The Mermaid Inn won't be returning to its original East Village home

A for-rent sign now hangs outside the retail space at 96 Second Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street... which presumably brings an end to the Mermaid Inn's time here. 

Last fall, after a 7-week reopening stint, Mermaid Inn went dark. A spokesperson for Mermaid Inn said this outpost was "closing for the winter" and would reopen in April. 

The "we are closed for the season" sign remains on the front door of the empty space...

Workers removed the remaining contents of the restaurant in January... a not-so-subtle hint that the Mermaid Inn was not returning here.

To recap... Mermaid Inn closed during the pandemic. Co-owner Daniel Abrams and partner Cindy Smith decided to shut down the seafood restaurant in the wake of failed attempts to reach a workable rent deal, Eater reported at the time. 

There were later issues with a stringent State Liquor Authority that was delaying the return.

Then there was a grand reopening last September. Seven weeks later, the Inn closed again.

The Mermaid Inn arrived in the East Village back in 2003, with several outposts to follow... most recently a massive space on 10th Avenue in December. No word if there might be plans for another EV outpost some day.