A few weeks ago, we warned you of a small war brewing between a Hell's Kitchen gay bar and some area residents who complained it was too loud and porn-ey. It now appears that the wrath of the neighborhood NIMBYs has proved triumphant, and the bar was raided and temporarily shuttered by the NYPD.
The Fairytail Lounge, which opened on 48th Street near 10th Ave two years ago, was the subject of a number of Community Board complaints from neighborhood residents targeting the bar's noise levels and loiterers. Most of all, though, people argued that the gay porn movies the bar played were visible from the street, particularly when the bar's doors were open in warmer weather; as a result, CB4 petitioned the SLA to reject the bar's liquor license renewal request.
Enter, the police (no, not this kind), who raided the bar early Saturday morning and shut it down for operating without a liquor license. The bar reportedly reopened that night, and according to its social media accounts it was open on Sunday as well; DNAinfo reports that it still does not have a liquor license, however, and owner Anthony Scianna has been issued a number of criminal court summonses and SLA violations.
We reached out to the Fairytail Lounge for comment, but have yet to hear back. Meanwhile, it looks like CB4 may be successful in chasing a popular gay bar with a happy hour that extends 'til 10 p.m. out of Hells Kitchen—leaving plenty of room for a second Blockheads to move in!
