Downtown Roselle restaurant to close

Leslie Little says the people in Roselle who supported her business, The Little Gourmet, are the best.

The problem is, there weren't enough of them to keep the downtown Roselle eatery and catering business afloat.

So at the end of this month, Little must pull the plug on The Little Gourmet due to falling revenue. The June 30 closing will be a loss for Roselle's downtown district along Main Street, which aims to attract locally owned businesses and eateries that residents demanded via village-run surveys.

Roselle Village President Gayle Smolinski, a regular patron, said the village is saying goodbye to a charming store.

"This is the type of store the residents told us they wanted, and we were hoping would fill up our downtown," she said.

Little said competition from nearby small restaurants, major chains like Subway and the recession were a "double punch that my little store could not handle." The Little Gourmet opened in August 2005 and operated at a loss until early 2008, when the shop came close to breaking even.

But since last spring, Little said sales have declined dramatically due to the slumping economy. Even regular customers are visiting less, Little said. To be savvy with operating expenses, her staff operated on a crew of just a few part-time workers and help from Little's mother and family.

"It's a small group that supports all of this, but it's too small," said Little. "If half the population of Roselle were to spend $20 per year in my store, I would have doubled my revenue and it could have worked. It is important for residents to know they are going to make or break this downtown."

The eatery will continue selling food and catering until June 30. Starting Wednesday, June 2, Little will begin liquidating all inventory at 50 percent off, including furniture and kitchen equipment. Gift certificates will be honored, and punch card holders will earn a 10 percent discount for each punch toward the purchase of a sandwich.

Village officials say no tenants are lined up to replace The Little Gourmet. And Little and Smolinski agree that local support will determine the success of other businesses in downtown Roselle. And that is why Little, a Roselle resident for 45 years, vows to continue shopping downtown.

"I feel strongly about that," she said. "Why shouldn't my money go back into my downtown? For these little mom-and-pop stores to survive, there has to be heavy, heavy support from residents."