Central Mass. by the Numbers

$4.1M

Michael O’Brien and Jay Kunkel tried to purchase Pleasant Valley Country Club during a foreclosure auction in 2010, but they were outbid by John Magill Sr. In March 2020, they came close to purchasing the club from the Magill family, but decided against it because of the pandemic. Now, finally, the two Webster residents own the historic 18-hole golf course. The sale was finalized Dec. 28 for what O’Brien said was a purchase price of $4.1 million. Pleasant Valley Country Club became nationally known for hosting 32 PGA Tour events and 13 LPGA Tour events.

389

A longstanding, family-owned lawn and garden equipment shop has closed its doors and the owners held "last-minute blowout sales" through Thursday. Caola Equipment Co. Inc. at 389 Park Ave., Worcester, was owned and operated by twin brothers Paul S. and David C. Johnson, both of Shrewsbury. Caola offered sales and repair of lawn mowers, chainsaws, snow-removal equipment and other lawn equipment. The Johnsons' father co-founded Shrewsbury Lawnmower Service with his father-in-law in 1955, and served as its president until his retirement in 1978. Shrewsbury Lawnmower Service bought Caola Equipment in the early 1980s, moved to Worcester and kept the Caola name

433

One Eyed Jack's Tiki Bar & Grill at 433 Park Ave. has been closed since New Year's Eve because the building does not have a sprinkler system, according to the restaurant's owners. The city says the business has been in violation of a court order and that the fire department has tried to work with the restaurant multiple times to rectify the violations. In a statement, One Eyed Jack's owners said the city's fire inspectors would not sign off on the building's 2023 license because the building does not have a sprinkler system. The building is owned by ValueFirst Realty LLC.

50

Homegrown Worcester favorite Glazy Susan Specialty Doughnuts announced on social media that it will permanently close its doors Jan. 29. "Life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, I’m afraid it’s time for goodbye again," Glazy Susan tweeted, "With mixed emotion, we are announcing the permanent closure of Glazy Susan - our final day will be Sunday January 29th." What began as a pop-up success story out of the Worcester Regional Food Hub with their handcrafted gourmet doughnuts, husband-and-wife co-owners Joe and Susan Skrzek opened their current shop at 50 Foster St. at the DCU Center in September 2020.

88

After delays, a new Market Basket supermarket — the main retailer at Edgemere Crossing at Flint Pond, the one-time home of the Edgemere Drive-In, on Route 20 in Shrewsbury — opened Friday. The company had hoped to open the store, the 88th location in the supermarket chain, sometime last year, but was met with construction setbacks. Edgemere Crossing at Flint Pond is a mix of housing and retail that has taken shape over the last three years at the long-vacant drive-in parcel. Many of the 200+ apartments are occupied. The market covers 80,000 square feet with orange-squared flooring holding over 50,000 food items.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Business Matters: Central Mass. by the Numbers