And so it goes that another gritty remnant of pre-millennial NYC shall turn to dust chain store dreck like so many dive bars before it. The oasis of debauchery known as Hogs & Heifers Saloon in the Meatpacking District will be closing at the end of August after 23 years on Washington Street, reports the Daily News. The bar is the latest victim of Thor [Equities]'s hammer, which bought the building housing the bar in 2013 then jacked up the rent from $14,000 per month to $60,000 per month.
Owner Michelle Dell has some choice words regarding the situation, implying that the developer doesn't "give a s--t" about independent businesses trying to stay alive in NYC. "They make a big display of how honored they are to purchase all this property in a historic neighborhood, but then they decimate everything that made it historic," Dell raged. "What are you going to put in, another Le Pain Quotidien?" Well since Florent and Pastis are gone, that would no doubt do well there.
Employees are apparently "carefully cataloging" the 18,000 bras (including Julia Roberts's!) that dangle from the ceiling in case they find a place to reopen the bar. We've reached out to Dell to see what will happen if they don't and we'll update when we hear back. The Las Vegas outpost of H&H will allegedly stay open for future bra throwing, bar dancing, shot-pounding benders.
