P’s out

TUESDAY, NOV. 11 — Butcher paper obscures the view into downtown Lansing’s P Squared Wine Bar, and a sheet of paper declares, “We are temporarily closed for renovations.” But there’s nothing temporary about it: The 2-year-old establishment won’t be reopening.

The business’ website has been taken down, its Facebook account has been deactivated and at least one of the owners has shut off his cell phone. The clincher came from Paul Vlahakis, member of the development company that owns the space, who said owners Paul Brussard and Paul Fox left without so much as a goodbye.

“They sent their keys to us in the mail and just left,” Vlahakis said. “I heard they cleared out of the place where they were staying, too. They’re gone.”

The last day of business was apparently Oct. 31. Vlahakis, co-owner of several restaurant/bars in town, including Dublin Square and Black Cat Bistro, said he’s not angry, just curious.

“They were good guys, they always paid their rent on time — I thought they were actually doing well,” Vlahakis said. “But the restaurant business is tough and there’s a lot of competition down there.”

Vlahakis said that Brussard and Fox left “a lot” of their stuff in the space, but he said he’s going to clean it up and start marketing the space for lease.

“If anyone’s looking for restaurant space, that’s a good location,” Vlahakis said. “And it’ll be ready soon. They left it in good shape.”