The Whole Earth Bakery has been providing delicious, healthy, vegan and vegetarian food for 33 years, 20 of them at its current location at 130 St. Mark’s Place. This valued community resource is in danger of eviction, and needs your support.
Like all small businesses, Whole Earth Bakery has struggled to stay afloat during the recent recession. Occupying the space under a sublet agreement, the Whole Earth Bakery is up to date on rent payments, but the holder of the lease is delinquent, placing the business in imminent danger of eviction.
While there are other vegetarian and vegan bakeries in New York City, few can demonstrate the long-term commitment to quality cruelty-free, sustainable and delicious food that is the hallmark of the Whole Earth Bakery.
We need concerned community members to stop by the store and sign our petition, and volunteers to help organize events or coordinate email communications among our supporters. Please help us continue serving the East Village community, as we meet our commitment to provide healthy, nutritious food for all.
Check our Facebook Wall for updates.
Ugh. Whole Earth Bakery has faced eviction several times before. You can read the back story in this article from The Villager from 2007. Whole Earth has been a neighborhood institution since 1991... we need to hold on to what is left of this neighborhood.
12 comments:
I put this in the category of places I've never gone to in over 20 years but don't want to see disappear. This would be a real loss in terms of neighborhood character.
By the way, and I'm being serious, how does signing a petition help them? If the problem is they have a sublet, and the issue is the leaseholder isn't paying their rent, what does a petition do about anything? Or events? Put yourself in the landlord's shoes. Somebody is breaking their lease and in danger of losing it (but not yet, so obviously the landlord is not a stickler or one of those greedy bastards). Petition? Wha?
Maybe somebody can explain it to me. Everybody always starts a petition, but it seems a signature collection doesn't solve the problem and very rarely has any effect. This is a small business, they should have a lawyer. The lawyer should be talking to the landlord about them assuming the lease, as is. That'd be the first step.
Well, what do I know...
I love Peter and this store. However, I'm sure that outside a few hardcore long-time East Village residents, no one will care about this. All the new, fabulous flock to Juice Press because it has BUZZ and where prices are twice as high. I bet that not one mainstream media outlet or corporate blog mentions this.
i think peter should l go to the landlord n ask for a rent reduction {just like the st. marks book store is doing.
Oh no! They make the most delicious vegan lasagna! I am going tomorrow! I will sign the petition. I don't know if it will help in their dealings with the landlord, but at least it will be moral support.
We cannot let the "juice press" & starbucks steal our neighborhood. Educate the nubies to support local businesses, we seem to be losing one every other month! Hell, there ain't to many of "us" even left!
used to go there all the time for their scones. i haven't been in awhile, but i don't want them to disappear, either.
so many places to save. when does it end?
Why the landlord gave the Italian restaurant next door Peter's lease, I can't understand. the restaurant as been extorting Peter for years since he got the lease. Peter needs to STOP paying the restaurant guy who's defaulting and pay the Landlord directly, hopefully cutting himself a new deal in the process.
i support them 100% and will surely stop in. why don't they just pay the landlord directly?? who is the landlord??
They're subtenants. They signed a contract to that effect. They could pay the actual LL directly, but they would still be legally liable to the sublandlord. Maybe there is a clause to protect the sublessee if the sublandlord goes into default with the master landlord, but lawyers will need to be involved here.
I am unfortunately out of the country so can only sign online petitions right now. I had to leave the EV myself due to high rents in 2001 and so I haven't been to the bakery as much as when I lived in the 'hood but I have fond memories of their gingersnaps and other sweet treats. If anyone gets an online petition going I'll be happy to sign!
I am a friend of the leaseholder and I called him after reading this story. He said that he is current on the rent payments and the story is erroneous and completley without merit.
Thank God the Real Estate Trolls haven't found this thread yet to offer their skewed and greedy logic.
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