As The Reader went to press we discovered that Kari Toyota has closed on the purchase of the former LaBelle’s bar and Mr. Lucky’s pool hall.  The two bars are adjacent to the dealership, which is an anchor of downtown Tower Avenue in Superior.  Chris Kari, general manager of Kari Toyota told The Reader that although the purchase was finalized, they have not yet made any further plans for the storefronts. As LaBelle’s in particular is quite dilapidated,  one presumes it will be demolished in the short-term future.

In other news, John Dandrea, owner of three Vintage Italian Pizza  locations in the Twin Ports, confirmed that his son Aaron Dandrea has just purchased the former Sammy’s Pizza and Elbo Room lounge at 1309 Tower Avenue.  Dandrea did not divulge any future plans for the property. Sammy’s  (not affiliated with the Sammy’s Pizzas in Duluth), has been closed for a couple of years. Given that Sammy’s is only a block away from the Vintage Italian Pizza location at 1201 Tower Avenue, it’s a safe bet that it won’t be reopening as an Italian restaurant any time soon.

Rumors also suggest that the shuttered Ropers country bar at 705 Tower Avenue may reopen within a couple of weeks as a pool hall.