Rag & Bone early contenders for John Varvatos preservationists of the year

Back in March, I noted the for lease signs going up on the southeast corner of Houston and Elizabeth above the cozy Cafe Colonial, which opened here in 1994... this is what the landlord was selling the space as... (thanks Keith McNally!)



Now, the new tenant here -- Rag & Bone -- is opening shop today... as I witnessed from the sidewalk, they had a pizza/beer preview party the other evening... (Is that pizza from Pulino's?)




In any event, Racked has more on the new store, include a message from ownership not to take the change in businesses personally... Per Racked:

A company rep did emphasize to us that Rag & Bone "did not swoop in" and kick Café Colonial out with capacity to afford higher rent payments. The beloved restaurant already lost its lease before talks even began, but now at least the nabe gets a shiny new store as opposed to a sad empty storefront. Rag & Bone did make a strong effort to keep many of the iconic signature from ye old Café Colonial, including the lovingly-worn blue and white tile floor, the white kitchen wall tiles and the white painted pressed tin ceilings.

This reminds me of Jeremiah's essay last week titled Faux-dora, in which he wrote:

More and more, beloved icons of the city are getting their guts ripped out for revamping, given over to the wealthy, made exclusive, though the husks are kept intact for the cultural cachet they bring to the new owners, who pride themselves on their dedication to preservation, and receive praise for saving the old holes in the wall from turning into banks.

Well, Cafe Colonial doesn't qualify as a beloved icon, but the trend continues...

Previously on EV Grieve:
Future of 276 Elizabeth apparently doesn't include the Cafe Colonial

Cafe Colonial says goodbye

BoweryBoogie brought the sad news that Cafe Colonial on Houston at Elizabeth was closing for good last evening... I stopped by just after 6 p.m. to see what was what... Cafe Colonial owner Luciane Gilan left a message behind on the mural...



...while the inside was already cleared out...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Cafe Colonial owner says Pulino's opening helped triple her rent

Future of 276 Elizabeth apparently doesn't include the Cafe Colonial

Cafe Colonial owner says Pulino's opening helped triple her rent

In our post yesterday on the Cafe Colonial possibly closing, we wondered if the eatery on Houston and Elizabeth would be the first victim of the McNallification of the neighborhood...

Late yesterday afternoon, Daniel Maurer at Grub Street spoke to Cafe Colonial owner Luciane Gilan, who believes her rent tripled thanks in part to new neighbor Keith McNally, and she may just retire when her lease expires May 31.

The landlord now wants $20,000 a month for the 30-seat restaurant that has been there for 15 years.

Here's more from Grub Street's interview:

"I know people who know [the landlord] and they told me what's going on. He said, 'McNally is opening a place and he wants to bring people over and we might get a high-end boutique.'" So does she resent her new neighbor? "I think that he is genuinely a good restaurateur and he does good — the problem is that the landlords think, Oh, because he's a good guy he's going to bring a lot of customers around. So people get greedy and make rents go up. I don't think we, as people who live here, gain anything by having these kinds of things here. Because you know what, who's going to shop in a high-end boutique? I can't and any local people can’t."

Future of 276 Elizabeth apparently doesn't include the Cafe Colonial

For lease signs have gone up on the southeast corner of Houston and Elizabeth above the cozy Cafe Colonial, which opened here in 1994.



Based on the listing, it appears the future of this corner is destined to become high-end retail ... the rendering of the rebranded corner -- 73 East Houston Street -- shows lots of shopping bags and some thighs and calves...



The listing mentions all the new and fancy things that the New Era of the Bowery has to offer:

NEIGHBORS: Whole Foods, DBGB, John Varvatos, Vince, Tory Burch, Calypso, Blue & Cream and the New Museum

COMMENTS:
• On the same block as the new Keith McNally’s - Pulino’s Bar & Pizzeria Restaurant
• One block from Whole Foods
• Dense residential, seven day a week market
• Fantastic corner exposure

Is Cafe Colonial then the first victim in the McNallification of the neighborhood? It wasn't that long ago where Leonardo DiCaprio could be spotted here for brunch...