With just weeks left until Point Dume Pizza's owner Hye Song Oh plans to close her business of 25 years, community members have ratcheted up their efforts to have a sit-down meeting with her landlord.
"He won’t even talk to us, much less meet with us," said Kim McGee, a Malibu resident and one of several protesters who marched into the management office of Point Dume Village owner Zan Marquis and requested a meeting on Nov. 10.
"We really want to understand what his agenda is here," McGee said. "Why is he unresponsive to his neighbors?"
Andy Borenzweig, a USC student who grew up in Malibu and started the Save Point Pizza Facebook Page, said he also requested a sit-down meeting with Marquis.
"I emailed him. It was a very respectful and nice email. He didn’t respond, which was kind of expected. I wanted to sit down and have a more intimate way to elaborate our stance on why we wanted Point Pizza to stay," Borenzweig said.
Hye Song Oh has said previously she wants to stay at the location. Marquis has said he wanted to bring in a new local operator, D'Amore's, as part of an effort to bring healthier options to the center.
The Point Pizza ownership has said they offered healthier options over the years and agreed to a rent increase. Now that Oh is getting older, she does not have the ability to open a new location, according to Charles Lee, Oh's son-in-law.
Lee, who speaks on behalf of his mother-in-law at her request, said they have not tried to meet with Marquis.
"We do not think anything would result from a meeting with Zan. Point Pizza will be closing on Dec. 31," Lee said. "Mr. D'Amore agreed to take the space 'as is' so Hye Song can run the store through the 31st."
He said is not sure what Oh plans to do after the closing other than spend some time with family and look for a new job.
"I am not sure what she can do with her skill set. Maybe working a cash register in a restaurant or retail," Lee said.
Both Borenzweig, McGee and others have been working on a last-ditch effort to allow Point Pizza to remain open.
"I think that the protests are still a good method, but they are being exhausted and they have their limitations," Borenzweig said.
Borenzweig, who is a graduate of Malibu High School, said he got involved because of his love for Point Pizza, and that he is hopeful that perhaps people in Malibu will consider donating funds to help Oh.
Marquis did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
