The indoor sport facility, Grand Slam, closed in May with little notice.

   According to a sign on the business’s front door, “The tenants of this premises have been evicted and the plaintiff placed in full possession thereof.”

   The real estate agent handling the property said the owners were hit hard by the troubled economy.

   ”Like many other retail and service organizations, they had difficulty keeping up with the costs of occupancy based on the reduced level of clientele,” said Bill Barish, of Commercial Property Network.

   The facility, which was located at 51 Stouts Lane near South Brunswick High School, featured basketball courts, an arcade, batting cages, a children’s crawl area, even a miniature golf course. It was a popular township location for birthday parties and sports training.

   The closure came as a shock to the staff of the facility. Employees say they have not heard from managing owner Vincent Mann since the weekend of May 1 when they received a mass e-mail explaining Grand Slam possibly was relocating.

   ”A week later, I saw a big sign on the door. It said ‘public auction,’ “ said 17-year-old Laura Manka, who was an employee. “There was a little sign on the door that said ‘evicted’ on it.”

   Mr. Mann and the building’s owner, Stouts Brunswick Associates, of Bridgewater, could not be reached for comment. In addition, Grand Slam’s phone number is disconnected.

   Laura said she was told in another e-mail from Mr. Mann that the complex may be relocating to the Hamilton and Lawrenceville areas or to northern New Jersey, but nothing seems certain.

   Still, the sudden closure remains sobering for employees, most of who still have no answers.

   ”I worked there for two years, and I don’t even know what happened,” said employee Connor Scharf. “We were very surprised. I had been scheduled to work that weekend.”

   ”I have no idea what the story is,” Laura added. “But something had to have happened for it to be so sudden.”

   Staff writer Davy James

contributed to this report.