Serene Pavers & Stonescapes, a New Smyrna Beach, Fla., business that closed last month without completing jobs for which customers paid thousands, has filed for bankruptcy, Daytona Beach News-Journal reported. A chapter 7 filing by owner Eric Bartolozzi shows that Serene Pavers owes about 150 creditors nearly $1.6 million. That includes more than 100 customers who paid deposits for paver jobs, many of which were never started. The filing shows Serene Pavers owes American Express $63,000 for credit card purchases and nearly $44,000 to Home Depot Credit Services. On Deck Capital Inc., a small business lender based in Utah, is owed $85,000. Paver suppliers — including Tremron of Jacksonville, which is owed more than $440,000 — are also listed as creditors. St. Rose Brick Pavers of Vero Beach is past due on $19,000. Serene Pavers, which has been given an eviction notice for its New Smyrna Beach storefront, owes its landlord Samuel Gregory more than $10,000. Serene Pavers lists nearly $300,000 in assets, including a fleet of nine vehicles, a Bobcat and a mini track loader, as well as its paver inventory, five Big Green Egg grills, 10 Breeo firepits and seven Traeger grills. The business asserts it has $0 cash in a Chase bank account. There has also been anger expressed at how Bartolozzi appeared to lead the life of a highly successful business owner, posting Facebook pictures of his boats and constructing a $1 million Yellowstone National Park-area home in Wyoming in 2019. That home is now up for sale for nearly $1.6 million, a similar amount to what Serene Pavers owes its creditors.
