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Damn Manhattan, this is just cold: First the Ohio Theater announced its imminent demise, and now the funkiest venue in town, The Zipper Factory, is getting bagged and tagged. Time Out NY reports that the deceptively capacious room (located in a former Garment District zipper factory) and the attached bar will cease operations immediately. Since opening in 2001, The Zipper Factory has become well-regarded as a hotspot for burlesque, music, comedy and other eclectic performance art; we most recently caught A Murry Little Christmas there. Speaking to Variety, proprietor Lee Z. Davis attributed the closure to "a disagreement over real estate." But what's there to disagree about? The NYC real estate market has been sucking the soul out of this town for years. Goodnight, sweet Zipper Factory; we'll miss your recycled vintage bus benches. Oh, and the Cutting Room closes tonight, too!
Zipper Factory Theater Goes From XYZ to RIP
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It's the same media that NEVER mentioned Muslims' hatred of Israel as a possible motive for 9/11.
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NO!!!! How can we find out if a show for tonight is still going to happen? It may be the last performance... if anyone wants to go to the Zipper Factory tonight (may be the last show) Randall Shreve, a great musician, is supposed to be playing. *Fingers crossed*
You're too late. The last show was Tuesday. The artists booked for this week (and the future) are now scrambling for new venues.
Thanks for that info seb.
Well, unfortunately, I don't know anything about Randall Shreve, but I did just learn that Pinchbottom Burlesque (slated to be the late show on Saturday), is moving to 45 Bleeker. Saturday night, same time 10:30. I hope all the artist have that much luck.
Don't you mean YKK to RIP?
I walked by this morning... it's been seized by Marshal's and is in possession of the landlord (punctuated by obnoxious stickers stating this on the windows). John, the sweetheart coffee concession guy was cleaning out his wares this morning. So sad.
This building, "The Arts Building", http://www.artsbuilding.com/ used to be home to many artists as well. I worked in an art studio there, but I had to move out last year when the landlords tripled our rent. (Polish the floors & put in A/C; suddenly a sweat shop is hi-tech office space.)
One tenant in particular ( http://www.lofteleven.com/ ) has been known to throw money at the landlord to get other tenant's spaces. It's a showroom / event space that hosts parties for MTV, Paris Hilton, executive functions, ultra luxury weddings, etc. The tenant has consumed three full floors and the roof since moving in 5 years ago... I wouldn't be surprised if they tossed a ton of money at the landlord for the Zipper theater's space as well.
not too hi-tech, still a bit of a sweatshop space, just with the walls partitioned. just started a job in the building a few months ago and hear horror stories of the window ac chronically popping breakers.
really sad about the zipper factory since I never had the time to check out any of the shows, but they looked like my bag...
Just say "Paris Hilton" to a greedy slimeball landlord and it's over. Once you get that obnoxious crowd in, you can never get them out. Long after they find Ms Hilton's lifeless corpse next to some empty pill bottles, the landlord will still be marketing his cash cow as "The It bldg in the Garment District".
Truly a sad story. The Zipper was one of the coolest places for performance in the city. It had real style and atmosphere; never that icky non-profit corporate admin feeling so many theatres have. Interesting what seankenny says. These days the landlord probably would not evict them unless he had something already lined up. I would be interested in followup info about what actually happened.
I remember seeing Sarah Silverman's show there some years ago. What a cool little theater. Shame.
11 years ago, when I began working across the street from where the Zipper Theater made its home, we looked out our windows onto all the sweatshops that then occupied that newly named "Arts Building". It was a time where we knew all the corner car-pouncing window-washers by name and you could get a sandwich "with every on it" in the little bodega near that building for $2. Slowly, the sweatshops began to disappear and the building began to spruce up its lobby, add potted plants outside and apparently call itself the "Arts Building". Ironic, really, since they methodically chased all the artists out. The Zipper is sadly the newest casualty.
We were told that we were somewhat responsible for the Zipper Theater's origin, when a client dropped by our place and decided that the Garment District (and our block) would be a low cost area to open a new off-beat theater...and so he did! As he created the cool space, he laughed when I admired the old Persian carpet on the floor, since he admitted he found it rolled up in the building's basement. We welcomed it to the 'hood and even helped work on their first production. I thought they had a long lease but.....
We were also forced out of the neighborhood when our wonderful 100-year old building was sold for mucho bucks to a developer and razed to the ground, as were the 2 parking garages next door to it.
We are so sad about the closing of the Zipper, as we are also about the closing of the Knitting Factory and the Cutting Room.
What are landlords thinking in this economy, what with a rising vacancy rate? A hip woman's Park Avenue store even closed recently after 35 years because the landlord raised her rent 100%.
We have moved our business to another borough with a growing arts community, but can developers (and perhaps greedy landlords intent on turning raw industrial buildings into hip party spaces) be far behind?
Next stop, Peoria.
Hi y'all.
FYI, a number of shows that had been scheduled for the Zipper in the near future have found other homes. I'm keeping an updated list of those shows here:
http://www3.timeoutny.com/newyork/tonyblog/?p=8973
This would be a good time to check some of these artists out, as they could use the support.
Best,
Adam
How very sad to loose another beautiful and creative venue in this city. It was my first time there for The Lisps Futurity and I thought it was great.
Not to be morbid, but if anybody has any leads on the owners, the Mary Magdalene in the bar area was in my masters thesis and I'd love to know what is happening to it.
Here is my FaceF*ck note about the night - enjoy
Read it and the comments here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/notes.php?id=684641094
- Edrie (one of the Broken TOys) armyoftoys.com
The Zipper Factory - An epic amount of LOVE for a non-show
A rather frantic looking employee came into the green room where I was unpacking my costume and shouted into the room “the Fire Marshal says we have 5 minutes to leave, grab as much stuff as you can and get out.” It almost sounded like a joke, and in fact the three of us (Kelsey, Adam and I), took it as such at first until we saw employees heading for the door with great armfuls of stuff.
I went to find a manger and ended up bumping into the lovely sound man Kris who was attempting to fit an entire lifetime of stuff though the small stage door. It was true, he had no details, but we were to leave. Luckily I had unpacked mostly nothing and we had not started to do a real load in for sound check. I grabbed a few things from stage and yelled down the hall that it was true that we were to leave. We huddled on the sidewalk, refugee like, with Vagabond Opera waiting to be let back in.
Except we would not be let back in.
Several people had snippets of information and none of it was a whole story, so I went to talk to the Fire Marshal myself. He was actually quite a lovely man – he was excited to receive a few toys and stickers. He apologized to me for shutting the building and said – it wasn’t just us and our show but the restaurant and club and the offices he had to evacuate. The place would be allowed to open as soon as they addressed the “issues” perhaps as early as tomorrow but certainly not today. He placed his hand on my should and said “I am really sorry, I have to act on the tips I get when I get them”. I was a bit dazzled by his shiny badge and chagrin.
Bill (a producing associate for the Zipper Factory) did his best to give everyone information. He didn’t have much more to add by way of “why” but he did say they would certainly reschedule the show in whatever capacity we needed and that everyone who bought a pre-sale ticket would be refunded (according to him we had nearly sold out the night which was good for a Tuesday!). We heard more details, mostly conjecture, as to the why, but nothing I can write here.
Everyone got busy trying to txt, call and email as many people as possible to let them know the show was cancelled (and perhaps find another venue). Walter called the lovely third performer Adrienne (who unfortunately was already headed to the venue and completely missed us – sad sad sad!) to let her know what happened. A few people were able to get the word out to more people then I could contact (Thank you my lovely sister for taking a break from your own crisis to help us out and to Vagabong Opera!!!!, Adam, Kelsey, MJ, Michael, Brian, Martin, Kris, JoeBen, Luther, Katrina, Robin, Mali and the psychic next door who traded a palm reading for a CD! [the palm reading is a whole other story!])
There was an impromptu sidewalk revelry which attracted construction workers and homeless people. I handed out toys to passersby and we all hugged and kissed took pictures and video and went off into the cold. As the group of us arrived at the car, a street once FULL of parked vehicles showed my lonely tour coffin (aka the Saturn) completely alone on that side of the street. I had read every sign on the street and nothing stated I could not park there. I had no ticket but as we were loading the car back up, a tow truck and parking enforcement car arrived and honked and gestured at us to move along. If we had not left when we did, my car would have been towed to who knows where- another lucky thing to happen yesterday!
The end and the beginning of this story are not really the action that took place at the club, that was the most exciting and public part – the real story happened in the car on the way down and up. Walter, Kelsey, Adam and I fell even more in friend with each other, sharing intimate moments of conversation, many many laughs and some really good food in a REALLY odd place. I will treasure that time like no other – honest, open sharing moments (without fear) are hard to come by and we had hours and hours of them – thank you guys for being wonderful and to those who were busy or did not fit in the car (Kevin, jojo, Ami, Steph) your physical presence was sorely missed.
Edrie Edrie at 8:48am January 15
ahh the sidewalk rumors were true - the landlord called the inspection on himself, forcing a closing, allowing him to claim insurance for losses, I can only hope it reopens as a venue as it was VERY cool as such - ahh were I were a bit more flush $ wise, I would be all over that space if it were for sale/rent