The Shutter: Copia Closes Unexpectedly, Possibly Temporarily; Carmellini Left Out

Napa: Perhaps we should have saved the title of Disaster Report for the past weekend's events at Copia, where the saga just keeps on snowballing in a big way. The latest chapter took place Friday, when Copia shuttered without warning or explanation, and only a note on the locked door to greet would-be patrons. Other last-minute cancellations over the weekend also included a Saturday three-course lunch, cooking demo and book signing by NYC's celebrated Andrew Carmellini, as well as a concert by a shocked singer, who said that she has never had a performance canceled on such short notice.

However, Copia doesn't plan on being shuttered for good, even with its $78 million of debt. From Decanter:

CEO and president Garry McGuire told decanter.com, 'We are in the final stages of negotiation to reach a resolution of the financial problems facing the centre.'

The centre would re-open on 1 December. 'That is the plan', he said.

Copia is US$78m in debt but that debt is tied to the property itself: 'Independent of the buildings, Copia is a healthy business,' McGuire said.

In other news, independent of the iceberg, the Titanic was a lovely cruise. In any event, more on the Copia story, including a possible reopening, as it comes in.
· Copia 'will re-open 1 December' [Decanter]
· Copia closes without warning [NVR]
· Complete Copia Archives [~ESF~]