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Village Pizza was closed on Wednesday and its owner says it is for sale.

Village Pizza in North Adams Closes After 40 Years

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A pizzeria that's anchored the north corner of historic Eagle Street closed indefinitely on Wednesday.
 
Village Pizza owner Christina Nicholas took to Facebook to announce the closure with an emotional goodbye, explaining that medical issues were forcing her hand. 
 
"Since 2022, I've been dealing with back and spine issues," she said. "Unfortunately, it's gotten worse and the sad news is effective immediately I have to close. I am no longer able to perform the work to keep this business going and I have to concentrate on my own health."
 
Nicholas later said Village had been her "whole life," working there since she was 14 and buying it in 1991. 
 
"It's not the way I wanted to think about retiring," she said, at the door of the empty pizza place. "It's probably the hardest decision I've had to make my whole life."
 
The closure came on the heels of her most recent medical report and the reality that she was facing a long recovery. 
 
She hopes that a buyer will come through and continue its pizza legacy. "It's a good business and I'm sad to make this announcement," Nicholas said in her post.
 
The location at 51 Eagle St. had been Carlisle's Drug Store for many years until Constantin Agnanos opened there as Colonial Pizza in the 1970s. Aristedes Theodoropoulos bought the business in 1986 and renamed it Village Pizza. 
 
The pizzeria had been popular with the college crowd for years because of its "crazy late" hours of operation. 
 
Its closure means that there's no pizza place on historic Eagle Street for the first time in at least 50 years as the Pizza House and its several successors closed on the south corner in 2020. It's also the second eatery to close this week after Bailey's Bakery ceased operations at 55 Main St. 
 
"I want to thank all the customers throughout the 40 years. It's been quite the ride for 40 years so, and my staff, but it is what it is I guess," Nicholas said her in social media post. "Hopefully it will be sold soon and you'll be able to get your pizza again. 
 
"Take care and thank you."

Tags: business closing,   pizza,   

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North Adams Airport Commissioners Review Badge Policy

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Airport Commission will rethink its badge policy after a discussion with airport users who shared their grievances regarding the current system.
 
The commissioners voted last week to approve a new fee structure for the airport — minus badge fees — as they hope to continue their discussion and craft a policy that creates fewer barriers for airport users.
 
Three years ago, former manager Bruce Goff was charged with cleaning up the badge system. At the time, it was unknown how many badges were in circulation; some airport users had multiple badges, while others had moved away or passed away.
 
Badges are required to access the airside of the airport. Under the current rules, all new badges were set to expire in three years, leaving airport users currently scrambling to obtain new ones. This process comes with a $50 fee.
 
Airport user and former commissioner Trevor Gilman said the sticking point for him was not the price, but the automatic shutdown of the badges upon expiration, as well as the process by which users must obtain brand-new physical cards.
 
"Why change out a badge for the same person? They are perfectly good badges. It is not the cost, it is the process. All of a sudden my badge expired and I can't get in. It takes forever to get one from the state," Gilman said. "If you lose a badge, certainly you should have to buy a new one because there is a cost. That is not the problem; it is the process."
 
He said other airports do not have expiration dates on their badges, adding that he has held one from another airport for 10 years. Gilman argued there should be no barriers to users obtaining a badge, suggesting that higher badge adoption allows the city to better track airport activity.
 
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