Pugliese Brothers closing ‘old-world’ sausage shop in Dauphin County

Pugliese Brothers Italian Sausage is closing later this summer.

The owners announced on Facebook this week the shop at 2241 Paxton Church Road in Susquehanna Township will remain open until Aug. 31.

“We want to thank our many loyal customers for the past eight years. After much thought we have made the painful decision to close the store due to circumstances beyond our control,” they shared.

Owner Robert Pugliese, who operates the shop with his brothers, John and Richard, said they couldn’t come to a reasonable lease extension with their landlord. He said the brothers are officially retiring and do not plan to relocate.

They opened the shop in 2016 at the Brandywine Plaza as a platform to sell their family’s “sacred recipe” old-world sausage.

The recipe dates back to the 1830s in Italy. In the 1950′s and 60′s, their father, Robert, made and sold the sausages at a family-owned grocery store in Steelton. The store closed in the mid-1960s but the Puglieses continued to make sausage for family and friends.

Their sausage contains no dyes, fillers or artificial ingredients and is gluten-free.

Robert Pugliese said customers need to pre-order sausages. The shop’s dry goods including imported Italian products such as pasta, sauces, olive oils, cheese and olives will not be restocked.

“We encourage you to stock up on your favorite products while they last as we will not be restocking anything,” they posted on Facebook. “If there’s anything you would like to purchase, do not wait until the last minute. Our staff can tell you how long various products can be kept beyond any ex-dates.”

They said all sales are final and the shop is not accepting refunds or exchanges. The owners also urge shoppers to use gift cards before the closing.

“We thank you for your support and patronage over these many years. Know that we will miss you!” reads the message.

The shop is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday.