Billy’s Antiques Closing January 1

The end is nigh. Once the ball drops, the bell tolls for Billy Leroy, and the Bowery is never the same.

We are told that the last day of business for his eponymous Billy’s Antiques shop is tentatively January 1, 2012. After that, the tent comes down and brick goes up.  As the Times first reported a couple weeks ago, landlord Tony Goldman (who controls the graffiti wall) is planning a new two-story building for the 76 East Houston lot.  We hear that the structure will somewhat resemble the architectural styles across the street, but that has not been confirmed. What we do know is that Billy’s will probably end up in the new facility. But a different beast altogether. Either way, one employee quips that it’ll probably be at least a year before the return.

Whatever is dropped here, though, further confirms (and contributes to) the seismic shifts here on the Lower East Side.