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November 1, 2007
Plot Against Rififi Confirmed, Venue Soldiers On With Liquor License In Tow
We knew that the Rififi rumors were a delicate matter. It turns out we had our investigative magnifying glass focused on the right details with our smear campaign theory. Karin Stanley, one of the managers of the venue, wrote in with a compelling statement to address the licensing situation and put the rumors to rest:
Hi guys,We recently saw your piece on our liquor license, the rumors of our closing and the future of the establishment in general and decided you were the place we would reveal the truth and our plans.
The license situation is an easy one. Every liquor license for all bars and clubs expire every two years. The renewal process is simple and quick and must be undertaken every two years, it's a checks and balances system. Rififi's license has been renewed and we plan on continuing to bring you the best comedy shows in the Village.
Unfortunately you are correct, there is a smear campaign being perpetrated against Rififi by some of the tenants in the surrounding buildings. They are intent on ousting Rififi during this period of license renewal, soliciting surrounding tenants to make complaints, abusing the SLA complaint webpage, and invoking archaic and racist cabaret laws (please refer to this site for a history of the cabaret laws in New York City). Many of these people seem to believe it is illegal for people to eat, drink and make merry.
Rififi seeks to nurture a copacetic relationship with our community and many tenants who live in the very same buildings as our opponents attend our shows, patronize Rififi on the weekends and are keeping us up to date in the neighbors efforts to taint the police and SLA against us. There is also talk of a luxury highrise building being erected across the street and this campaign may well be an effort to cleanse the block of 'undesirable' business. Wouldn't it be nicer for everyone if Rififi became a Build-a-Bear?
Of course in this situation our future is unsure, but from our end, we plan to stay open. We believe we are a vibrant and historic part of the East Village community and that nightlife in New York should be encouraged, it is after all an engine that employs 19,000 city residents and generates 100 million dollars in tax revenue every year. We'll do our best to keep you all updated on our situation, in the meantime please contact the community board in our neighborhood (Edwin Chan at CB3- echan@cb3manhattan.org) if you wish to support Rififi as a place to see wonderful and diverse shows every night.
Yours in service,
Rififi
Posted by The Apiary at November 1, 2007 12:01 PM
Comments
It's nice to see that cleared up, but what's the deal with the promotion of endless promotion Comix events here, the grassroots effort to defend Rififi, yet the slamming of Mo Pitkin's in posts?
Posted by: Jack at November 1, 2007 3:26 PM
please contact the community board in our neighborhood (Edwin Chan at CB3- echan@cb3manhattan.org) if you wish to support Rififi
Email to that address led to this response: "FYI: You're emailing the wrong person. Thanks."
Posted by: Matt at November 1, 2007 4:17 PM
comedy shows in the back of a Build-A-Bear would be fantastic.
Posted by: dan at November 1, 2007 5:39 PM
Rififi needs to end their smear campaign against Build-A-Bear.
Posted by: Sean at November 1, 2007 7:36 PM
but what about this from sept?
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/funnybusiness/2007/09/update_rififi_deal_in_the_work.html
September 5, 2007
Update: Rififi deal in the works...Wii!
Fans of Rififi can breathe a little easier. A deal is in the works for a new tenant who'll keep booking comedy and burlesque shows in the East Village hangout.
This from listing agent Roberto Camacho, who called me this afternoon: "Right now as we speak we have an offer accepted by the owner, and we’re working in the new lease that the owner would give him." Comacho declined to reveal the new tenant, but did say that the closing date should be later this month, and that Rififi would continue to host live comedy, screenings, burlesque and dance parties. "They're going to supplement it by having virtual games, like tennis, skiing...depending on the season that it's in. Virtual games? Sounds a lot like the new Nintendo Wii nightlife craze to me.
Posted by: huh... at November 2, 2007 7:12 PM
That Daily Snooze article is an example of poor fact checking in action. No offer was accepted.
Posted by: Steven at November 2, 2007 8:12 PM
it's friday night and Rififi looks pretty closed...
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2312/1834290508_bfac5887d5_b.jpg
Posted by: jules dassin at November 2, 2007 8:27 PM