Say goodbye to Papa Murphy’s

Also, an update on Little Shu Chinese, a reminder about a ceramic studio’s opening, and tips on using Substack

The Davis Papa Murphy’s Pizza will close next week but is offering its jack-o’-lantern pizzas one last time. (Papa Murphy’s photo)

After nearly 30 years, Papa Murphy’s Pizza is closing. The take-and-bake shop at 640 W. Covell Blvd., Suite G in Davis will shut down early next week.

The franchisee, who asked that only his first name, Prabh, be used, said his family ran the business for more than 20 years. The chain was founded in 1995, and it has been in Davis nearly that long.

It will sell the chain’s famous jack-o’-lantern pizzas for Halloween. However, my family’s favorite was always the Chicago style stuffed-crust pizza.

“After three decades, we will be closing the store sometime next week, either Tuesday 11/5 or Wednesday (or earlier if we run out of supplies). If a customer wants one last pizza, they should come by Monday,” he said via text message.

A few months ago, Prabh said the store has been steadily losing money since the pandemic, noting “students don’t want to cook their pizza.” He tried to sell its assets for $149,000, but didn’t get any takers.

He called the impending closing “very sad. We worked so hard but we lost a lot, so we have to move on. My family has moved out of state to the Midwest, and I’ll be moving the day after the closure.”

New tenants are in the works but have not been announced.

→ New Chinese: I learned more about the new Chinese food restaurant in Westlake Plaza. Little Shu is at 1260 Lake Blvd., Suite 111, in

Davis. It replaced Essential Hotpot, which just opened in January.

I spoke briefly with the new owner, who said the new restaurant has “more Chinese food but we have hot pot too.”

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

→ Clay studio open house: A reminder that Woodland’s new clay studio hosts its grand opening on Friday.

Earthbound Ceramics is at 427 College St. Its launch coincides with the First Friday Art Walk, from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday. Classes begin on Tuesday.

“We welcome you to celebrate with us as we open our doors to the public to check out our space and sign up for classes,” it said in a a Facebook post. Classes and workshops are available for all levels and ages, along with monthly membership options. Visit its website for details.

→ Substack tip: If you’ve set up Substack subscriptions under multiple emails, it causes problems. The top complaint I get from readers is that they have a paid subscription but cannot access it. Often – perhaps accidentally – they have a free subscription (with a paywall) under one email and a paid subscription (full access) under another. Delete the free subscription and your problems should resolve. If you need help, send me an email.

→ New spreadsheet: The redesigned Davis Business Tracker lists the status of hundreds of Davis businesses. The new design is easier to read and sort. It’s a great resource when you want to check on merchants that I’ve covered since 2020.

– Share your thoughts in the comments below. If you know of a business coming or going in the area – or if you see a typo above – email wendy@comingsandgoings.news. If you’re on Facebook and Instagram, please like and follow.