(03-25-2015, 11:14 AM)panamaniac Wrote: You may be right but THEMUSEUM is also in a difficult position. It relies on an annual grant from the City that could be at risk if councillors targeted the fact that they were charging Imbibe below-market rent. In any event, I do hope that Imbibe will relocate rather than closing down for good, although the Record article says only that its future is "unclear". If nothing else, they have shown that there is a solid market for that type of operation Downtown.
Reading the Record article, it's a little hard to understand why THEMUSEUM is ending negotiations because they're seeking "market rates", when they state how the space is already not ideal for a restaurant-like use, especially when the article goes on to say how the space might be used for a restaurant or a bar (but not a shoe shop!) Now THEMUSEUM has a storefront space without a tenant, and there are a number of those up and down King St. that they have to compete with.
I feel like there are other unstated reasons for this. THEMUSEUM is talking like it is in a position of strength, and that there was no value to retaining their current tenant. I'm not sure why they view the situation like this, given the awkwardness of the space they have. It's like they don't remember how forgettable Cafe M was, or appreciate the ingenuity required to make Imbibe so much more successful than Cafe M was.
...Unless they decided it was in their best interest to get Imbibe out.