Well here’s some sad news! Patellie’s, which has been serving up superb New York-style pizza to loyal fans since 2017 in Three Oaks, is closing at the end of the month.

Owners Pat and Ellie Mullins, who also own PE Bottle Shop, a wine and beer place next store, announced the news on Patellie’s Facebook page last week. That’s the bad news. The good news is they are planning to expand The Bottle Shop into the Patellie’s space and, along with an expanded selection of wine, ciders, craft beer, N/A options, vermouths and other booze, stock it with provisions and some readymade foods. It’s set to open in spring if construction and permits go well, the couple says. The Bottle Shop will remain open throughout the remodel/expansion.

If you haven’t had a Patellie pizza, #1, you oughta get over there fast, and #2, it’s the floppy, New York-style made with premium cheeses and meats. (Best eaten folded.) It’s delicious and will be missed by its legions of fans, some of whom drove long distances to get a slice or pie.

Costs for ingredients have increased so much over the past 5 years, Pat said, that it’s been hard to make the math work to keep Patellie’s open. And then there’s the seasonality factor: crazy busy summers and slow winters. Of course, Patellie’s is not alone in this regard.

The Bottle Shop is one of my favorite spots for wine, and my husband likes their small but mighty craft beer selection (that will grow in the expanded space). There’s a great table of under $15 wine bottles where you can be assured of a decent bottle of red, white or rose for everyday drinking, and the knowledgeable staff can help if you’re wanting a special bottle from the rest of their stock.

Ellie grew up in Belgium and later in northern California, where her family was in the wine business. “I have a lot of personal connections to the wine we carry,” says Ellie, and she’s excited to have the space to carry more bottles.

Ellie and Pat, who is from Chicago, started coming to this area in 2003, when Pat’s parents bought a farm in Three Oaks. “Whenever we visited, it just felt like home,” Ellie says, so 16 years ago she and Pat moved to Three Oaks from San Fransisco, where they’d been working in restaurants and embracing the farm-to-table movement.

Rightly figuring that farm-to-table had played out in California, they saw Harbor Country as ripe for the concept. Their first venture here was the popular Local in New Buffalo, a butcher shop and specialty grocery with artisanal meats and local produce.

The Mullins say they want the flexibility to carry whatever they might fancy, be it pizza dough in the freezer case or bottles of their popular (and delicious) salad dressing. They plan to carry cheeses, charcuterie and other items to take to the beach or home. “From time to time you’ll see some of Pat’s sausages,” as well as meatballs, Ellie says.

Pat admits he himself will miss Patellie’s pizza. So where will he go for his fix? He’s hoping the new venture will leave him a bit more time to get out and try lots of pizza, but he named Villa Nova and Brewster’s in New Buffalo, Emma Hearth & Market in Bridgman, and Stop 50. (I would add Swell’s to that list, as it has tavern style, New York or hand-tossed style, deep dish and Detroit.)

The Mullins’ new venture would seem to compete directly with 6Linden in Three Oaks, which stocks meat from local farms, organic produce, fresh and frozen fish, bread, artisanal cheeses, pasta and more. “We don’t see ourselves as direct competitors of 6 Linden,” Ellie says. “They’re friends, and what we’re building will be quite different in focus and experience. Our belief has always been that more good businesses make a stronger town, and we’re excited to be part of that alongside our neighbors.”

In other Three Oaks food news, Longstory, a wine bar/restaurant that opened a year ago, reopens on Dec. 17 with a new menu, new chef and new bartender after abruptly closing in early December. “We’re launching a new winter menu, welcoming a creative new chef, and training a wonderful new bartender,” Longstory’s social media post said.