Idle Hands/Station B Folks Eyeing White Rabbit Space on Houston
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White Rabbit had been trying everything in the book to stay relevant amidst the high tide of change on the Lower East Side. More art events were added to the programming, revolving gate murals, and coffee shop in the mornings. Now, judging by the July SLA agenda, White Rabbit is being hunted.
For nearly two decades, neighborhood resident and proprietor Jim Chu has operated a business here, first as Den of Thieves and then its successor Idlewild. Documents delivered to Community Board 3 reveal that the torch may again pass, this time to the hopeful crew behind Idle Hands/Station B (formerly Billy Hurricane’s) and Alewife in Long Island City. The new endeavor at 145 East Houston is apparently called Fools Gold, and is much the same. Ownership hopes to score an on-premise license to serve until 4am all nights. Food is but a tiny component, with plans for morning coffee and pastries and bites until close.
Despite checking “background noise” as sound level, an eight-speaker sound system is listed on the application. There is, however, a promise to add soundproofing to minimize noise.
We’ll see how this one shakes out…
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