Sometime around 2004, The Dove Parlour opened at 228 Thompson Street. Instagram wasn't around yet, but it became the most photographed bar—just look at Flickr. That wallpaper! Those floors!
It had an air of fanciness to it, which made it a birthday party venue of choice, and provided a nice alternative to the average night out at The Magician, drinking wine that kind of burned (but hey, 5 bucks). The Dove was a goddamn Parlour, and that red velvet wallpaper and smooth $11/glass wine made you feel like something special was going to happen that night. Or like you were an Adult. Or like you were really making some of the right decisions in life. Or like you were being romanced, even if you were drinking alone that night.
And now it's dead.
The owners, Henrietta and Jen, sent out an email this morning:
"After 11 wonderful years at 228 Thompson Street, it is with heavy hearts that we announce the upcoming closing of The Dove Parlour.
The reason for our departure is the unfortunately familiar story of a big corporation raising the rent to an unaffordable amount for a small business.
It is not common for a bar in Manhattan to last 11 years, so we are proud of our achievements, but mostly, what we cherish is knowing that The Dove brought so many people together.We would like all of you to know what an honor it has been to host each and every one of you—whether you were celebrating an engagement, a wedding, a baby shower, a new year, a book release, or a birthday, braving a first date, or simply enjoying conversation with a friend.
We are also so thankful for the kind words from guests and the press, who have, time and again, dubbed The Dove as New York’s most romantic bar and given accolades to our creative cocktails, and unpretentious, yet lovely setting.
Even if the end of The Dove's era is near, we know that there are still many good memories to be made and we look forward to reuniting with all of The Dove's old friends.
We hope to see you at The Dove soon. It has been our pleasure to serve you."
They also noted that "while we are heartbroken to leave, we are also very excited to make the most of the rest of our time," and will be introducing a new food menu, and a happy hour everyday (4 to 8 p.m., and again at midnight on Sunday through Thursday). There's no official closing date yet, which means there's still time for Russell Brand to step in and save it...
We asked the building's management company for comment about the rent hike and we'll update when we know more.
