Sub shop at center of homeless crisis in Phoenix's 'Zone' closes after 38 years

The owners of a downtown Phoenix sandwich shop who became prominent critics of the city when they sued to force police to clear "The Zone" have called it quits just months after the last tent was removed.

The Old Station Sub Shop at Jefferson Street and 13th Avenue has been a Valley staple since 1986. Outside stood a sign reading, "Same local owner for 38 years."

Under unseasonably heavy clouds Friday, city workers were cleaning off streets a block away from the sub shop while Phoenix police appeared to be monitoring the couple dozen people experiencing homelessness in the area.

The lunchtime hotspot had been converted from a Conoco gas station. It gained popularity due to its convenient location near the Arizona State Government complex. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 and the emergence of The Zone led Old Station owners, Debbie and Joe Faillace, to close their restaurant.

The Faillaces were a part of the group of business owners and residents that sued the city in an effort to clean up The Zone in 2022.

“It has, of course, affected my business, but it’s more so affected my wife emotionally and me emotionally,” Joe Faillace said, “It’s hard to come to work and the first thing you have to do is phone the police.”

Faillace likened his experience with the homelessness crisis that has surrounded his business for the past few years to a war zone, describing the hundreds of individuals he's witnessed in various states of undress, and in the throes of substance abuse.

The Zone, between Seventh and 15th avenues and between Van Buren and Grant streets, was home to nearly 1,000 homeless people at its peak.

In their lawsuit, business owners and residents claimed that the city had "simultaneously neglected and exacerbated" the homelessness crisis by transporting homeless individuals from other areas of the city to The Zone and not enacting policies that prohibit illegal activity, like loitering or drunken and disorderly conduct.

Late last year, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ordered the city to have The Zone cleared and cleaned within six weeks. The city spent most of 2023 clearing The Zone block by block, ending in November.

To clear the streets of The Zone a new structured campground was erected and hundreds more beds were offered at Valley shelters. Far fewer individuals sleep on the streets there these days.

But for Faillace, the city's efforts were not fast or effective enough.

“You just don’t feel overly safe here,” Faillace said.

Linda Brandt, a 20-year employee at Old Station and longtime friend of the Faillace’s said she is sad to see the sandwich shop go.

“Joe had a lot to deal with when it came to people being everywhere and bothering the customers,” Brandt said when reflecting on the past four years, “I feel bad for them too, but you know, business has to come first.”

For Joe and Debbie Faillace closing Old Station Sub Shop is a bittersweet occasion.

“She's so happy I'm putting it up, she's just bubbly,” Joe said of his wife. Joe, who will celebrate his 71st birthday later this month, is looking forward to his retirement.

Taylor Seely contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why a beloved downtown Phoenix sandwich shop is closing