[Photo from Feb. 2]
Hummus Place closed after business on Feb. 2, as we noted here. Signs on the door at 109 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue pointed to a renovation as the cause of the closure. The space has looked awfully quiet for any kind of renovation.
An EVG reader sent us the following last evening: "Called the Hummus Place on St. Mark's and my call was forwarded to the Seventh Avenue location. Man on the phone said St. Mark's was closed for good and all calls were being forwarded to his location."
Meanwhile, the East Village location has already been scrubbed off the Hummus Place website.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Hummus Place closed for renovations on St. Mark's Place
10 comments:
Bummer. Superb hummus, presented by the surliest humans in the East Village, and that is saying something.
I will really miss this place, I thought something was fishy when the "closed for renovation" notice went up, the place was charming and well maintained. I went by here on monday in hopes they had quietly reopened but this is a real bummer.
Have never understood the charade of saying 'closed for renovations' when you know you're going under. Trying to save face is for why, exactly?
Next time someone closes up for good they should just up up a sign saying "Sorry, we're not gonna lie to you. We ran out of money. Bye!" Many of these spots try to cover up, ten skip out without paying employees and suppliers, like the mess over at Pure Food on Irving Place which is still closed.
Also now closed forever is the Jamba Juice on University Place. The company was being pressured by investors to switch to a franchise model and close all their high priced locations, ESPECIALLY THE ONES IN NEW YORK. Buh bye Jamba, i liked your smoothies but they got to be overpriced and a bit too sugary for me.
I think we are seeing the end of the big corporate chain bubble, as investors look at how all these expensive real estate deals are just not paying out. Starbucks went through this a few years back, most corporate chains usually do as they realize they over expanded and overpaid for prime locations, Can you say Chipotle?
I doubt franchisees will want to pay these high rents for long either. As we saw with 7-11 on St Marks Place and many Subway Sandwich shops, franchisees close down fast if business isn't able to keep up with the rent. Landlords will just have to go back to renting out their storefronts to local businesses now, or keep them empty like they usually do, waiting for the next sucker to arrive.
They make the best hummus fresh all day long.
Melanie
East Village Corner
Where have all the foodie's gone?
I was passing by Miss Lily's the other day. That's the joint that replaced 7A. It was completely, eerily empty, when, in its previous incarnation, it would have been jamming with a robust lunch crowd.
We may never find out what caused the closure, my guess rent increase. The food was really good and fresh here made from simple ingredients but nothing that they could charge a lot of money for unless they threw some foodie bullshit on top of it like " hummus made from chic peas grown in the garden of Gethsemane."
A lot more places than usual are really dead this winter. The foodies are all gone, the weather is bad, and the rents are escalating every year. It's gotten so tough that Nicoletta is now selling slices for takeout. Slices!? Cafe Dante on MacDougal St. is closing and they've been around since Native Americans still lived here. Siggy's Good Food in Brooklyn Heights is closing, although the one on Elizabeth St is still open for now. DF Mavens is empty every time I pass by. Jamba Juice may close all of their NY locations. EV Cheese is being forced to move. The Euro has collapsed. Qquestion is will the tourists return this summer?
Bummer, another affordable healthy lunch option gone!
Yeah, what Marjorie said -- best hummus I've ever had, well worth braving the dickishly attitudinal service for! It will be missed. Now I'll have to find an excuse to go down to Little Italy for Hoomoos Asli.
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