We’ll Miss These 10 Kalamazoo Area Businesses That Closed in 2019

We had to find new places for pizza, beer and baba ghanoush as 2019 as these restaurants and retail outlets closed their Kalamazoo area storefronts.

Restaurants

Olga's Kitchen

• After 39 years of serving Mediterranean style food in Portage Olga's closed its doors at the end of October

Ouzos European Grill

• Downtown Kalamazoo lost another longstanding Mediterranean favorite when Ouzos suddenly closed in September. They continue to run the Coney Island next door.

Papa Murphy's

• The take-n-bake pizza pickup place closed the West Main location in June and the Portage store on Oakland Dr. followed in October.

Cottage Inn Pizza

• The new Circle K on Sprinkle Road spelled the demise of Cottage Inn's Portage store.

Burger King

• The corporate mandate was to skinny up unprofitable locations and the BK on Cork Street did not renew its lease that ended in September. No one was sorry to see it go.

Menna Joint

• The Menna's Joint in East Lansing closed in January of this year and December saw the end of dubs near campus.

Bars

Bud's Bar in Schoolcraft

• What? A local favorite suddenly closes on Super Bowl Sunday? That's what happened in February at Bud's, a Schoolcraft go-to since 1952.

The Grotto at Capone's

• In August 2019, this Campus Pointe Mall student hangout for nearly a decade went dry

Retail

Fannie May Candies

• "Thanks for the sweet memories" read the sign on the door when Michigan's last Fannie May closed in October.

MacKenzie's Bakery

• In June, the business that began as a roadside stand we put up for sale by the retiring owner looking for some dough.

Somehow, Sears survived 2019 and Crossroads Mall stood open to rumors they were closing. We almost lost Forever 21, but the last K-Mart in Michigan survives, close to home in Marshall, Michigan.