Popular Philadelphia restaurant, Winnie's Manayunk, abruptly closes

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Winnie's, a fixture on Main Street in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, closed its doors for good.

The restaurant opened in 2003, and some called it a neighborhood landmark.

Over the weekend, the exterior sign was removed, and a sign was posted on the door saying it was closed for the day. Action News confirmed that it is now permanently closed.

"It's a Manayunk landmark. It's been here forever," said Lu Tadesse, a customer who stopped by the restaurant to see if it was open. "Of course it's disappointing."

The owner, Winnie Clowry, confirmed the closure late Tuesday afternoon, saying she made the decision to step away from the business she purchased after working there since 1994.

"It's a tough job running a business my size," Clowry said. "I decided it was long enough. It was getting to be too much work."

She described the moment as "an emotional time."

Some customers said they were surprised by the sudden closure, while others had noticed signs that something was going on behind the scenes.

"There's been random times it's closed the last few months," said Michiel Persenaire. "Then, a week ago, I saw a closed sign again. No idea what's going on."

Earlier this year, Winnie's closed temporarily following a family tragedy and the sudden death of a manager.

"Just the restaurant industry in general, it's hard to keep the business afloat," said Phoebe Kilroy of Manayunk.

There is no word yet on what will replace Winnie's.