Last week, the Cornerstone Cafe on the NE corner of Avenue B and Second Street announced its closure after 10-plus years in business.
In an Instagram post, the Cornerstone cited the ongoing pandemic and the city's related mandates and restrictions for the closure.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy later ran into owner Rocco Opramolla. Aside from the reasons stated above, he said that the landlord raised his rent this year. He was previously paying $4,000 a month, which allowed him to offer specials such as the $4 breakfast.
Rocco said that he just couldn't pay the new rent, which he didn't disclose, with all the NYC COVID-19 restrictions.
Before owning his own restaurant, Rocco spent nearly 25 years working as a meat cutter, a profession he may revisit. He's nearing 60 and not too far from retirement age, and he plans to visit his kids in San Diego and then take "a little vacation" and relax after 10-plus years of running the restaurant.
He'll decide what to do when he gets back early next year. Rocco says he might open a new place if things are different going forward, but he couldn't do it during COVID time.
He is very thankful for the neighborhood support. Stacie asked if there was anything that could be done to assist him, and he said no; his mind was made up. He seems at peace with his decision.
sorry to see you close
ReplyDelete$4000 is incredibly low. If he signed a 10-12 year lease during the financial crisis, and the 10 year lease was up - it's not out of the question that the rent was tripled for that location, right?
ReplyDeleteSad to see him go. A rent increase makes so little sense with the looking new space open next door, the vacancy where Wafel and Dinges was, and the other for rent spots south of 2nd on B
ReplyDeleteIt’s not out of the question but with such an empty neighborhood why wouldn’t the landlord want $4000/mo instead of $15000? It’s not like there’s competition in the area anymore just greedy REBNY.
ReplyDeleteThey simply don’t care because they don’t tend to live in the same neighborhoods they blight with vacant spaces. No rental income coming in, no taxation on it.
Deletehttps://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2020/02/14/mayor-gets-pushback-on-proposed-vacancy-tax
and yet we still have poco, something that hurts neighbors and does nothing else. WHY.
ReplyDeleteSBJSA! SBJSA! SBJSA!
ReplyDeleteSigh.
We are losing way too many stores due to Covid. I still miss Goodstuff Diner on W. 14th St. and today at least half a dozen Starbucks stores downtown (plus every Apple Store) are closed due to Covid, including both of the Starbucks in Peter Cooper/ StuyTown. But noisy, overcrowded places like Poco are here to stay. As Billy Joel would say, only the good die young.
ReplyDelete@Giovanni - Billy Joel is 72.
ReplyDeleteBilly Joel is not good.
DeleteI used to go here all the time before I moved out of the neighborhood. I'd always get a regular meal and then stuff myself by also ordering the $4 special. Loved this place.
ReplyDelete@neighbor it's because there's no incentive for landlords to rent for lower. they're all hoping for chases or walgreens and write off losses to lower their tax burdens, so they come out ahead either way. there should be a tax on landlords who leave spaces vacant for years, like the former citibank location was on ave a and 4th before the milkmoney place opened up.
ReplyDelete"empty neighborhood" is off the mark. Every weekend there's a line down the block for Clinton Street Baking Company, which is a really good comparable. Veselka is even expanding. There is business to be had in EV, but for whatever reason, Cornerstone doesn't draw crowds (despite being pretty great).
ReplyDeleteIt really isn’t, no. You sound like you don’t live here, just visit occasionally. Otherwise you’d know that it always seems to be good business for landlords to keep EV storefronts vacant. Otherwise spots like the former Benny’s wouldn’t be vacant for 7 years.
Delete