Nashua was shocked this week to learn of Villa Banca’s sudden closing. The popular restaurant had been a staple of the downtown eating scene since 1997 in the former Nashua Trust Bank branch on the corner of Main and Pearl streets. It was open for Saturday’s Holiday Stroll, but Villa Banca failed to open for lunch on Monday.

There hasn’t been a public explanation for the closing. Villa Banca’s website hasn’t been updated, its Facebook page is listed as no longer available, and its final tweet says simply, “It with great sadness that after 18 years of being part of the great community of Nashua, Villa Banca has closed.”

One of the first questions people asked was what would happen to the gift cards the restaurant sold as late as last week. Business that go bankrupt have no obligation to pay back the cards. Gift-card owners are left to stand in line with other creditors.

The good news is that another of Nashua’s popular downtown restaurants, Martha’s Exchange, stepped in this week to honor the outstanding Villa Banca gift cards.

Martha’s owner Chris Fokas said he doesn’t want people to be afraid to buy gift cards from small, independent restaurants like those that populate downtown Nashua. Such cards are often an important source of revenue.

A tip of the hat goes to Martha’s Exchange for stepping up and helping maintain that consumer trust that is vital to doing business downtown – or anywhere else.