Gilbey’s (QueensPost)
Jan. 15, 2018 By Tara Law (Updated Jan. 16)
A longtime Astoria Irish pub with roots dating back to the 1920s will close at the end of February in response to a rent increase.
Gilbey’s, a quintessential Irish bar located at 32-01 Broadway, will shut down at the end of February or in early March, said Joe Roberts, the bar manager.
Roberts, who has been managing the bar for 11 years, said that the lease was up for renewal and the landlord wanted to “double” the rent. He said the owner was unable to afford to the hike.
Gilbey’s has operated on that Broadway/32nd Street corner for 30 years, and prior to that the space was occupied by a different Irish bar called The Clover. That bar opened in the 1920s, Roberts said.
The 32-01 Broadway property was purchased in June 2016 for $3,550,000 by Crescent Management Associates LLC. Eugene Lavin, from New Jersey, sold it after owning it for well over 40 years.
Crescent Management’s co-owner Steven Evans, located at 325 East 52nd Street, signed the deed. He could not be reached for comment.
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66 Comments
too bad this bar is closing. can only imagine what is up next
All I see in whining from 90% of people. Old whiners.
“Nothing Gold Can Stay”
Robert Frost
Waaaaa, gentrification. Waaaa, landlords. Waaaaa, white people. Waaaaa, I’m old and say the same things old people have said for centuries, “The Neighborhood just isn’t the same anymore.”
Waaaaaaaa.
Shut.Up.
I love Gilbys, but life goes on. Don’t ever get so attached to something that you can’t abandon it in 5 seconds if you see the heat coming around the corner.
Words of wisdom from a millenial genius no doubt. You’re the whiners, the losers, the fools that have zero attachment to anything real, well maybe your cell phones. Watch how you will feel when you actually grow up and realize what truly matters in life.
damn well said
Lol this idiot also has delusions … when u see the heat coming around the corner ? Really bro?
You’re whining about whiners.
Love the name De Blowsio.
thanks hitler
Gilbeys is a great bar with an amazing staff. Thank you for everything guys. You will be missed.
Neighborhoods change whether you like it or not. You can either deal with it or move elsewhere. I think a hookah lounge or a gay bar would do very good in this location.
Yeah, we need more Hookah lounges.
I’m sure a hookah lounge can afford the rent, maybe with some criminal activity on the dl. It’ll wind up a bank, or some other big corporate business.
As opposed to some shady social club?
I like how people have no idea what the rent was, what it was then raised to, what are the landlord’s expenses and how they increased but have somehow determined the landlord is greedy.
Maybe the landlord said, “Hmm, I have to pay these bills, I don’t want to work that much anymore so I either get this rent or I sell the land”.
Did you read the article ? It was sold, meaning the new owners are the reason for the drastic rent increase, yes details would paint a clearer picture but that would most certainly point to greed to get the top bottom line possible cause that’s what matters to them it is what it is thats business but it’s not something ppl should celebrate or be happy about.
They bought the building. It was an investment. Why didn’t the bar buy the building? It would not certainly point to greed.
Maybe the last landlord was only charging them $1000 a month for 10 years.
Where do you draw the line from wanting to make money to it being greed?
First off amazing how anyone can say such a dum comment that it’s the white people’s fault the rents are high but not even realizing that comment just put down every other race for not being able to afford the rents .also get this i had a Verizon store in the bay terrace shipping center & maybe had just around 1,500 sq ft & when my lease ended around 2006 my rent went from $2,800 to just over $11k a month but get this I’m white & moved out so I speaking for myself couldent pay that kinda rent. Oh 1 last thing I pretty much grew up in Astoria projects!!!!!
Astoria is segregated but not as segregated as it was in the past. Nowadays, i think northern Astoria is more diverse that the southern Astoria. But others do have a point that the majority of homeowners are white in Astoria.
I don’t understand how these places that double the rent on a tenant (which basically seems to be another way of forcing them to leave) make money once they do. I’ve seen this with a few places now and 1 to 2 years later the property is still not rented. Take Doral Donuts right across the street from Gilbeys as an example. It will be two years in a few months they have closed since the landlord raised the rent some large amount and they closed. There has been a place there that has been coming for over a year. That’s going on 24 rents they have lost since Doral Donuts closed. That’s gotta being going on a half million dollars lost. How do these places recoup that? It’s obvious people are not banging their doors down at whatever high rent they are asking. And even at this higher rent – how do they recover what they lost so far. So they lose a good tenant, lots of money and ongoing rent and goodwill of neighbors that know what happened. Where is the upside?
Upside for the landlord is: empty stores are tax deductible. Sometimes, the amount of the deduction is larger than the monthly rent is/was. So a store can stay empty, the landlord can still save money and doesn’t need a tenant (unless he gets to rent to a tenant at a high rate – much higher than the rents paid by these stores and bars that have been in the neighborhood for generations). Thank you, Michael Bloomberg, for changing the real estate codes and tax laws and destroying the heritage of this city.
You all act like you will no where to drink alcohol in Astoria. its laughable. For every old bar that closed due to a rent increase around here there are about 10-15 other places that have opened the past 5 years that serve alcohol. Even places that claim that they sell food are just a coy to get a liquor license and profit from mainly alcoholic beverages!
Its not just, astoria, or jackson heights.. all of the neighborhoods closest to the city are being invaded by white people. White people who pay 2gs or more for a shitty apartment. Ofcourse, they think queens prices are cheaper, nicer, and not that far.. so since prices here are cheaper, ofcourse theyre moving here (queens) and ofcourse rent is going up. $1800/mo Might not be expensive to people paying over 2gs , but it is for the residents who used to pay $1000/mo or less. What does that result in? Everyone moving more inland where its cheaper.. whats the root of the problem? Prices in manhattan are skyrocketting, and most of that money is just to “Appear” fancy in the lobby, but you see the actual apartments and theyre a peice of shit.
When “Gibney’s” first open they had a beautiful sister bar on Queens Blvd. around 41st Street in Sunnyside called the Orchard. After many years in business it changed names to Blooms. After a fire the site is now a CVS. Times sure are changing and quickly at that I may add.
You don’t like it then move! Move to Middle Village or Maspeth. It’s as close as you going to get to the old Astoria.
Forget Maspeth it’s like the barrio now. Or like Hong Kong
Upper Ditmars is still nice and reminds me of Old Astoria. All other areas are a mess if you’re looking for peace, safety and a welcoming atmosphere.
RIP Gilbeys. You will be missed.
Astoria is a now known all over NYC for being a commercial neighborhood and it is when you compare it to nearby towns. Therefore, you get a bunch of people who leave there quiet and clean neighborhoods and come out here to eat and drink. These business places rely on visitors via word of mouth and social media to stay open and profit. Its not fair to put all the blame on the newer younger working renters of Astoria who come here because it is cheaper than neighboring and booming residential LIC. Also, there are plenty of “old” Astorians still around who have been living here for years. Astoria was always sought after and I would not consider it a “gentrified” neighborhood.
As an “old” Astorian, years before this neighborhood was sought out by residents of other towns and cities, no one really knew about Astoria. If you told someone that you lived here they thought it was all old people, or all greek people, or too far from manhattan (all quotes by real people throughout the years). When in reality, it was a melting pot of such a diverse mix of ages, ethnicities, and cultures. Since the gentrification of this great town, it was only then that it became more popular. There remains fewer and fewer residents of Astoria that can tell you that they know their neighbors by name. You used to be able to say, “oh John from 38th street with the red chevy, I know him” and now people who moved here are far from friendly, to them it’s just about trying the newest dish from this restaurant. If you feel that Astoria was always sought out then you might be a little too young to remember when no one wanted to take the train out to Astoria to hang out or when L.I.C. had no skyscrapers. If you say it’s not gentrified then ask the many residents who lived here for 25 years or more you had to move or speak to the businesses that had to close down and make room for another high priced clone of another restaurant. I am glad that my town has seen much progress and growth but while that was happening, gentrification also crept in.
100% John. These newbies know nothing about Astoria’s. I lived there almost 40 years. I loved old Astoria. What Astoria has become is both sad and disgusting. It is 100% gentrified.
I think calling Astoria disgusting is a a stretch. It is far more educated and less racist now.
Which part of NYC would you say has stayed the same for 40 years?
Walk down Steinway Street on a Sunday morning. You will see garbage everywhere, vomit, urine streams, dog poop and more. Yeah, it’s lovely. I love taking a morning stroll that involves dodging all the crap left behind by such educated, love filled non-racist people. What a joke. And once again, far more educated? Less racist? Are you feeling alright? How long have you lived in Astoria Jim?
Gentrification by definition is “the process of renovating and improving a house or district so that it conforms to middle-class taste.” Astoria was never unsafe, a place for the very poor or a dump. It was always a solid middle class community that back then many families flocked too. Except for some business’ changing to accommodate new trends, landlords with families choosing the suburbs and selling or renting out their places and old small homes being sold to developers and newly developed to cater to single people and couples Astoria is not a community that has gone through gentrification. LIC yes but Astoria NO.
“John from 38th street with the red chevy” moved to the suburbs and rented out his place in Astoria to pay for his new car and landscapers.
Astoria is not a gentrified neighborhood? Let me guess: you don’t believe in climate change either?
After many years as the Clover, it first reopened as GIBNEY’s (with a “b”). No matter the name above the door, it was always a friendly, respectable, neighborhood place. It will be missed
Although I don’t side with these landlords completely, do some research in what the costs /expenses / maintenance is in owning REAL ESTATE !!
Have those costs doubled? Because the rent has.
No but if you were a land lord, instead of getting 1,000 now your value has doubled and you can be getting 2,000. Wouldn’t you rather be getting that 2,000? Yes, you would. Business is cruel, but that’s the way it is. Cant blame the landlord, if you were in his position you would do the same. All about perspective. If you cant afford it some one else will… that the harsh truth.
Do you know how much taxes, water bills and heating a home has increased? Have you ever tried to get an estimate of how much it costs to repair or maintain a home? Contractors show up and see dollar signs around here. Many refuse to even negotiate because developers are paying them top dollar so they do not care about the average homeowner in Astoria. Friends that live in other places are paying much less for repairs and general maintenance. Its ridiculous.
Astoria not the only neighborhood that has been changing Jackson Heights has been going through this for sometime greedy landlords have chased out nearly every store when there lease is up and now closed several stores on 37th Ave to build an apartment house there is a parking crisis for people who have lived here most their lives like myself its truly a shame what they get away with. Really sad!!
and no one asks: ” How much have the property taxes increased in the last 10, 30, 70 years?”
Mine have doubled in the past 5 years. (commercial building)
By far the biggest expense.
This is fckn sad…Astoria is not the same….now u got these hipsters moving in and pushin out the real Astoria people Dat been here for 30plus yrs…..fck the landlords Dat all they care about is more $$$$…
So Move! Try to find a cheaper place and tell us how you like it. There are still plenty of older buildings in Astoria where people are paying lower rent. Look at the Arabic population in Astoria, they are going but still manage to find places they can afford and many are families!
Correction: …Look at the Arabic population in Astoria, they are growing…(Not going).
I have pictures of my brother and I outside the clovcr taken 70 years ago. I hate to see it close thanks to greedy landlords. They should of landmarked it.
???
*clover
You should email them to the Greater Astoria Historical Society.
Thanks gentrifiers.
Are you a frequent patron down at Gilbey’s?
Not anymore. Got priced out of the neighborhood four years ago. I used to love that spot. Sad day.
What do they expect? All these new hipsters want some vegetarian and gluten free product. Organic products only in Astoria or else you will get crushed. It’s unfortunate because as a homeowner, I am happy that they are increasing home prices but as a local, I miss the old Astoria. The vibe ain’t the same. As for the bar, I live two blocks away by Broadway. This place is quiet and you can come here after work for a quick drink and relax. Mike is the bartender and he has given me some free drinks when there was a football game. Not surprised that the rent has killed them, though. It never seemed like they were making that much money.
I’m vegetarian, and a 6 yrs customer at this bar, is my go to, my one place I love and feel at home. How exactly are the vegetarians or related responsible for this unfortunate thing to happen??? What a moronic thing to say! A greedy landlord is the one responsible for this.
Everyone just likes to blame “hipsters” and young people for everything. It keeps them from having to take the time to look at the real issues.
As a vegan I would like to know where is all this vegetarian stuff you talk about? All of the restaurants and bars there is only two places Jujube Tree and Ha’s Chinese. So don’t be blaming us for greedy landlords raising the rents and making astoria not affordable so business leave.
Mike is the bartender?… Mike and his brother Shawn are the owners! They had a neighborhood local and patron of 11 years thumped up the other night and they 86’d another old timer around thanksgiving…it goes on and on. They are way too expensive and their atmosphere is sterile. So this warm and fuzzy nonsense about gilbeys is a stretch. Better off at Mcloughlins across the street, or Irish Whiskey, McCaffrey & Burke, Doyle’s Corner or Kellys for starters if you want something authentic etc etc …life goes on
yea heard about that thuggery last weekend too! know the guy Them boys dont always play straightneed to watch their step. Good thing fo them they out of there. weak pours too – good riddance
Greed is destroying Astoria. Über-gentrification is killing the reason people moved to Astoria to begin with.
Not just Astoria. Have you taken a walk down Bleecker Street lately? Or Eight Avenue in Chelsea?
Gibney’s Nooo!
Karma will eventually get that landlord for his greed…
Shame on that landlord for hurting a legit 30 year business
The landlord has a business too.. HIS PROPERTY… so why wouldn’t he want to make more profit.. business is about maximizing profits my brotha, its not greed, its business..
Pete is talking about the new landlord not the old one who was making money for years off the rent being payed even if an increase is called for based on these ppl making an investment and wanting to see a ROI ASAP let’s not forget business and greed go hand in hand like cereal and milk… Im sorry if I don’t feel to sorry for a llc that has the bread to make a 3 n a half mil investment in a neighborhood where real estate is currently at a premium trust me when I say, they aint hurtin !
It is time to retaliate against those double-up rent hikes. Astoria used to be an affordable neighborhoodwith hard working citizens of all backgrounds. Now it is supposed to be a hip go-to place where many of the rentals are extremely high and shared by three and four people. This is not the City, but people have turned it into what it is without thinking of the lifelong businesses and families that have lived in Astoria. Sad!
What is your plan then? Tell landlords to try to earn as little money as they need so a business can stay?
Do you go into the bar and “you are charging $5 for this drink, I think you are greedy and it should be $2”.
If you want rents to go down and the population is always increasing, you need to put more places to rent on the market.