Point Pizza Malibu owner Hye Song Oh said she will close the restaurant on Dec. 31 knowing that she was valued in the community.
"However sad this closure is for me, I will always remember the overwhelming love and support shown by the great people of Malibu and can now close the store knowing that I was a valued part of this great community," Song said in a statement to Malibu Patch.
Point Pizza will close its doors at 8 p.m. Dec. 31 at the Point Dume Village shopping center on Heathercliff Road and Pacific Coast Highway. The shopping center's owner, Zan Marquis, opted not to extend her lease and instead decided to sign a new one with D'Amore's Famous Pizza, which has another location in Malibu.
Hundreds in the Malibu community have protested the closure, but Marquis has not changed his mind or agreed to meet with proteters. Many have said they will boycott D'Amore's when it opens.
Song thanked the Malibu community for its support at the rallies and over Facebook, where a group "Save Point Pizza" has nearly 2,000 members. A closing party is planned for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 31 at Point Pizza.
"The most difficult part of this closure is the fact that I will not be able to see the customers that have been coming into the store over the years. I know their families, have seen their children grow up and bring in their own children, and I know what they are going to order even if they have not been in the store for months or years," Song said. "I feel like I am losing part of my own family."
