5 East Windsor Establishments Close Their Doors

EAST WINDSOR, CT — An alarming trend has swept East Windsor in recent weeks, with the closure of four restaurants and the town's Youth Center.

Gibson's Bar and Grill, the Sky Diner, Elaine's Pizza and Friendly's have all shut their doors since mid-September.

On Sept. 24, Gibson's, located inside the Rodeway Inn on Bridge Street, posted this note on their Facebook page:

"All good things must come to an end. Tonight after the Blues Jam Gibson's is going dark for the last time. We would like to thank everybody for all of the support over the last four years. You have all been like a big family and we thank you all."

Two days later, Wendy Parker of the East Windsor Youth Center on Main Street in Broad Brook wrote on Facebook:

"It is with great apprehension and sadness that we announce the temporary closing of the East Windsor Youth Center effective September 26, 2017. For almost two years, the East Windsor Youth Center has been supporting the needs of our community and most importantly the youth of our community through 100 percent philanthropic and volunteer efforts.

Just recently the committee was notified of a need to find a new location to house the Center. As of now, a new location has not been secured and the committee is taking this time to revisit the goals and mission of the Center. Rest assured that the committee is working tirelessly behind the scenes to re-open the Center with a rekindled passion for the future of our community."

The sign at Friendly's in Sofia's Plaza was removed last week, a paper sign in the doorway at Sky Diner in the Prospect Hill Plaza reads "We are closed," and Elaine's Pizza in Broad Brook has also shut down.

Friendly's had been constructed in 1998, while various establishments had previously occupied the sites of the Sky Diner (Bella Vita, the Prince & the Pauper, T.D. Shenanigan's) and Elaine's (Adams Den) in recent years.

The Broad Brook Brewing Co., also in Sofia's Plaza, announced plans last year to move to a larger location in Suffield. Ground was recently broken for the new site.

East Windsor Selectman Jason Bowsza said, "I will say that with the exception of Friendly's, all of those locations have a long history of high turnover. Obviously, the town should be doing all that we can do attract and retain business in our community. I'm hopeful that there are good things ahead, and I would expect that the town is doing everything that should be done to be business-friendly."

First Selectman Robert Maynard did not respond to an email from Patch seeking comment.

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Photo credits: Tim Jensen