Blackstones taking over Village Scandal space on East Seventh Street

Blackstones, the hair salon at 19 E. Seventh St., is expanding into the neighboring space recently vacated by The Village Scandal.

After a nine-year eviction battle, the landlord took possession of the Village Scandal, the longtime vintage hat shop, at 19 E. Seventh St., on Feb. 4. The shop was cleared out on Feb. 6.

The sign in the hat shop's former window notes a May opening, and "hairdressers wanted."

Previously.

That's it for the Village Scandal on East 7th Street

After a nine-year eviction battle, the landlord took possession of the Village Scandal, the longtime vintage hat shop, at 19 E. Seventh St., on Monday afternoon.

A tipster with knowledge of the proceedings said that owner Wendy Barrett vowed to continue fighting this.

However, today, the store has been cleaned out...

There's no message on the store's website, Facebook page or outgoing phone message.

Previously.

After a 9-year eviction battle, marshal seizes the Village Scandal on East 7th Street

Village Scandal, the vintage hat shop, is in its 18th year at 19 E. Seventh St. However, for the last nine years, owner Wendy Barrett has been embroiled in an ongoing eviction battle with her landlord. It's a long, complicated story. We covered it here.

Yesterday afternoon, a tipster noted that a marshal seized the store. More details as they become available.

Facing eviction, Village Scandal holding sale to pay for legal fees

[DigitalMan@mac.com - ©2011]

Village Scandal, the vintage hat shop, is in its 16th year at 19 Seventh St. However, owner Wendy Barrett (above, right) says that she has been battling eviction ever since A.J. Clarke became the property management in 2004. After an ongoing series of legal fights, a court issued a Warrant of Eviction to the marshal on June 10.

Barrett recently shared four shopping bags of legal documents with us during a store visit. "I've become a bag lady," she says rather grimly.

It's a complicated story that involves more than $60,000 in back rent and real estate taxes that have been accruing since 2004. She claims that A.J. Clarke has been "deliberately manipulating" her to keep the store in eviction status. And she has every document related to the case. Barrett lays out the details of the ongoing legal battle in the following video filmed during the summer... (Too much to detail in a blog post, to be honest.)



An appellate court just turned down Barrett for a 60-day extension to perfect her appeal. Today, her attorney, Andrew Molbert, is refilling the request to reargue her case. Meanwhile, Barrett is trying to raise money so the issues of the case can be heard in State Supreme Court. She says that she was never able to present her side of the case in any court.

So that means the store is selling items at 50 percent off to raise money for legal fees. They'll also be a fundraiser soon at Cafe Mocha on Second Avenue. (She's also asking for people to sign a petition of support at the store to send to A.J. Clarke.)

"This is the most egregious abuse," she says of the ongoing eviction drama. "I've been tortured by this."