CHAMBER BROKERS AGREEMENT TO SAVE NEIR’S
Grech invited Councilman Robert Holden, Assemblyman Mike Miller, SBS representatives, Gordon, and the property owners to meet at the chamber’s office in East Elmhurst and hammer out an agreement. “We locked the doors for two-and-a-half hours,” he said. “Nobody was going to leave until we had a deal.”
Grech said the meeting was challenging because the owners wanted full value, and Gordon wanted to have the lowest rent possible. But after both the city and the chamber offered to help both parties, they agreed to a five-year lease.
“We’re very excited about a lease that’s long enough to give both the owner of the building and the bar owner some breathing room to figure out next steps,” Grech said.
Holden said one obstacle was that the Shi’s did not have a certificate of occupancy for the building. Because the property was built nearly two centuries ago, the site predated and did not meet zoning regulations. They were also missing other necessary paperwork. As a result of lacking a certificate of occupancy, the owners could not obtain a mortgage. They borrowed money from relatives, but ended up with a lot of debt.
Holden said his office would help the property owners work with the Department of City Planning on the paperwork. “I told him, ‘we’ll be your advocates, whatever you need, we’ll try to help you,’” the councilman said. “They liked that, and that seemed to break the ice.”
SBS also agreed to provide a “Love Your Local” grant to Neir’s Tavern, which includes 20 hours of expert advice with a business consultant and up to $90,000 for renovations.
Friday night’s celebration with the mayor
By Friday night, word had reached longtime customers that Neir’s Tavern was saved. Hundreds of people came out to celebrate, including the mayor and other local elected officials. Behind the bar, de Blasio raised a glass of beer and praised Gordon as a “good man” for stepping up and running the historic bar for the past decade.
Grech encouraged patrons to come to Neir’s more often now that it has been saved from closure. “Come for a beer, come for a burger,” he said. “Come to your local establishments and keep them viable.” After the mayor’s departure, Gordon had time to reflect on the whirlwind day.
He encouraged struggling small business owners to “hold on” and seek help from the community. As for customers, Gordon’s message was simple: thank your local business owner. “They need emotional support because they’re struggling financially sometimes,” he said. “Those words really help us to keep trying.”
The Neir’s Tavern owner said he didn’t even know about the mayor’s radio segment until someone gave him the number to call.
“It was almost like a miracle, like something opened up,” he said. “Out of so many people calling that show, they picked up my call just 48 hours before we closed down forever. “It took 13 months to get a miracle when I wanted to quit a long time ago,” Gordon added. “This is as close to a miracle as a miracle could be.”
His goal is still to reach the bar’s 200th anniversary in October 2029. Gordon said he’s heard people talk about throwing a parade and other extravagant ideas.
“I just want to make sure we’re still here,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”
