Vinni’s Pizza in Stratford is shutting down after 33 years in business. Brittany Sage, the current owner, said it’s hard to say goodbye to a place she spent half her life. She was 15 years old when she started working at Vinni’s. “I was just looking for my first job and I applied,” she explained. “I’ve been here ever since.” Five years after she joined the team, the owner decided to retire. Sage was the one who stepped up and took over the business. “I had no idea what I was doing,” she said, laughing, of her 20-year-old self. “I just knew I would figure it out along the way and learned all the lessons, good and bad.” Vinni’s Pizza, like many other businesses, struggled during the pandemic. One major challenge was its location – inside Stratford Mall. “The problem is still having to pay all my bills and being closed,” Sage said. “There was no point in being open because there was no traffic in the mall, and then basically everything doubled in price.” Then, in 2022, the Stratford Mall was sold to Central Views and the rent went up. The mall’s current owner said they did their best to make the partnership work. “When Stratford Mall changed ownership in 2022, Vinni’s Pizza was operating an expired lease. To protect their tenancy, ownership offered them a new long-term lease, to which they declined. Ownership allowed the tenant to continue to operate on a month-to-month basis even though it is not their standard policy,” Omar Kaake of Central Views explained in a statement to CTV News. “Given both the [mall’s] redevelopment requirements and the circumstances outlined above, Vinni’s Pizza was not offered an opportunity to return to the redeveloped food court,” it continued. “Stratford Mall worked extensively with the tenant over a number of years and made significant efforts to support the business and help it succeed.” Sage said moving the business to a new location is not an option. “As much as I would absolutely love to do that, being $100,000 in debt because of Covid, it’s just not financially feasible right now.” Closing, she explained, was her only choice. “I tried to make it work despite everything, because my heart is in this,” Sage said. “If it was about the money, I probably would have closed up shop long time ago… but this is what I love to do, and I don’t really know anything else. I’ve been here since I was 15.” The last day for Vinni’s Pizza is June 20.
