CBGBs Under Threat Again

[french_disko]

http://www.nme.com/news/113570.htm

[Guest DustyDeviada]

Having had the pleasure of taking in one of the wildest, most rock n' roll nights I have ever experienced there with Alan Cynic in July, I for one will be backing any campaign to ensure it stays open.

[Alan Cynic]

*sniggers*

[jimr]

As I understand it, its not so much under threat as dead in the water.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050901/ap_en_ot/music_cbgb_s_lease

[Alvin Starclusk]

[Stephen]

love that picture

[Guest DustyDeviada]

Wow, kinda glad I didn't go to the toilet there now.

[Free Korps]

I'm going on Sunday night to see J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr.

[french_disko]

I've pissed in that toilet!!!

And, of course, we couldn't pass up the chance to take a photo of me doing so. I bottled out of sitting on it though.

there's a bit of graffitti on the wall to the left of th toilet (when facing it) that says "this toilet is worse than the one in Trainspotting".

[Flash@TMB]

The problem is that their rent is $19,000 per month. That's 10,313! This is for a place that's only slightly more spaceous than The Moorings. They would have to sell approx 700 worth of alcohol a day, or in the region of 5,000 per month just to pay the rent. That doesn't take account of their staffing costs, taxes, booking fees, heat, light, power, insurances, maintenance (ho ho ho), and everything else that's associated with running an establishment of this sort.

I'd say they'd done well staying open this long. Quite frankly that's mission impossible. In order to make any money they have to be operating at close to capacity all the time.

IMO the city of New York should buy the building from the landlord and gift it to the club as an award for services to global culture. But fat chance of that.

[Guest DustyDeviada]

Kind of amazing that the rent is so high in such a skanky area. How come other local bars seem to survive?

[Craig B]

They surely could just move someplace else. You could say it wouldnt be the same, but after a couple of years it probably would be.

The rent's so high because they want CBGBs out of the place, probably.

And the city would e unlikely to buy it becasue it is almost bankrupt. Again.

[Flash@TMB]

Kind of amazing that the rent is so high in such a skanky area. How come other local bars seem to survive?

That's the problem with leasing. There is always an upwards only review clause and this is always worded in such a way to slightly outpace inflation and market conditions. Over a long period of time this enables the landlord to screw the leaseholder by gradually cranking the rent out of all proportion. The leaseholder is then forced to find a way to pay, move, or close down. Thirty two years is a very long time, and this is a very good example of that phenomenon. This landlord reallty has been milking the golden cow for all it's worth.

The other bars have probably all changed hands several times, and thus their rent has been rebased back to normality, or never even had a chance to grow beyond it in the first place. Also the landlord will be more likely to crank the rent hard if it suspects the place is busy, or it looks like it's in any danger of making money. Lot's of decent places have been forced to close for this reason; the operator working long and hard to build up a jumping trade only to be forced to hand all their hard won spoils over to a greedy landlord.

***

My suggestion was that the city buy the building and gift it to the club, not that the city buy the club.

[french_disko]

The eviction notice has been served -

http://www.nme.com/news/113646.htm

[Jim Stax]

The problem is that their rent is $19' date='000 per month. That's 10,313! This is for a place that's only slightly more spaceous than The Moorings. They would have to sell approx 700 worth of alcohol a day, or in the region of 5,000 per month just to pay the rent. That doesn't take account of their staffing costs, taxes, booking fees, heat, light, power, insurances, maintenance (ho ho ho), and everything else that's associated with running an establishment of this sort.

I'd say they'd done well staying open this long. Quite frankly that's mission impossible. In order to make any money they have to be operating at close to capacity all the time.

IMO the city of New York should buy the building from the landlord and gift it to the club as an award for services to global culture. But fat chance of that.[/quote']

All too familiar. Think I'll pop over and tell em how its done!