While the news wasn’t unexpected, it came a little too soon for Mike “Ski” Slusarski and his wife, Becky, owners of The Tomato — known to many as the face of Fry Street.

The Tomato, Bagheri’s Italian Rest­aurant and several other businesses re­ceived eviction notices from United Equi­ties Inc. this week, citing Jan. 31 as the final day to be on property bought by the Houston-area company last year.

“It’s been expected, I was just expecting it a little bit later,” said Mike Slusarski, taking a break from the kitchen in the well-known pizzeria at the corner of Fry and Hickory streets.

Mike Slusarski, who began working at the former “Flying Tomato” in 1984 and bought it in 1996, says the restaurant’s future is up in the air.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know,” he said of where he might move in the next 26 days. “Worst-case scenario, we’ll go look for jobs.”

The mood among the owners at Bagheri’s around the corner on Fry Street was equal parts anger, sadness and concern for fellow business owners.

“I will miss my friends; I’m going to miss my neighbors,” said Sid Bagheri, owner of the eatery that opened in the eclectic Fry Street neighborhood in 1997. “We are part of a family.”

Reaction to the eviction notices was strong.

“It tells me that the developer is going to go on with his plans no matter what our community wants or has asked for … and quite frankly I’m disappointed,” said Pete Kamp, mayor pro tem for the city of Denton. “I think our citizens have been very honest and very forthright that they wanted to save the historical buildings on Fry Street and nothing else.

“If we could just save the L-shaped historical facades along Fry and Hickory, I believe that is all our historical society and Save Fry Street are asking them to do,” Kamp said. “I do not understand why they will not save just that area.”

Kamp said the facades and the types of businesses are what make Fry Street what it is.

“It’s the funkiness of Denton that is important,” Kamp said. “That is why Norah Jones is a part of this. That’s why so many people gravitate to this area. It’s not the building, it’s the people.”

Norah Jones, a Grammy-award winning singer/pianist who attended the University of North Texas, agreed two weeks ago to be the honorary chairwoman of the Save Fry Street group.

In a letter dated Dec. 29, United Equi­ties indicated that any month-to-month tenancy or other rights of possession would terminate on Jan. 31. The letter also indicated the eviction notice was given for the “intention to begin renovating or remodeling existing improvement or to construct new improvement.”

United Equities did not return phone calls for comment.

Gene Hartman, owner of Campus Barbershop, said he knew Wednesday that neighboring Fry Street businesses would be receiving certified letters but didn’t know what information they would contain.

“I just talked to the postman,” he said, adding that several along the route were receiving notifications from United Equities.

Some businesses along Fry and Hickory streets were closed through this week with the usual crowd of students absent from the eclectic hangout for the holidays. Their receipt of eviction notices could not be confirmed.

Rumors about possible eviction notices had been circulating for weeks, several Fry Street area residents have said.

Sam Vanderburg, 31, a Fry Street area resident, said employees at some businesses had been talking about the notices Wednesday night.

He said he thought the eviction notices were “kind of stupid.”

“I know a lot of these businesses have a history of paying their rent and paying on time,” he said. The buildings also are sturdier, Vanderburg said, than “the plywood crap they’re going to put up.”

According to a city of Denton spokesperson, the developer has indicated an intention to file an alternative development plan and three specific-use permits for the drive-through lanes proposed for the project on Jan. 22.

As of mid-day Thursday, no demolition permits in connection with the Fry Street project had been filed with the city of Denton.

Chris Flemmons, a musician who is working with Save Fry Street - a group seeking to preserve the area - said he called Tim Sandifer of United Equities to inquire about the eviction notices.

“Because we are concerned about those buildings [in the Fry and Hickory street area], I wanted him to explain to me that this wasn’t going to be some kind of expedient process where they’re kicking people out one day and bringing in the bulldozer the next.

“Tim tried to relate to me on the phone that this is part of a process,” he said. “He indicated to me that this is not like a situation where it’s a matter of weeks before those structures get torn down. This is just part of a process.”

The group, which organized shortly after the property purchase last year, has gathered signatures for a petition to support saving the older buildings along Fry and Hickory streets. The “L”-shaped building was built in the 1920s. The building housing the Corkscrew at Fry and Oak streets was built in 1909, Flemmons said.

“It’s the buildings from 1909 to 1926 that we’re trying to put our efforts toward to get some kind of result for,” he said.

The business owners, however, are concerned about where to go next.

Mike Slusarski said he had hoped to find another location for the restaurant in the immediate area around Fry Street but has not found a temporary site.

“There are some sites near Best Buy,” he said, but the traffic on Loop 288 was a concern.

He said he plans to talk with the property owners and keep his options open for other possibilities.

Bagheri, 59, runs the restaurant with his younger brother, also known as Sid.

The timing of the notice hit hard, he said, adding that at his age, most people would find it hard to start over, especially in just 26 days.

“It takes time,” he said. “They should have given us advance notice. It’s like a punishment.”

His daughter, Sara Bagheri, agreed: “It would have been the nice, civil thing to do” to give more notice.

“It’s like a modern-day layoff,” she added.

Sara Bagheri also questioned how the city could allow the demise of the Fry Street businesses.

“Fry Street doesn’t affect everybody but it’s a sign of a trend,” she said. “The bottom line question is what do you want Denton to be.”

DAWN COBB can be reached at 940-566-6879. Her e-mail address is dcobb@dentonrc.com .