WILLIAMSTOWN — Locals craving their Neil Patrick Harris, their Mary Tyler Moore and their Richard Dreyfuss from Pappa Charlie’s Deli have been out of luck for months, and the reason remains unclear.

The shop has been closed since March without notice, and all efforts to reach the owner, Seth Hamilton, have failed.

“The town has had no contact with the owner since the mysterious closure in March of 2026,” said Williamstown Director of Community Development Andrew Groff. “We've not been able to get in touch with him.”

The iconic Spring Street deli was opened by Charlie Nikitas in 1976, and soon became known for its sandwiches and entrees named after celebrities, particularly directors and actors, who performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and could be seen enjoying downtown during the summer.

Pappa Charlie's Deli, a popular sandwich shop in Williamstown, has been closed since March, which is the last time town officials heard from the owner.

“These things are harder to get than a Tony,” actress Kate Burton once joked about the namesake sandwiches.

In the late 1980s, it operated from a freestanding building adjacent to its current location. It was later run by 18-year owners Christopher and Jennifer Karampatsos, who sold the business to Hamilton in 2024.

The shop closed last August for renovations, including the installation of a fire suppression system and fixing a gas leak, Hamilton told The Williams Record. It reopened Oct. 3, but since then, customers have reported a decline in food quality and increasingly inconsistent hours.

Pappa Charlie's Deli, a popular sandwich shop in Williamstown, has been closed since March, and the owner has been unresponsive to town officials.

Then, in March, the deli went dark.

Attempts by The Eagle to reach out by phone and email have been unsuccessful. The Google listing reads "permanently closed" and review posting has been switched off.

Hamilton is from Martha’s Vineyard and spent his childhood visiting grandparents in Williamstown, according to a May 2025 social media post. He lives in Berkshire County with his wife and kids.

But town officials say they have been unable to reach Hamilton in recent months to perform routine inspections. At this point, said Health Inspector Ruth Russell, the shop would require a special inspection.

“Technically, the food permit is not revoked, but it is unable to be used until a formal food establishment inspection is able to be completed due to the long period of closure,” she told The Eagle in an email.

A wall of celebrity photos hangs inside Pappa Charlie's Deli, which is known for its sandwiches named for actors who have performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. The deli has been closed without explanation since March.

The building at 28 Spring St. is owned by Williams College, said Amy Lovett, director of media relations for the college, but directed questions about the deli — including the lease — to the business owner.

"Pappa Charlie's is an icon on Spring Street,” she said. “The college is hoping to see the business open again as soon as possible and working with the owner toward that end."

Customers also are hoping to see a revival of the Pappa Charlie's of old.

Carlton Roe, an incoming Williams senior who started in fall 2023, said he loved grabbing a bite at the deli.

“It was really convenient because you could call ahead of time, and it was a little bit cheaper than Spring Street Market,” he said. “It was pretty fast, there was a lot of selection. The old menu … it was huge.”

But under Hamilton's ownership, Roe said, things went downhill.

“The quality dropped significantly,” he said. “I am not willing to spend $11 on grocery store sliced bread with a couple pieces of cold cuts in between. And they stopped giving you the little pickle that used to come with it.”

When Roe tried stopping in on weekday afternoons with friends in the last year, it would take “a lot longer” to get food — and that’s if it was open at all, he said.

Peering through the padlocked front door of the deli on a recent afternoon, a table of newspapers and magazines read March 2026. Slid just under the inside of the door is a letter from Berkshire Gas Co. reading: “Attn: Collection Dept.”

The last sandwich Roe got from Pappa Charlie’s was the Blythe Danner, the tuna-swiss-mayo combination named for the Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress who performed at the festival for decades.

“I think unless someone or a group swoops in and saves it, it could get better, but I don’t see that happening like it is now,” he said.