Thursday, February 5, 2009

Tribe has closed; owner wants "a classier place"

Yesterday afternoon a tipster passed along news that Tribe, the decade-old bar on the corner of St. Mark's Place and First Avenue, had closed. Indeed, a walk by the place last night confirmed this.




According to the Real Deal:

Tribe's final day was last Thursday, said owner Matt Wagman, senior partner at Riteon, a partnership that operates four other bars in Manhattan. While Tribe drew loyal crowds and "always turned in really nice numbers," the bar closed after negotiations failed with landlord Tara Allmen, who had asked for a "100 percent increase" in rent when Tribe's 10-year lease expired December 31, Wagman said.

Allmen, a physician, inherited the building from her mother, Renée Allmen, along with several other East Village properties, and recently completed renovating the four residential spaces in the building. She called Tribe "an eyesore."

"I want a classier place," she said, adding that Tribe "was not going to enhance the aesthetic of the building."


Previously on EV Grieve:
I'm not waiting on a lady...say, what the hell is Mick wearing anyway?

"Back then this whole area was just people who were into art and you know…"

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder if "classier" means a bar that will not play non-top 40s hip hop. Maybe one with a $10+ cocktail list designed by a popular mixologist?

Anyways... anyone know of other bars featuring DJs that play assorted hip hop and such in the EV? The first one that comes to mind is No Malice Palace. What else do we have?

Anonymous said...

Hey, if she has the balls to ask for that kind of rent increase (or the money to afford it going vacant for awhile) then all the more power to her.

Tribe was a B&T magnet. Good riddance.

Anonymous said...

Tribe circa ‘05/‘06 was a killer bar.