Chinatown Fair Arcade Reopening at 8 Mott Street!
When neighborhood businesses go belly-up, there isn’t always a groundswell of public mourning. Just a quiet passing with a gentle note from the owners. But after the beloved Chinatown Fair abruptly shuttered its home at 8 Mott Street exactly one year ago, gamers left their love for the mecca on the shuttered gates (“I fell in love with Bob here”; “Insert one soul here”) while others gathered on the adjacent stoop to play fantasy card games and handhelds. And they continue to do so. BUT NOW A REVIVAL IS REPORTEDLY AFOOT! The proverbial phoenix is arising from the ashes.
This image has been archived or removed.
Photo Credit: Kurt Vincent
Independent filmmakers Kurt Vincent and Owen Strock, who are wrapping their documentary about the iconic institution (Arcade: The Last Night at Chinatown Fair), spotted workers delivering game cabinets back into the old Mott Street location earlier this week. The rumor on the street was that the gamer paradise was reopening. Former manager Henry Cen, who opened Next Level Arcade in Brooklyn after the closure, confirmed that some dude named Lonnie was behind the relaunch.
A group of men were moving some of the old games back inside. One of the men introduced himself as Lonnie. He told me they were hired to move in the games and empty the trash that remained inside. I spoke with Henry Cen, co-owner of Next Level and integral part of the old Chinatown Fair, and he told me a guy named Lonnie was reopening the arcade at 8 Mott Street.
Neither Cen nor longtime owner Sam have a hand in the reincarnated Chinatown Fair, slated to open as soon as next month. Interestingly enough, however, this Lonnie character once bartended at another city landmark – his uncle’s establishment, Max’s Kansas City.
This image has been archived or removed.
Last Night at Chinatown Fair, Feb. 2011
Needless to say, this great news throws a wrench in the Arcade project. But totally worth it.
[via Gothamist]
Recent Stories
Moxy on the Bowery is Still Happening, After All
Nearly three years later, the Moxy Hotel planned for 151 Bowery appears on pause. But its parent company, Marriott, is betting that this property, among others, will help shepherd in the rebound. A neighbor who lives nearby noticed that construction was halted at the beginning of the year, with little movement since. At the time, materials […]
Here’s the Glassy 12-Story Newcomer Headed to Ludlow Street
The halo of Essex Crossing continues to upscale the composition of the adjacent blocks. Towers just keep rising. And another is planned for a former produce wholesaler on Ludlow Street. While construction permits were filed one year ago for 89-91 Ludlow, only now is the proposed design available for public consumption. The glassy newcomer is […]
The Slipper Room to Reopen for Variety Shows April 23
With city and state restrictions on venues gradually relaxing, performance venues are trickling back to life. Here on the Lower East Side, the latest to resume its nighttime entertainment is the Slipper Room. The self-proclaimed “Palace of Variety” announced its return to the fray with variety shows starting April 23. It’s been a yearlong slumber […]
Asian Woman Attacked in Grand Street Bodega After Asking Man to Wear a Mask
Another anti-Asian attack to report on the Lower East Side. An Asian woman shopping in a Grand Street bodega was attacked after asking a man to wear a mask while inside, cops said yesterday. Tuesday evening, a 39-year-old shopper inside the Heng Yun Grocery at 329 Grand Street (near Orchard) asked one Carlos Mackey, 35, […]
New Renderings for Long-Stalled Delancey Street Condo
The 12-story “boutique condo” at the corner of Delancey and Pitt Streets – in the works for nine years already – dropped its marketing materials this week. It’s pitched as a “one-of-a-kind-building,” but doesn’t mention proximity to the Williamsburg Bridge span. As in, right across the street. The teaser website went live earlier this week, […]
