Leftfield Bar Ends Ludlow Street Run; Mini Rex ‘Dry Karaoke’ up Next?
For the last few days, the gates of Leftfield bar on Ludlow Street have been drawn. Signal, in fact, that the five-year-old operation is out of business. And it was apparently able to sell off its assets.
Indeed, a bartender onsite recently revealed that Saturday night will be the last, that the business itself was sold, and how a new karaoke joint would open next month. Meaning, Mini Rex is more than likely on its way, despite neighborhood opposition.
Their Facebook page notes in a mission statement that, “Mini Rex and Juicebox Heroes are supportive and collaborative entertainment venues which offer the diverse community of the lowereast side options.”
Mini Rex and Juicebox Heroes will operate within all zoning regulations, including business hours- out of respect to our commercial and residential neighbors. Quarterly, it will conduct a clothing swap, a sustainable practice that builds a sense of community and generates clothing donations to the nearby Bowery Mission. It continues it’s support of the sober lifestyle choices of LES residents by working with the local AA chapter and providing a 5x weekly meeting space via second entrance during non-operating hours. Additionally, it supports the community and respects the quintessential LES culture by serving as a platform for local art through the commission of multi-medium/artists work throughout the interior spaces.
As for Leftfield – it’s apparently been a tumultuous six months, ever since we broke news that Mini Rex was gunning for their Ludlow Street bar. The potential sale met fierce resistance from locals, though, seemingly every step of the way. Community Board 3 denied the Mini Rex application for full liquor in April (after a withdrawal the month before), due in part to confusion over how segregating those who drink (the Mini Rex half) from those who don’t (the Juice Box Heroes half) would even work.
Photo: Mini Rex Facebook
Mini Rex continued to fight, while Leftfield simultaneously tried to clean up its record. Ownership of the latter, after reportedly neglecting stipulations for years, made an about-face over the summer, and began complying. They resolved the myriad building code issues, settled violations with the SLA, and even opened a cockamamie sandwich spot (“Holidays at Leftfield”) in the north store.
When Leftfield had a sandwich shop, July 2017
Recent Stories
Demolition Begins at Fire-Stricken Dim Sum Palace Building in Chinatown
Demolition started this week at 6 Chatham Square, which, until this month, housed neighborhood favorite Dim Sum Palace. Early morning May 1, a fire in the kitchen spread throughout the building, triggering a five-alarm response from the fire department. All told, five firefighters were injured battling the inferno over several hours. And according to Red […]
Eldridge Street Development Sells for $19.24M
A major real estate deal to report on Eldridge Street. It took three years, but the eight-story mixed-use building at 165 Eldridge traded last week for $19.25 million. Just under the initial 2019 asking price of $21 million. Buyer of record is Meng Lee and Karim Elsayyad of FREO Management. The transaction is not yet […]
The ‘Barrier Reefs’ Coming to Clinton Street Bike Lane
The Department of Transportation has chosen a winner to decorate the traffic barrier protecting the Clinton Street bike line. The city agency awarded artist Alison Cynamon as part of the ongoing Barrier Beautification mural project. The concrete slab runs from Delancey Street to South Street; an 840-foot stretch with roughly 1,980 square-feet of canvas to […]
Redlining the LES: How Discriminatory Lending Policies Solidified Pre-Existing Inequalities
The following was written by Anna Sargeantson. All photos courtesy of Anna Sargeantson, except where otherwise noted. Home to dimly lit restaurants and bars frequented by NYU students and young professionals, the Lower East Side remains in many ways the epitome of New York City’s youthful heart. Under the surface, though, the neighborhood has historically […]
Ed Higgins Gets ‘Mail Art’ Retrospective at Van Der Plas Gallery on Orchard Street
Fresh off featuring his art in Ludlow Coffee Supply, the Van Der Plas Gallery of Orchard Street is now dedicating a full artist retrospective to the late Ed Higgins. Higgins, known as a pillar of the “Rivington School” movement in the 1980s Lower East Side, and for his unique “Mail Art,” died last December at […]
