Q Lounge closes

After months of speculation, Q Lounge officially closed its doors this week.

The bar, at 1234 Locust St., has been in business since July 2009, but a judge earlier this month ordered the venue shuttered after owners defaulted on rent payments to building owner Hersha Hospitality, which also owns the adjoining Independent Hotel.

In May, Hersha filed suit for backpayments of nearly $80,000. On June 3, a judge ordered the defendants to pay Hersha $73,654.50 and close the bar by June 15.

Named as defendants in the case are Q owners Stavros and Alexandros Vasiliadis, along with William Weiss, who leased the space when the venue operated as Bump.

According to court documents, the landlord, identified as Inn at Locust, notified the defendants in December that the company was in breach of its lease, for defaulting on its rent payment since September 2010 and accruing “repeated and continued noise violations and disturbances of hotel guests.”

Jim Evans, general manager of the hotel, confirmed that Q Lounge is closed, but would not comment on the reason.

According to the agreement handed down earlier this month by Municipal Court Judge Marsha Neifeld, the defendants were ordered to pay $8,000 by June 13 and return the keys to the premises to the landlord by June 15.

Q Lounge manager John Caputo said the staff was told Monday that the locale was closing immediately, and said they were told the shuttering was prompted because the building owner did not want to renew the lease because of a conflict over noise complaints.

The agreement stipulates that by June 16, the plaintiff was entitled to change the locks and the tenant must have surrendered all “rights, claims, interest and ownership” of all property in the premises, except for a dishwasher, cash register and ice maker, owned by defendants.

The liquor license, valued at approximately $65,000, will now be transferred to the plaintiff.

— Jen Colletta

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