PHOENIX — We saw several new businesses debut throughout the Valley but unfortunately, we also saw some doors close permanently.
Here’s a look at some of the establishments we had to say goodbye to.
BARRIO CAFÉ
Barrio Café in Phoenix opened its doors in 2002 and inevitably a lot of things happened over the course of 22 years. Dishes 'got deeper', a pandemic broke out, owner Silvana Salcido Esparza was diagnosed with sarcoidosis, and the support she's found in the Valley grew over the years.
In May, Esparza, better known as Chef Silvana, closed the iconic restaurant near 16th Street and Thomas Road. In a one-on-one interview with ABC15’s Nicole Gutierrez, Esparza opened up about how she was going to make “room for greatness” despite retiring and closing the restaurant.
SERRANO’S DOWNTOWN CHANDLER RESTAURANT
Serrano’s Mexican Restaurants closed its downtown Chandler location in June and listed the property for sale.
The Serrano family, which has operated the restaurant chain in the Valley for 44 years, said in a March 5 announcement that the Chandler location, at 141 S. Arizona Ave., is one of its largest restaurants and is quite costly to run on a day-to-day basis.
HALF MOON WINDY CITY SPORTS GRILL
After 18 years, Half Moon Windy City Sports Grill closed its doors in Phoenix in February.
Don Talbot and Clay Moizo, co-owners, told ABC15 that the decision to close was out of their hands. “They informed us middle to the end of last year that as our lease was coming up and expiring that they would not be renewing it and that we would be able to operate up until roughly this time Super Bowl or possibly a little bit later,” Moizo told ABC15.
Moizo says the landlord will be “building high-rise apartments.”
The Devil’s Advocate Bar & Grill, a longtime staple of many within the Arizona State University community, announced it will shut its doors after 15 years.
Devil’s Advocate, located near Rural Road and University Drive, said it was selling its leasehold back to the property owners.
The location will operate through Dec. 28, 2024.
O.H.S.O. Brewery’s sister concept Little O's has closed its Phoenix location near 7th Avenue and McDowell.
The business made the announcement ‘A Heartfelt Goodbye, Little O’s on 7th Avenue’ on their website and social media, writing the following:
We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported us over the years. Our proprietor Summer has made the difficult decision to leave the desert. Without her, we can’t continue, as she was the heart and soul of Little O on 7th. As a result, we closed our doors today. The memories we’ve made here will never be forgotten.
LO-LO’S CHICKEN AND WAFFLES IN GILBERT
The local business officially closed its doors in Gilbert, as its owners decided to not renew the lease.
The local restaurant chain posted a statement on Instagram regarding the closure of the East Valley location.
Buca di Beppo’s location in Chandler, Arizona has been permanently closed, according to Google, as well as the location's voicemail. The good news is other Valley locations remain open.
The states of California, Florida, Utah, and others in the country have reported Buca di Beppo restaurant closures.
The 80s-early 90s dance club concept in Downtown Phoenix, which opened in January has permanently closed its doors as of Tuesday, November 26.
Over the past months, the venue is said to have hosted more than 200 events. The remaining events that were programmed for December were then hosted at 'Thunderbird Lounge,' which is another Valley concept of the owners.
It was just last August of 2023 that the 104,000-square-foot pickleball facility occupied the former At Home store at Arizona Mills and became the first U.S. 'Picklemall' location.
The doors to this pickleball facility closed in July and moved its operations to Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa with dozens of outdoor pickleball courts.
Big Lots is beginning the "going out of business" sales at all of its remaining stores after a possible deal to sell the company to Nexus Capital Management fell through.
The company says it will continue to effort an "alternative going concern transaction" with Nexus or another company, but with no deal in sight, it is beginning the "GOB process."
The company has previously closed several Arizona locations as it went through the bankruptcy process, though nine locations in the Valley appear to remain open, according to its website. It's unclear how long the remaining Valley locations would stay open if a sale is not complete.
To see which locations are still open while the going-out-of-business sale continues, use the store locator tool on its website.
The company said it intends to shut down its Tempe computer chip factory as it tries to curtail costs amid an anticipated slowdown in sales.
In a regulatory filing released after the markets closed, Microchip (Nasdaq: MCHP) CEO Steve Sanghi – who moved back into the company's top job at the end of November – said that after he did a deep dive into the Chandler-based company's operations, he "determined that certain actions are necessary," according to a statement emailed to the Business Journal.
