TooJay's closes its BayWalk store

TooJay’s Gourmet Deli at BayWalk has closed, shutting its doors Monday night. Tuesday morning, phone calls to the downtown St. Petersburg location were being routed to the chain’s Clearwater facility.

TooJay’s president William Korenbaum said the decision to close was not made lightly.

“We have not closed a store in long time,’’ he said by phone from his West Palm Beach office.

“I think in all honesty, it’s sort of a combination of the erosion in the customer traffic in the center and the overall economic climate that we’re all facing,’’ he said.

The facility also “faced numerous challenges’’ with the downtown location, he said.

Korenbaum said he “would entertain down the road’’ a different location for another TooJay’s in St. Petersburg, if the right opportunity presented itself and economic conditions improved.

The BayWalk restaurant had about 40 employees. “That’s the toughest part,’’ Korenbaum said.

“I want to compliment and thank the management team and staff members who worked enthusiastically despite the obstacles they have faced over the last six to nine months. We have other stores in the market, and we tried to make opportunities for as many of the staff as we could accommodate.’’

TooJay’s has 24 stores in Florida, with new ones opening in Melbourne and Gainesville and another being planned for Lakeland.

-- WAVENEY ANN MOORE