PiNZ closes for good at Hampshire Mall, citing declining foot traffic

PiNZ at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley closed permanently this week, citing declining foot traffic and rising operating costs.

PiNZ at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley closed permanently this week, citing declining foot traffic and rising operating costs. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Staff Writer

Published: 02-26-2025 10:55 AM

Modified: 02-26-2025 5:22 PM


HADLEY — PiNZ, a business featuring an eight-lane bowling alley, more than 40 arcade games and a restaurant and bar with seating for about 150 people, has closed at Hampshire Mall, 367 Russell St.

The CEO for PiNZ Entertainment Group LLC, based in Milford, announced Wednesday that the Hadley location, which opened in early 2018, would be closing permanently.

“Due to the continued decline in foot traffic at Hampshire Mall, rising operating costs and broader economic challenges, we have made the difficult decision to close our store,” David Breen wrote in an email to the Gazette. “Despite our best efforts to adapt to changing market conditions, these factors have made it increasingly unsustainable to maintain operations at this location.”

The Hadley site was created from about 16,000 square feet of space within the mall’s Cafe Square. PiNZ has been among several entertainment and lifestyle venues within the mall, which also includes the FunHub Action Park, Interskate 91, Laser Blast and All In Adventures, as well as the Cinemark theaters and Planet Fitness.

“We sincerely appreciate the support of our loyal customers and dedicated employees over the years,” Breen said.

“While this closure marks the end of our presence at Hampshire Mall, we remain committed to serving our customers through our other locations. All of our staff have been offered positions at our other PiNZ locations, and we are grateful for their hard work and dedication.

PiNZ has had five locations, with others in Massachusetts in Milford and Kingston, along with sites in Portsmouth, N.H., and New Hartford, N.Y.

During the pandemic, PiNZ was among the entertainment venues that remained closed for an extended period.

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The Hampshire Mall, which is a 435,000-square-foot property on 46.52 acres, sold at a foreclosure auction last June for $7 million.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.