The somber list of classic New York closings takes another hit this week as two longtime music establishments, Southpaw in Park Slope and Bleecker Bob's Records in the West Village, along with one of the city's oldest dive bars, Holiday Cocktail Lounge all prepare to shutter their doors.
Adding salt to the wounds is what is slated to replace both music locations -- a children's daycare center and you guessed it, a Starbucks.
An unidentified new bar will be moving into Holiday's St. Mark's Place location.
Southpaw co-owner Mikey Palms attributed the venue's closing to Park Slope's declining hip reputation, "I'm kind of over Park Slope-it's not a destination for nightlife anymore. It's time to go."
Javier Medina, a customer of Bleecker Bob's since the 1970's told The New York Times, "This place should be a landmark. Everybody in the world knows it." Another disappointed West Village resident scorned the news and said, "All that will be left down here are A.T.M.'s and bars, if anything."
Both neighborhoods have been criticized for their increasing levels of gentrification, as more businesses tailoring to higher income residents have rapidly sprouted along the neighborhood's main streets. Park Slope specifically is known for its influx of young families and armies of strollers.
Founder of Park Slope Parents Susan Fox defended the family-friendly reputation and said "But, you know, just because we're 'babyified' doesn't mean we don't want good music."
Also announced this week was the closing of the classic East Village dive bar, Holiday Cocktail Lounge. The bar will serve its last drink on Saturday with locks to be changed immediately following.
The neighborhood haunt was known to be a favorite of Allen Ginsberg, Leon Trotsky, and W. H. Auden.
The video below plays tribute to owner Stefan Lutak who passed away in 2009: