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It's never easy to report the news about a business closing its doors, so this one is hard to report on.

It's a familiar scene not only here in Tyler, Longview and East Texas, but around the nation too, businesses suddenly closing their doors often times without warning which affects quite a few people here in our community because they are suddenly without a job. That's what happened to a business in the French Quarter Shopping Center last week.

It appears as if Mr. Gatti's Pizza in Tyler has suddenly closed down. I learned about this closure from a social media account that I follow. The person posted saying they went to Mr. Gatti's to eat Saturday and that they were permanently closed. So I made a quick trip by their S. Broadway location on Sunday afternoon to see for myself. Yes, the building was dark with not a single light on or a note on the front door and when I was there there was a family of five standing outside the front door debating on where to go eat because they were obviously closed.

Lucky Larry
Lucky Larry
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Taking a look at Mr. Gatti's Facebook page, their hours are listed as 'temporarily closed' but when you do a Google search, the results show 'permanently closed'. So could they be reopening? Why did they close in the first place? Was it due to supply chain issues, staffing issues or the overall business climate? We'll never know. Whatever the case may be, I just hope those former employees find a new job opportunity soon, because there are so many openings around town right now.

Shawn Knight | TSM
Shawn Knight | TSM
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If Mr. Gatti's doesn't reopen in the French Quarter, there will be a lot of empty retail space because in less than a year Five Guys burgers shut their doors and Pier 1 Imports went out of business too. It's prime real estate at one of the busiest intersections in East Texas - Tyler's Loop 323 and S. Broadway Ave.

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