A restaurant that announced last month it would be closing its Pleasant Gap location in August will soon return in a new space in Spring Township near Bellefonte.
Little Mamma’s Pizza plans to operate out of Titan Market, 2042 Axemann Road, less than 4 miles from its eight-year home at 105 S. Main St. in Pleasant Gap, the restaurant’s owners, the Perez family, wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.
The owners wrote in a comment that they hope to open in the new location by October. Friday was Little Mamma’s last day of business in Pleasant Gap.
“We are so grateful for this chance to continue doing what we love in a space that shares our values,” the family wrote. “As we settle into our new home, we’re committed not only to serving you the food you love, but also to supporting and uplifting the incredible vendors and businesses that make Titan Market so special.”
Little Mamma’s announced in July that they had decided to close the Pleasant Gap restaurant because of increasing costs and property issues. New ownership acquired the property on July 1, and Little Mamma’s owners said they hoped to have “a collaborative conversation and shared vision” with them for longstanding structural issues with the building, such as parking, the limitations of the indoor space and “outdated infrastructure.”
“We ran the numbers needed to match another immediate rent increase,” they wrote. “We explored every option—how to cut costs, maintain fair (liveable) wages for staff, and still provide the level of service you’ve come to expect. But in the end, we simply couldn’t justify staying in this space, especially with the limitations of the facility, and potential added costs on top of the routine maintenance that we’ve been obligated to take on since 2018.”
But the family said they would be looking for a new location, and within weeks began dropping hints that they had secured one, posting a series of clues for customers to guess where it might be. (Many quickly sussed out the Titan complex as the likely destination.)
“Just weeks ago, we faced one of the scariest and saddest moments in our journey, unsure of what the future would hold,” they wrote on Friday. “Then came Titan Market — a true gem in our community. A place built on connection, gathering, and equitable partnership. A place where neighbors come together, where small businesses cheer each other on, and where everyone belongs.”
Titan Market opened in 2020 and features a variety of local businesses, farms, artisans and food vendors.
While the market is currently only open on Fridays and Saturdays, Little Mamma’s owners wrote in response to a question on Facebook that they “will be able to keep our hours consistent (and add to our weekend menu).”
Little Mamma’s Pleasant Gap location was open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday,
