CW Pencil Enterprise Shutters Due to ‘Serious Safety Issue’ at Forsyth Street Building

CW Pencil Enterprise, the darling two-year-old specialty pencil dispensary, is the latest business to shutter due to ongoing building problems at 100 Forsyth Street. The temporary closure is apparently related to onsite renovations by Veracity Real Estate, which is already blamed for sidelining both Birds & Bubbles and Football Cafe earlier this spring.

The following note (handwritten, mind you) is pasted to the front door.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We have temporarily closed due to a serious safety issue with our building. We are working with our landlord to get this resolved as soon as possible. In the meantime, we hope you’ll continue to support us online at cwpencils.com, where we’ll be operating as usual. We’ll post updates on social media as needed. Please do get in touch if we can help you with anything. Thank you for your love and support.

Fondly,
Your friends at CWPE

Word on the street is that the “safety issue” referenced was purportedly the discovery of mold in the store, much like at Birds & Bubbles. We’re also hearing that the store is allegedly suing the landlord. However, both claims have yet to be verified; owner Caroline Weaver was not immediately available for comment.

This is what happens when a slumlord takes over a Lower East Side tenement building. Veracity Real Estate purchased the pair of tenements at 100-102 Forsyth in January 2016 for the enormous sum of $16 million. Shortly thereafter, the renovations (and problems began).

Birds & Bubbles pulled the plug back in April due to alleged negligence over conditions that essentially destroyed the restaurant, claiming that the contractors hired by Veracity caused at least six floods since the prior December, with water cascading out of light fixtures, damaging ceilings and floors, electronics, point-of-sale systems, and more. She seeks $1.3 million in damages.

The Football Cafe had likewise closed in April due a dispute (since settled) stemming from purported “building issues, hazardous conditions from construction, leaks, and power outages.” It reopened a month later, but now appears on the sidelines yet again. The sidecar gallery space was seized by the Marshal earlier this month.

And last but not least, Deadly Dragon Sound faded almost immediately after Veracity purchased the building.

Deadly Dragon Sound, January 2013