This used to be the building of Izzy’s, a popular Albany restaurant.
On Facebook the other day, some people were surprised that Izzy’s restaurant at 2115 S.W. Pacific was no longer in business. But it hasn’t been around for a quite a while.
Izzy’s was started in Albany in 1979. In the 1980s and ’90s, the restaurant came to be a favorite with families. And if your kids played on various teams in those years, you may recall going to numerous after-game or season-ending pizza parties at Izzy’s.
In recent months, there were signs of demolition inside the building.
The last mention I could find of Izzy’s in the local paper was in March 2020. That’s when Gov. Kate Brown ordered restaurants to close for at least four weeks to stem the spread of the Covid outbreak.
A story in the paper that month listed Izzy’s as among several local restaurants that did not have the option of switching to provide only take-out meals. It appears it was then that the place shut down, never to reopen.
Now something new is going in at 2115 Pacific Blvd. S.W. On May 27, the city’s building division approved a permit for extensive changes at the address, including “tenant improvement for a new Subway location.”
The permit was taken out by Sub Nation LLC. The company’s address is the Subway sandwich shop on Highway 34 near Interstate 5. It lists Elena Fortier as director of operations and Luke Fortier as registered agent. Sub Nation also owns the property of a Subway shop at 2615 Pacific Blvd. S.E.
Last September 1, Sub Nation bought the former Izzy’s location for $1 million, according to an online record at the Linn County Assessor’s Office.
Sandwiches are not the only thing in the offing there. The building permit says the storefront is to be reconfigured to provide a new entrance to a future tenant suite. (hh)
Local young man doing great things. Everyone should join in and support his latest venture. Good luck Luke
too many sandwich shops here already
What’s it gonna take to get a damn olive garden here!!
A Red Lobster
I liked Subway when I was able to eat them but do we REALLY need ANOTHER one? Ugh
There was just a fleeting moment of intrigue thinking something new & exciting, maybe coming into town. That was a let-down. Oh well, that’s just the opinion of ONE long-time Albany citizen…
It’s not another one. It’s a new location for the existing one :0)
Such blight, and government overreach appears to be the primary cause.
It looks like this property falls within the CARA area.
Shouldn’t CARA offer up some “free” public money out of a sense of guilt?
At least there would would probably be a positive tax increment, unlike the riverfront project.
Cara, or the CARES Act?
Way to go Mr. Fortier!
Biggest subway this side of the Mississippi – why not.
we have enough sub shops in town
It’s a new location for the existing Subway.
Well damn…Izzy’s had the best tasting pizza crust around! BUT, you couldn’t “take-n-bake”.
We loved Izzy’s. The buffet was great, the pizza delicious and I’m really disappointed. I’m tired of fast food. Be it sandwiches, burgers or burritos. Best wishes for Subway, but let’s find a place for Izzy!
Still would like to see a “Golden Corral” in area
Mary
Yes indeed we really need Golden Corral here
What about a Cracker Barrel?
Cathy
We agree we loved Izzy’s and will miss it greatly I wonder if the one in Newport is still open?
Nope. The Newport Izzy is closed. It’s a different restaurant now.
Won’t they be closing the one at queen street? It’s so close to here.
That’s the last thing Albany needs is another damn sandwich subway is extremely overrated boring not interested
Awww…c’mon! How about Firehouse Subs, Jersey Mike’s, Mod Pizza, Round Table, Nancy Jo’s, so many other quick food options! Albany needs more options not more of the same things.
Completely agree! We don’t need another Subway! Bring something different to the table!!
The old Izzy’s in Newport is still an Izzy’s but just a different name . The franchise owner had to change some of the recipes but still it has all the items Izzy’s had.
What’s the new name? We will have to check that out next time we are over there.
I liked Izzy’s (and before Izzy’s, I liked Shakey’s) and am sorry it didn’t survive the pandemic, but as to the topic of whether Albany needs another sandwich shop, the Fortiers’ interpretation of the marketplace is that it does. Time will tell.
I haven’t confirmed this, but the chatter on Facebook was that the Subway at Pacific and Queen would move to the former Izzy’s address.
Yes, I agree that Subway seems to be around every corner….but you know what, we all have that Subway moment when we don’t want to cook or we need a quick something to eat that is not fried….and you can have it made fresh however you would like it….I am sure Luke did his research and found that one is needed in that part of Albany…Good Luck Luke
Golden Coral would be a great addition
Golden Corral would be an excellent choice, or a Home Buffet.
Wish it was a different type sub shop like Jersey Mike’s instead. We have enough Subway locations in Albany. A change of something different would have been nice. We don’t need multiple Subway’s, a bit of variety is what Albany needs.
This isn’t a new store, it is a much-needed location change for the existing Subway building on Queen. I think it’s awesome what Luke is doing with that old run-down building! There are a ton of franchises and lots of locations available out there…if someone wanted to open a different kind of restaurant, there’s plenty of room for some variety!
It sounds like we’re all tapped out on Mexican restaraunts and Coffee shops, though.
a cheesecake factory would be awesome to have here