Swath of PLG Businesses Ordered to Vacate Amid Rumors of New Development

A popular Prospect Lefferts Gardens pizzeria served its last slices Tuesday, leaving loyal customers stunned after its landlord reportedly ordered it and neighboring businesses to vacate by the end of the month.

Mike’s Pizza, a neighborhood staple at the corner of Bedford and Clarkson avenues, is one of eight businesses on the block being displaced as part of the landlord’s redevelopment plans.

The other affected businesses include a deli, liquor store, barbershop, bookstore café, laundromat, Chinese restaurant, and Indian restaurant. The latter three closed over the past two years and remain vacant. Owners of the remaining five were hit with vacate orders, like Mike, earlier this month.

Several business owners said they believe the entire row will be leveled and replaced by a new development.

“Everybody’s gonna close, everybody,” Mike, the pizzeria’s owner, told Brooklyn Paper on Tuesday as customers packed into his four-table eatery for one last slice.

Mike, who moved to Brooklyn from Kosovo 25 years ago and took over the pizzeria in 2007, said he was blindsided by the landlord’s notice on January 7, asking him to vacate by January 31. For the past two years, he has operated without a formal lease, paying rent on a month-to-month basis.

“I got mad. It’s not easy when you work for a long time in one place. You feel like you’re serving family,” Mike said. “You build something just for it to go like that. But what can I do? You gotta move forward.”

Mike hopes to reopen at a new location, possibly on Flatbush Avenue, but for now, he plans to spend time with his family after years of working seven days a week.

News of the closure spread quickly online, prompting an outpouring of support from longtime patrons and newcomers eager to grab a slice before it was too late. Flatbush-based TikToker Anayka She first drew attention to the pizzeria’s impending shutdown in a viral video that garnered one million likes and sparked a final rush of customers.

“Mike is not a victim of no customers — he gets customers. It was never a matter of money because business is booming,” Anayka told her 1.7 million followers. “Mike’s Pizza is a victim of gentrification, and it’s really making me so mad.”

The closure has left many in the community heartbroken. Freddy, a Flatbush resident who has frequented Mike’s for 15 years, called it “one of the best slices in Brooklyn.”

“I was pretty saddened to hear they are closing, especially for the reasons why,” Freddy said. “Gentrification at its best.”

Kenny, a local from Empire Boulevard, had never tried Mike’s Pizza before hearing about the closure but made two visits in one week to show support. He criticized the lack of protections for small businesses against landlords’ decisions.

“I see this going on a lot,” Kenny said. “Small businesses are closing, and then nothing opens before you notice the whole block is ready to come down.”

Other businesses on the block are also scrambling to relocate. Xanders Barbershop, which has operated for 12 years, plans to move to a new location. Alexander, one of the barbers, said the transition will be easier for them than for businesses like Mike’s.

“At least for us barbers, we can go anywhere and be alright, but for the likes of Mike’s, it’s a different story,” Alexander said. “Our customers just don’t want us to go far away.”

A staff member at Prestige Deli and Grill — also set to close come January 31 — said they tried to stall the landlord’s vacate order in court but were unsuccessful.

The future of Cups and Books, a bookstore café next to Mike’s Pizza, remains uncertain. Owners John and Trisha Ocasio, who have run the business for four years, said they received a vague notice from the landlord asking them to vacate by the end of the month. Like Mike’s, they have operated without a lease for the past year.

“There’s been no official notice,” John said. “There was a text from the owner about a month ago asking if we were ready to turn in the keys.”

The Ocasios believe the landlord plans to clear out existing businesses to make way for new development. “The character of the neighborhood is definitely changing,” John said.

As the end of the month approaches, the Ocasios hope to negotiate extra time to remove their stock and equipment.

Meanwhile, Mike remains grateful for the community’s support. His son recently created a TikTok account for his father so he could spread the message of gratitude online.

“I like to be in service of the people,” Mike said. “I grew up in a poor country, I grew up in a poor family, but I came here, and I changed my life. You work hard, and you get paid for that.”

For many customers, Mike’s Pizza was more than just a place to eat — it was a community cornerstone.

“It’s not about going here; it’s about living here,” one customer said. “Like he’s the area, this is the area. Nobody gonna eat pizza anymore.”

The property at 2018-2034 Bedford Avenue last changed hands in 2020, and no applications for demo or new-building permits have been filed with the Department of Buildings.

The landlord of the businesses could not be reached for comment at the time of publication but previously confirmed to News12 that one new business will fill the soon-to-be vacant lots.

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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