Southgate Pizza owner Sandra Lee said she is closing the popular pizzeria later this month, after operating it since July 2019. The last day will be May 14. Southgate is located next to Anytime Fitness in the Premiere Theatres mall at 918 Highway 33 South in Cloquet.

“It’s probably the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” Less said. “We had enough community support and we made it through Covid, so it’s not that. It basically comes down to my health.”

Lee also cited difficulty finding staff and increased product and lease costs as considerations. She said she tried selling the business, but there...