When the team behind Eliza Bistro, Kingston Wine. Co., and Ollie’s Pizza in High Falls, announced the closing of their Midtown Kingston market/butcher Fletcher & Lu in October, the news was met with perplexed outcry on social media. In a one-two punch, the partners announced yesterday on Instagram that their next-door business, Ollie’s Slice Shop will also be closing on November 22.
The reason behind these rapid-sucession closures is far from a lack of passion—or even customers—but rather a mix of economic and political factors that have made the ventures unsustainable. “When the math ain’t mathing, what can you do?” says Sophie Petzer-Rollo, a partner in all the businesses. “We ran out of resources and time.”
Petzer-Rollo’s husband and business partner Innis Lawrence adds, “Both were seeing growth, but the increased cost of business just outpaced revenue.” While traditional restaurants have always run on slim margins, Lawrence points to the pandemic as an exacerbating factor that kicked off a five-year-and-counting crisis with supply chains, price gouging, and market unpredictability. The volatile economic situation has affected every area of running a business from food costs to overhead increases like insurance and utilities. “You do hear a lot of ‘why why why,’ but people can just look at their own lives for the answer,” Lawrence says. “You know things cost more in the last two years than ever. We are facing the same things every household is facing, just doing it on a business scale. And projection wise, there is no end in sight.”
Fletcher & Lu, which operated as both a whole-animal butchery, deli, and retail market, will continue closed-door, limited production and butchering in the short-term to supply Eliza and Ollie’s High Falls. Long-term strategies are still being worked out, but they won’t be sacrificing the quality of ingredients. “To do whole-animal butchery you have to have a retail outlet—there is so much meat and so much byproduct,” says Lawrence. “But you can still work with local farms for animals on a smaller scale.”
The Fletcher & Lu gluten-free seed crackers, which have national distribution, will also remain in production. But the future of both Broadway retail spaces is still “up in the air,” according to Petzer-Rollo. “We obviously didn’t do everything we did to that building just to close in two years,” says Lawrence, referring to the massive renovation of the former Tony’s Pizzeria building. “But we had to take a hard look in the mirror with a calculator and make really terrible decisions.”
Tariffs have ratcheted up the pressure on restaurant and small business owners across industries. “We use a lot of domestic products, but tariffs affect the supply chain in manufacturing. Even if the company is domestic, they are probably buying cardboard or tin for the cans overseas,” Lawrence explains. “That cost always goes on to the end user. And we were never willing to sacrifice the integrity of our products or pay our staff less than a living wage.”
Eliza Bistro Going Strong
Given the decline of its neighbor businesses, customers have been concerned about the future of Eliza Bistro. But both owners stress that Eliza remains financially stable and thriving. “Eliza is doing great. It has been able to sustain itself and stay cash-positive,” says Petzer-Rollo. “It’s well-positioned to be around for a long time, and we hope it is. Same with Ollie’s Pizza in High Falls and Kingston Wine Co.”
Despite the challenges, both Petzer-Rollo and Lawrence remain optimistic, which is no small feat given they’ve opened five food businesses since 2020. “We love restaurants,” Petzer-Rollo says. “They’re essential to our culture, and we’re committed to keeping them alive.” The pair encourage the community to keep showing up as much as they can. “No one is getting rich running a small business,” says Lawrence. “Everyone is working incredibly hard, and it’s more important than even to spend your money locally.”
For now, the pair will focus their energy on the trio of businesses that will remain, adjusting to the ever- changing reality as they go. “Life is an adventure, we’re just riding the wave,” Petzer-Rollo says. “We’re really grateful and proud of everything we’ve been able to do here. These businesses are gone too soon. But we shot the moon on this project, and I’m glad we tried.”
Ollie’s Slice Shop’s last day of service will be November 22 and will be open during normal operating hours, Tuesdays through Sundays.
Ollie’s Slice Shop
502 Broadway, Kingston
(845) 585-2211
