For years, the wood-fired glow from Forge Pizza Napa helped light up the South Napa Century Center. This week, that flame went out.
The South Napa restaurant has closed after roughly a decade of service, leaving its familiar storefront at the South Napa Century Center suddenly dark as of yesterday.
Owner Michael Karp could not be reached for immediate comment and the South Napa location, which opened in 2016, closed yesterday, according to the Napa Valley Register. A representative for the Peter A. & Vernice H. Gasser Foundation, which controls leases at the Century Center, also did not respond to requests for comment about the space, the paper reported.
South Napa Center Swaps Retail For Recreation
The Forge closure lands at a time when the South Napa Century Center is already experimenting with new uses for its empty pads. City planning records show the center has been using some vacant retail spaces for temporary recreation rather than traditional storefronts.
Four pickleball courts and a youth practice soccer field were approved on the site last year as short-term installations while developers look for long-term tenants, according to City of Napa planning documents. In other words, your former shopping trip might now be a pickleball match.
Restaurant Neighbors Feeling The Heat Too
Forge is not the only business on Gasser Drive dealing with disruption. Nearby NapaSport closed last year amid falling revenue, and its operator, restaurateur Michael Galyen, has faced multiple lawsuits, as reported by The Press Democrat. Those shutdowns and legal battles have helped focus attention on the financial pressures facing some local operators in the area.
Who Owns Forge And What Happens Next
On paper, Forge Pizza Napa is still very much a legal entity. State business records list Forge Pizza Napa LLC as an active company formed in 2015 and name Michael Karp as the registered agent, according to Biz Profile.
Until recently, the restaurant's online ordering system pointed customers to the South Napa storefront at the Century Center, as shown on Toast.
For now, the only thing certain is that the ovens at Forge Pizza Napa are off and the space is empty. The closure highlights the shifting lineup at the South Napa Century Center as managers test out nontraditional uses for vacant pads. No public plans for a replacement tenant at the former Forge storefront have been announced.
