Updated 2/9: Jolene closes on Feb. 10.
Gabriel Stulman, founder of the West Village-based restaurant group Happy Cooking Hospitality, made the announcement last week.
Per the media alert that we received:
I'm writing to break the news that Jolene will be closing soon. We have had to write a letter like this before, and it never gets easier — but the experience has only strengthened my belief that we learn as much from our experiences that don't succeed as the ones that do.We didn't go looking for the restaurant that is Jolene, it found us. My kids went to school with the grandchild of the building owner. Over drop-off one day, a connection was made that unlocked the doors. We loved the tiny space and the block with its proud fire station...... we're leaving with our heads held high and we hope that all the good mojo will make the next keyholders of 54 Great Jones a storied success.
Stulman started here with The Jones, an all-day cafe that opened in August 2019... changing concepts to Jolene, named after the Dolly Parton song, in May 2021.
The closing had been rumored since an application landed on the Community Board 2 website (PDF here) last month for a new concept via Eric Kruvant and Darin Rubell, who operate Mister Paradise on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.
Before The Jones, No. 54 was home to the Great Jones Cafe, which never reopened after Jim Moffett, the longtime owner, died in July 2018 at age 59. The Cafe, a popular yet low-key spot, first arrived in 1983.
9 comments:
Imagine how great it would be to see a new restaurant open that was not a "new concept" by people whose names you don't need to know but just has good food and no pretentiousness?
Wish I had gone here more. Great food, great environment, and great Bloody Mary’s — the last of which seems increasingly difficult to find.
Bring back Great Jones Cafe!
RIP Great Jones Cafe and Bill. Still miss you. Great food reasonably priced and a phenomenal jukebox.
Just re-open as Great Jones Cafe, put Elvis back in the window, plug the juke box back in, step away from the building, and we'll forget all of this ever happened.
Or if not a reopening of GJC, then how about a reincarnation of the Jones Diner?
GJC, Jones Diner - the all we'd need to resurrect is Mars Bar and we'd have the Holy Trinity.
When I first moved to the East Village in 1998, I used to wander around and explore the neighborhood and on one of those very first walks I ended up going down this block and seeing Elvis in the window and learning about GJC, and then hitting the corner at Bowery, where 6 guys wearing absolutely nothing but tighty whities had stopped traffic to play football in the street. Memories…
Bring back GJC and Mars Bar please.
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