A&W to close within the next year

Staff report

BOARDMAN

The Mahoning Valley’s one and only A&W is set to close sometime during the next year.

The restaurant, which has stood since November 1972, will be replaced by an Advanced Auto Parts, according to a township zoning permit dated Aug. 24.

Owner Rick Thompson, who has been with the company for more than a half-century, said he sold the lot because he wants to retire.

“I’m 68, and I’ve been with A&W for 54 years,” he said. “I want to spend some time with my family before it’s too late.”

Thompson said he isn’t sure exactly when A&W will close but that he will know a definitive date sometime in September.

Thompson said economics played into his decision as well, because the business hasn’t seen the same large crowds that it did years ago.

“Gasoline prices have killed us,” he said. “Nobody’s driving. With the economy right now, I cannot afford to lose any more money.”

Thompson said he hopes to find new jobs for his 20 employees.

The lot, at 680 Boardman-Canfield Road, was acquired by Cedarwood Development, which also owns the lot formerly occupied by Circuit City at Market Street and U.S. Route 224.