Load Out: Fontana’s Bar Will Close Shop in March After a Dirty Dozen on Eldridge Street
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When the Blackfires played Fontana’s
By now you’ve seen, you’ve heard.
Fontana’s at 105 Eldridge Street will end its impressive tenure in just a couple months. Sometime in March. The bar and performance venue – long a welcoming stage for small-time artists – has been on the block for a dozen years.
Proprietors Holly Ferrari, Mary Finn, and Deannie Wheeler together quipped that “it has become increasingly hard to be an independent business in New York city without compromising your vision.”
Translation = sky-high rents. The team ultimately elected against renewing their lease, which would’ve further escalated the monthly dole to $30,000. That’s three times the amount paid at the outset. This leaves an enourmous three-floor space for the taking.
Fontana’s was also featured in various music videos (Haim, Interpol) and television programming, notably Louie CK’s eponymous show.
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