Gus's Deli Mart In Bel Air Suddenly Closes
A simple sign announcing the store is closed hangs on the front door of the business.
Photos
Patrons of Gus's Deli Mart were met with a surprise Sunday and Monday when they went to the local convenience store and sandwich shop and found it locked tight.
A sign taped to the door, typed on a plain piece of paper, reads, "We are sorry to inform you we are now closed. Thank you to all of our loyal customers over the last 2 years we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."
The closure caught many people by surprise.
Around 6 p.m. Sunday, Jill Des Lauriers Marinich posted on the Bel Air Patch Facebook page saying she went to the store to order a crab dip pizza only to find the small sign on the store's front.
It was unclear Monday evening what led the business to permanently close its door.
The business made headlines in April 2011 when Matt Kolakowski, owner of Gus's Deli Mart, was arrested and charged as a result of an undercover investigation by the Harford County Sheriff's Office into illegal sale of prescription drugs.
Kolakowski was subsequently indicted, and in July 2011 pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiracy to distribute a narcotic drug and was sentenced to two years supervised probation, according to online court records.
As of Monday, there was nothing to indicate the business' closure had any connection to illegal activity.
In This article
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Gus's Deli Mart
306 S Main St, Bel Air, MD -
Harford County Sheriff's Office
45 S Main St, Bel Air, MD -
Eric bel air
7:19 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
but But BUT.... wasn't this THE BEST place to get a sandwich by a landslide? lol
Robert Kraft
7:21 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
The same thing happened to Hong Kong chinese restaurant on S. Main St. We called about a month ago to order delivery, and no one picked up the phone. When we drove past the next day, the building was dark with just a simple sign on the door. It's been closed since.
Mark Graham
7:38 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
Nobody can afford the outrageous rent these shopping strips charge!
Chernaiarusskaia
9:06 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
Mark, I heard that's the reason why Baja Fresh closed. The landlord wanted to increase the rent, yet there are several other empty stores in the same strip mall. Go figure!
nick macri
9:31 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
The Japanese resturant in Brian hill shopping center closed suddenly also. They have a 77,000 judgement taped to there window and a letter from heath dept about strange smells coming from the building.
Mary Colleen Sheridan Allan
9:38 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
Which restaurant was that, and EWWWWW......
Sue Rubin Bents
11:33 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
Where is Brian hill? Do you mean Briarhill shopping center where Safeway is?
Danial Carver
7:36 am on Friday, June 15, 2012
Dog and Cat is an aquired taste.
Hazzard Native
9:35 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
I loved going to Wawa when it was there, and I tried Gus' multiple times after they opened, but their coffee brands changed at least 3 times in the first 3 months, and it was more expensive than the other 12 or so places to get coffee and a quick sandwich on the way to work. Mom and pop convenience stores simply can not compete.
Bel Air Native
7:38 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
...and I don't know about you, but those styrofoam cups were gross. I'd rather drive further down Rt. 22 and get coffee at Wawa.
Mary Colleen Sheridan Allan
9:36 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
Catch-22...the emptier the strip mall, the more the landlords rape the remaining tenants in rent!! Same thing is happening at Eyedentity (a FABULOUS business) over by Safeway. That little building in front is more than 50% empty, so the business gets a raise in their rent. I'm going to miss Gus's...the crab dip pizza was AWESOME!!
HarfordLassie
10:48 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
Gus's has at least two other locations. Edgewood and Havre de Grace.
Eric the Red
9:11 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
If you go to his website (http://gussdelimart.com/) it says the site is "currently closed and will not be reopening".
Humpty
8:51 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Now where the heck am I going to get pizza, Mexican Fanta Orange, jumper cables and Slick 50?
FLRush
10:03 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The Japanese Restaurant at Greenbriar Hills Shopping Center had excellent food and service and was beautifully decorated. Was very sorry to find it closed the last time we tried to go there.
Bel Air Native
11:07 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
That place was horrible. Overpriced and crawling with flies.
Susan Smith
4:07 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
My husband bought a 1/2 gallon of Rutter's milk (out of PA & great milk, but hard to find in Bel Air) there in Oct '11. I went to have some w/cereal the next day and the milk had an exp. date of MAY!!!! The only time I went back was to return that milk & get my money back!
Raj
7:05 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
What you think about Dunkin Donut in place of Gus!!!!
Bel Air Native
10:17 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I think that's a pretty good idea, but do they make enough money to be able to afford the astronomical rent?
smilingwidley
10:15 pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I'm surprised that place lasted as long as it did. There were never any cars there. I will say .. they had EXCELLENT crab soup. The pizzas were so so. I would LOVE to have a Dunkin Donuts there. But please not anything like the DD in Churchville by the college. That outfit is awful.
TOPNOTCH
7:22 pm on Wednesday, June 13, 2012
I think 'Gus' sealed his own fate when he advertised with a massive sign out front upon opening about having the 'BEST PIZZA WITHIN 50 MILES'.
Not only was the pizza NOT the best within 50 miles, it wasn't even 'good'. I'd cut the guy a break if it was really good, but not quite as good as like a Matthew's Pizza in Canton/Highlandtown or Pizza John's, but it wasn't even average pizza.
Why he had the bravado to boast about that pizza was puzzling. I just figured he had a screw loose... drugs charges and a failed business not particularly surprising.
Anita
10:47 pm on Friday, June 15, 2012
Bring back Wawa!
Jim K
11:04 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
place blew ass
Dave
3:13 pm on Friday, June 22, 2012
Different topic, when is that sushi place on main street due to open?
Ahmad0001
1:11 am on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
When we drove past the next day, the building was dark with just a simple sign on the door. It's been closed since. http://www.onlinedatastoragesite.com/softwares/online-secure-data-back-up-a-company-necessity-what-can-you-do-should-you-lost-your-own-data.html