Photo from Oct. 27 by Lori E. Seid
Updated: Owners Wesely and Mimi reached out to tell us that they have NOT closed for good, despite the published report. They said they are "currently in a rebuilding phase and will not be closing permanently."
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Pinky's Space, the cafe-art gallery at 70 E. First St. has closed two weeks after the city removed its curbside dining structure. And now, the owners are planning to sue the city for property damage and loss of business, Jennifer Gould at the Post reports.
On Oct. 27, the city leveled the 50-foot-long outdoor structure, which had morphed into an assemblage of paintings, furniture and plants — topped off by a chandelier and disco ball here between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Co-owner Mimi Blitz estimated she spent $50,000 on the structure.
Per the Post:
"We are still devastated — we haven’t been able to fully reopen and we have to restructure our business model because 90% of our business was from roadway dining," said Blitz..."We had a living, breathing business here," Blitz added. "We made sure it looked good and was up to code."
A DOT spokesperson told the Post that Pinky's Space had received three non-compliance warnings since August.
"We had no indication they were taking the structure down, taking my whole livelihood down," Blitz said. "Some of the DOT workers were laughing at us. They took the lights, every piece of wood, and the astroturf."
Pinky's Space first opened in 2018 as a quick-serve cafe offering a variety of sandwiches served on biscuits.