permanently closed.

POPI Classic Italian was a family owned and operated casual dining establishment. It was a place that fostered growth not only for the Abbate family- but the employees that were considered “family”.

 For those of you that were our guests you were a fuel to keep our fire burning. Not the kind of ravenous fire that wipes out city’s or acres of land… but the kind of comforting fire that a camp will huddle around, bringing a diverse group of people together to tell their stories and reminisce. Our Staff and Vendors supplied us the tools we needed to start the fire. And to all of you I give “thanks”.

Every time you drive by an empty strip mall I want you to think. Don’t blame the recession or struggling economy for this re-occurring misfortune. Many small business owners close down and walk away with their heads sunk down, feeling defeated. I am taking a different approach. Please take a moment a read our story.

“Each of us is a being in himself and a being in society, each of us needs to understand himself and understand others, take care of others and be taken care of himself. “ ~Haniel Long

 We signed our lease over 2 years ago when things weren’t quite as bad. We were delayed in opening due to the struggling economy. The absence of higher paid, experienced craftsmen resulted in many oversights in our build out. We were forced into paying over $20,000 of our money to the contractor at the eleven and a half hour of the build out. The addition of this unforeseen expense put us in an uncomfortable position opening our doors with minimal operating capital. The greed and financial problems of the Developer/Landlord and General Contractor were the result of thousands of our dollars spent on this project before our doors opened on February 18, 2009. It was at that time that the Developer/Landlords recommended that we take on a partner. He had someone in mind that the General Contractor knew. We refused his recommendation.

Business started out slow for us in this vacant strip mall. Obscure in its placement on the corner of a busy intersection, the shopping center was bleak and missing the critical anchor that the developer promised. “Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.”  ~Hannah Arendt

Our concerns were disregarded by the Developer/Landlord. Simple remedies such as lighting the 2 monument signs on the street were ignored. Where was the relief in these hard times? Concession?

í Con·ces·sion (n) something, e.g. a privilege, right, or kindness, that is granted to a person or group, usually in view of special circumstances ý

Rent was due almost immediately upon opening. A rate that was agreed upon 2 years prior was not attainable. All attempts to negotiate were denied. Threats from the Developer/Landlord came recently and we conceded to the acceptance of a partnership. “A half loaf of bread is better than no bread”, were the words of my father. An offer was made by the same candidate that the General Contractor recommended before we opened. He would allow us to stay as the minority, leaving a portion for his partner, the General Contractor (the same General Contractor that unexpectedly demanded money from us before opening). Needless to say I was leery. We continued our search for a trustworthy partner, one that wouldn’t leave us as the minority. Working against the ticking clock and forceful threats, I sought the advice of an attorney. I was prepared to spend what little money I had for his legal counsel to protect us and slow the clock.  The attorney contacted the Developer/ Landlord and uncovered some gray areas. There were some discrepancies in the money that was borrowed for the project and what had actually been spent on the project. Immediately the plug was pulled and the Developer/Landlord refused any “partnership” and was preparing for our eviction if we didn’t come up with all of the defaulted rent on our own within 48 hours. We had no choice but to close our doors on 7/9/09 less than 5 months from our opening.

It has been brought to my attention that today (7/11/09) our location is under new ownership. They are temporarily closed and trying to obtain licensing. They are hiring and have a sign on the door giving contact information. One of the people to contact with employment inquires is the General Contractor. It has also been brought to my attention that there are several liens on the entire property from sub-contractors that have not been paid. So where does all this money go? The money that the Developer/Landlord gets from the bank that never went to us? The money that we had paid to the General Contractor if he hasn’t paid his sub’s?     Doesn’t make me wonder anymore when I drive by those empty shopping centers… “Why are they all empty?”

I am a respectable member of my community. My business cultivated growth in the community by creating jobs and satisfying consumer needs. I am an apprentice… a neighbor… a leader… a friend and a daughter. I am not independently wealthy nor have a line of investors. I simply owned a business to create a future for FAMILY. Not just my family but the families that worked for me and next door to me.

This is snapshot of what happens to the little fish swimming with sharks.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

This email and any attachments to it may be confidential and are intended solely for the use of the individual to whom it is addressed. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Well Done Pies, Inc. dba Popi Classic Italian L058 1/7,14].If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you must neither take any action based upon its contents, nor copy or show it to anyone.

Please contact the sender if you believe you have received this email in error.