It’s Curtains for Cake Shop; Last Live Show is on New Year’s Eve
This image has been archived or removed.
After years of well-documented struggles, the current incarnation of Cake Shop – the venerable performance venue that entered the Ludlow Street music scene in 2005 – is ending. The refreshed exterior masonry and remodeled guts were apparently too little too late.
According to an email blast from ownership, the bottom line just isn’t being met, so major change is on the horizon. “Location and sustainability in our current and long running model have been an issue for more than a long time, as I’m sure you’ve heard me whine about for years,” noted the communique to supporters. “As beloved to you and me as it is, we are failing to keep up with the bills, we have been for years.”
New Year’s Eve (Saturday night) is the final live show. Below is an excerpt from the announcement.
Friends,
Perhaps some of you have already heard, our last show at Cake Shop will be New Year’s Eve, December 31.
We will close for improvements January 1, and reopen as soon as possible, but the end of Cake Shop in its current incarnation is this coming New Year’s Eve. Tonight is the start of some very, very special goodbye shows, and we’d love to see you all!!
Location and sustainability in our current and long running model have been an issue for more than a long time, as I’m sure you’ve heard me whine about for years. As beloved to you and me as it is, we are failing to keep up with the bills, we have been for years. It’s been the longest, most fulfillable, most enjoyable project of my entire life.
Said improvements, as we understand, include a transition to a more “regular bar” without live music, and a purported loss of the Cake Shop moniker.
This news isn’t entirely surprising. Cake Shop has been on the verge of collapse several times. It’s the culmination of several years of well-documented struggles and the crowdfunding campaigns to assist. Owner-brothers Nick and Andy Bodor later signed a ten-year lease, and, at the time, were committed to keeping music the sole focus.
A year later (i.e. this past June), they began shopping the cafe for sale, yet hoped to retain the basement for live shows. That’s all out the window now.
This image has been archived or removed.
Recent Stories
From the Rooftops: The Hell Square Aural Assault
Articles about ear-shattering noise levels, from parties to cruising cars, as well as the general lack of regard for the residents of Hell Square, are rote at this point. Almost a cliche. But to residents living in the bullseye, the aural assault remains a weekly nightmare. And this past Saturday night, by several accounts, upped […]
Pitt Pool Opens for Summer Season
New York City public pools officially opened yesterday. For the Lower East Side, that means the Pitt Pool (aka Hamilton Fish) is ready to go. The launch happened with great fanfare. Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue joined Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, Senator Brian Kavanagh, Council Member Carlina Rivera, and local kids […]
At Belse, the New Vegan Brewery on the Bowery
Belse, the Texas-based vegan brewery and restaurant, is now in business on the Bowery. The Lone Star State transplant – officially, Belse Plant Cuisine – takes 11,000 square-feet at 265-267 Bowery, in what was previously the fleeting home of the Paulaner Brauhaus brewery. The renovated space features three sections – a restaurant, bar, and Garden […]
East Village Artist M. Henry Jones, Contemporary of Keith Haring, Dies
M. Henry Jones, a member of the East Village arts scene for over forty years, died last week (either June 16 or 17) at the age of 65. We’re told, though unconfirmed, the cause of death was a form of cancer. Jones was a neighborhood fixture for decades, in part, because of his storefront studio […]
Under the Floorboards at Long-Vacant East Houston Lot
Bereft of substantial activity in nearly two decades, the long-vacant parcel at 49 East Houston Street is in deterioration overdrive. An eagle-eyed tipster notes that the floorboards atop the existing foundation are now busted. Creating a pseudo entryway into the cellar level. Before its demise fourteen years ago, 49 East Houston had been a one-story […]
