Bowery Coffee and Basement Antiques Store Forced from the Bowery
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Two losses for the Bowery environs…
Earlier this week, the always-pithy sandwich board outside Bowery Coffee advertised an ominous message. “Fin” – Latin root meaning “end” – was written clearly on both sides. That’s right, the java joint at 89 East Houston is no longer with us.
Bowery Coffee closed for good after business yesterday evening. While a former employee tells us that the cafe simply “was no longer economically feasible,” the story is deeper than that. Especially since the small cafe seemed popular with the locals. Apparently the landlord refused to renew their lease. Not only that, owner Gadi Gilan reportedly must also vacate the basement level, which was heretofore home to his antique store B4 It Was Cool. That business survived over two decades in this spot, selling quirky light fixtures and sundries to the likes of Susan Sarandon.
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Thus concludes three years of Bowery Coffee at 89 East Houston Street. It debuted in October 2011 after Gilan shifted the antique shop down to the basement.
Food for thought – this property was sold in 2013 as part of an 11-property Bowery portfolio that fetched $62 million. Lucky owner is Joseph Betesh (pka Milestone Equities), whose family owns the Dr. Jay’s streetwear empire. More monied retail likely sought.
What was your take on these two establishments?
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