Gus O'Connor's Closing Surprises Novi Residents

Just like that, it was gone.

, a longtime Irish staple on the Novi scene, has closed its doors — to the puzzlement of many.

“We were just as surprised as other people when they closed,” said Ara Topouzian, Novi economic development director. “There were no back taxes. From what we hear, their issues were more between them and their landlord.”

According to court records, the business owed back rent and utilities of more than $80,000 to Luna Properties. The filing indicates that eviction proceedings began in May.

Little more than that is known, Topouzian said.

A sign on the Irish pub’s door on Grand River Avenue directs questions to Luna Properties in Oakland County, and phone calls there are directed to Jim Oegema, who has not returned repeated calls from Patch requesting comment.

On the restaurant’s end, the Facebook fan page for Gus O’Connor’s Novi location has been deleted, save for a nondescript informational page that no longer has a profile photo. Its phone is disconnected, and calls placed to Gus O’Connor’s in Sterling Heights are met with responses from staffers who say that operators of the two Guses have splintered.

As of 6 p.m. Friday, the restaurants’ website, gusoconnors.com, was operational and listed both the Novi and Sterling Heights addresses. By 9 p.m., the site was down.

The celerity of the shutdown hasn’t been lost on longtime customers. Michael Grosvenor, who identifies himself as a musician and marketer, posted a restaurant review on Yelp that described arriving for dinner and being met with a sign announcing the pub was out of business.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls about the Novi location,” said an employee of the Sterling Heights restaurant, who declined to give his name. He directed calls to John Nellis, whom he identified as the owner of the Sterling Heights location. Nellis did not return messages, and a letter to Gus O’Connor’s listed email address, info@gusoconnors.com, was likewise unreturned.

Regardless of the "why," Topouzian said the city is interested in the "what’s next."

“It’s a prime piece of property,” he said. “A lot of people know that property; it’s very visible. It’s one of the focal points of Main Street.”

The building’s owner is actively trying to recruit tenants for the two-story bar and grill space, Topouzian added.

“I think it shouldn’t be difficult to fill, even given the economy that we’re in," he said. "It’s certainly a preferred spot.”