Lo-Fi Angling for White Star Space on Essex

Looks like Seward Park nightspot White Star finally found a taker for its establishment. For many moons, Tower Brokerage was peddling the 750 square-foot space, located at 21 Essex Street, for $4,500 per month in rent; plus key money to purchase the business set at $135,000.  There was also the option to expand into the contiguous storefront, previously occupied by urban street mavens Sneaktip until mid-August.

Application materials submitted to Community Board 3 prove that a new establishment is opening here at 21 Essex Street. Meet Lo-Fi (not to be confused with Hi-Fi up north on Avenue A), a bar-restaurant that plans to serve, among other items, “hot sandwiches cooked by crockpot method.” They’re on deck to secure an on-premise liquor license for the space, with planned hours of operation until 4 am every night.

The predecessor to Lo-Fi was birthed from the loins of notorious nightlife gentrifier Sasha Petraske three years ago, bringing cocktails and crowds to the sleepy confluence of Chinatown and the Lower East Side. Despite the positive response to White Star, Petraske himself departed the drink den last January to concentrate on his “other projects.” He is widely credited with kicking off Lower East Side nightlife below Delancey with Milk & Honey (134 Eldridge) back in 2000.