Vie Shutters Cafe at 96 Orchard Street
Business owners can’t seem to catch a break in the below-grade storefront at 96 Orchard Street. After Cougar Italian Fashion downsized into the northernmost space, the upscale denim boutique Amoskeag XX gave it a go. That didn’t last too long, having shuttered after a year and change. Over the subsequent months, retail was then converted to accommodate food service, and Vie De France assumed control here last April. Now their tenure has reached its conclusion.
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Sources say that Vie De France, recently shortened to just Vie, shuttered early last week after barely six months of operations. The ill tidings really aren’t too shocking, though. Chef Armani tried everything to coax people through those doors – clipart photos in the windows, hanging nameplate, marquee signs – but nothing seemed to work. Whenever we passed, rarely would there be more than a single customer inside.
With such a short run at 96 Orchard, Vie no doubt earned its place on the ever-growing list of “quickie closures” on the Lower East Side. What did you think of this cafe establishment?