Angelo's pizza closes in Hampden

Angelo's pizza shop has closed in Hampden.

On Thursday, the longtime operators of the pizza shop were evicted by the building's owners, 36 Keswick LLC.

"It's just been a nightmare," said Angelo Pizza, who purchased the pizza business from his mother in 1988. "Things just started getting good in the last six months."

Angelo's had closed once before, back in May 2011, but Pizza was able to reopen in just over a month after getting a loan from a regular customer. This time, Pizza said, it looks like the end of Angelo's. Now, he just wants his equipment out of the building that used to be his home. "There's a lot of value in the pizza equipment."

The building at 36th Street and Keswick Avenue was purchased at auction in October, 2013 by 36 Keswick LLC.

Joel Winegarden, a partner in 36 Keswick, said that the Pizzas continued to operate the pizza shop but never signed a lease. On Wednesday night, Winegarden said that he was in continuing discussions with Pizza about the restaurant equipment.

Pizza also said that the two sides were never able to agree on the terms of the lease. He was out of the shop, Pizza said, when he got a phone call from his brother, Tony, who co-owns the business, telling him the sheriff had come to lock the pizza shop up.

"They made the customers leave," Pizza said. "I had catering jobs tonight."