Kasadela will not return to East 11th Street

As we just noted, there's a new boutique in the space that previously housed Kasadela, the popular Japanese cafe on East 11th Street near Avenue C ... an intersection that was hit hard by Sandy's storm surge.

Despite a crowdsourcing fundraiser that raised some $16,000, Kasadela's owners were unable to reopen. They held a farewell party at this location in December.

The owners explained it all in a blog post back in December:

It hurts us deeply to announce our official closure from 647 E. 11th street ... As some of you already know we suffered greatly from Sandy and though we tried all that we could to re-open our current circumstance just won't allow that to happen ... The forces that led to this decision making were many, but ultimately it was the LACK of support from our Landlord and building management ...

As far as relocation is concerned we're currently fundraising to make that happen; the economic injury we've sustained prompted a dear friend to launch a donation account for Kasadela on GoFundMe and we've applied for a small business loan offered as Sandy relief. We haven't received any coverage from insurance and the costs of renovating far exceed what we've earned. The process of re-opening will take some time and great effort, so please keep us in your thoughts and we greatly appreciate all the support we have and will continue to receive.

Fundraising campaign under way for Kasadela on East 11th Street

Several readers have pointed us to the crowdsourcing fundraiser under way for Kasadela, the popular Japanese cafe on East 11th Street near Avenue C ... an intersection that was hit hard by Sandy's storm surge.

Per Go Fund Me:

As many of our fans know, we've sustained about 70% worth of damage. Damages include: sewage all over the entire basement, inventory destroyed ... broken kitchen appliances, two freezers, a refrigerator, the gas line is malfunctioning effecting the stove, fryer, broiler, and grill, the dining room's warped wood floor, soiled furniture, records and paperwork, computer, fax machine, printer/scanner, the list is endless seriously; we had a pretty big basement so we kept pretty much everything down there.

It is mind boggling to write this we have no idea what to do with ourselves. Our goal of $50,000 is to clean and sanitize the premises, adequately replace inventory, repair appliances worth salvaging replace those unworthy, renovate the floor, and return most things back to normal at least enough to get back on our feet.

[W]e will continue to put forth our best efforts to re-open but have faced several challenges and a lack of support from our Insurance co. We were reluctant to use this website, but friends & fans insisted that we accept their support now more than ever instead of relying on the system. Thank you for your continued support since 2003 ...

Here's the site with more information on the fundraising campaign.