After A 24-Year Run Right On The Square In Downtown Denton, The Beloved Pizza Parlor — And Revered DIY Concert Space — Will Serve Up Its Final Slices On August 10.

Simply avoiding a pandemic-induced demise — a milestone well worthy of celebrating in these trying times, to be sure — still isn’t a guarantee that a business will survive in perpetuity, turns out. In the end, all the old, more-traditional scourges on local business still lurk around every corner, ready to wreak havoc.

Such is the fate of Denton’s beloved J&J’s Pizza, which announced via a Facebook post today that it will be soon closing its doors for good.

The culprit, per the statement? Too-high rent demands.

Ah, yes, that familiar foe.

It’s tough to overstate exactly what J&J’s has meant to the culture of the college town it has called home for its last 24 years of operations. Beyond offering students a reliable destination for a tasty slice, the business also established itself throughout the years as an unlikely hub within the ever-vibrant Denton music scene through its hosting of DIY concerts within its basement space.

To that end, you may recall that it was big news back in 2016 when it was simply announced how that performance space would stop hosting shows following renovations required of the building. Similarly, North Texas music fans celebrated the news that came just a year later when J&J’s announced that it would be reviving its downstairs live music offerings.

Whereas the facility affectionately known as “The Ol’ Dirty Basement” got a surprise second chance at life, though, it appears there will be no such redemptive arc for the greater business at large. Per today’s surprise reveal, J&J’s will officially cease operations come August 10.

It should be noted, however, that J&J’s ownership will remain in the pizza game. In today’s post, they shared plans to open the doors on a new pizza venture in Gainesville called Saint Joe’s Pizza in just a few month’s time. But whereas that new venture was initially planned as a second arm for the team, it will now serve as its sole focus.

With any luck, the new spot will last another 24 just as the first did.

We’ll miss you, J&J’s.

RIP.

Cover image via J&J’s Pizza Facebook Page.

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