Thursday, July 07, 2005
Happy Badger More on the Unhappy Side
I received this MySpace bulletin today, purportedly from an article in the Blade.
Owners of youth venue need cash infusion to avoid eviction
They owe $83,000 in unpaid rent and are facing an eviction deadline tomorrow, but Donna and Alan Cohen are still hoping to find a way to keep The Happy Badger open.
The combination clothing store, cafe, and youth concert venue in South Toledo will close by the end of July unless its owners secure about $50,000 in additional funding. The Cohens are hoping to find an investor within the next few weeks, but they are also facing the very real possibility that they will walk away from The Happy Badger with no money and no jobs.
"We're prepared to walk out of this place with nothing," Mr. Cohen said, wiping away tears. "We're done. We've taken it as far as we can."
The Happy Badger opened in December, 2000, at the Cricket West shopping center in West Toledo as a space for young people to express themselves creatively in a space free of drugs or alcohol. In January, 2004, the Cohens moved to their current 12,000-square-foot venue on Reynolds Road near Southwyck Mall.
Since then, it has become a popular teen hangout that draws about 250 people to each of several concerts a month, many of which put the spotlight on local teenage bands. The bands Sugareater from Chicago and SuperNothing were scheduled to perform there last night.
The Cohens also operate The Happy Badger as a place for local artists to sell jewelry and paintings, as well as a cafe that sells fair-trade coffee and "creative" sandwiches.
"It's a great atmosphere; really warm and personal," said Katie Vines, 20, who met her fiance at a Happy Badger concert and will hold her wedding reception there on July 23. "There's something pure there that is going to be hard to replace."
Shawnteal Perry, 15, of Toledo, said she goes twice a month to concerts at The Happy Badger and would miss the experience if it closed.
"It's really sad," she said. "It's such a warm, friendly place."
The Cohens said they are similarly devastated by the possibility of closing The Happy Badger, but they believe they may have no choice. They have been unable to pay the full rent for the last 10 months, and they have no money to pay any of their outstanding bills. Two weeks ago, they filed for bankruptcy.
Paul Stark, the Cohens' landlord, said he served the couple with an eviction notice on Saturday because he could not afford their consistent failure to pay rent. The eviction notice gives the couple until Friday to pay the $8,000 they owe for the month of July.
"I was soft on them, and I regret it," Mr. Stark said. "I had people I could have rented it to last summer if I had evicted them, but I felt bad. Nice guys finish last, I guess."
But the Cohens' bankruptcy lawyer, Gordon Barry, said the couple would likely not have to vacate the venue for at least two weeks. Because the couple is currently going through bankruptcy proceedings, Mr. Stark will have to apply for a relief of the stay order that prevents people from collecting from the Cohens while they attempt to get their financial affairs in order, he said.
Mr. Cohen said The Happy Badger was a workable business model, but that the lack of initial capital made it difficult to create a self-sustaning company. He and his wife poured $250,000 into renovating the space when they rented it a year and a half ago with the full knowledge that they would need significant financial help to be able to afford the venture.
"We knew from the start we didn't have nearly enough money," Mrs. Cohen said. "We decided to create it and show people and hope they'd see the importance and contribute."
For months now, the Cohens have relied on a series of spontaneous donations to keep The Happy Badger afloat each time they have been near the brink of closure. Among their previous rescuers: a former employee's fiancee wrote a $9,000 check, while the mother of a teenager who frequently attends concerts there paid $4,000 to restore the electricity after the power company cut off thier service.
But unless they can secure a much larger donation -- they need about $50,000 to pay off their debt and be able to turn to a profit, they said -- the Cohens said they will have to close The Happy Badger.
"I don't want this to be a charity," Mrs. Cohen said. "I can't keep begging anymore."
The couple said they are not overly worried about what they will do if The Happy Badger closes for good, leaving them jobless and with no savings. They will simply seek other jobs and hope for the best.
"I've been through every fear there is, but I know we'll manage," Mr. Cohen said.
(The Toledo Blade)
I've been to the Happy Badger a total of two times. Great food. Each time I went there I wondered aloud how the owners managed to pay the heating bills alone on such a large space containing so few people. Sure I don't have an MBA or anything. But I know that venues attracting teens to shows don't make much money apart from what they take in at the door. I also know that the space being leased on Reynolds Road is way too big and poorly laid-out. So why is the owner crying and begging for an investor to bail him out? For what...so he can add another investor in a few months when the place goes under again? I'm so sick and tired of watching people try to create a unique niche only to complain that there's no market for what they're doing; that their ventures are unprofitable. Wah-wah, we built it and couldn't fill it. Instead of crying about the situation to a reporter, why not take what you have and move to a better location? There are spaces available for under $10,000 a month.
Owners of youth venue need cash infusion to avoid eviction
They owe $83,000 in unpaid rent and are facing an eviction deadline tomorrow, but Donna and Alan Cohen are still hoping to find a way to keep The Happy Badger open.
The combination clothing store, cafe, and youth concert venue in South Toledo will close by the end of July unless its owners secure about $50,000 in additional funding. The Cohens are hoping to find an investor within the next few weeks, but they are also facing the very real possibility that they will walk away from The Happy Badger with no money and no jobs.
"We're prepared to walk out of this place with nothing," Mr. Cohen said, wiping away tears. "We're done. We've taken it as far as we can."
The Happy Badger opened in December, 2000, at the Cricket West shopping center in West Toledo as a space for young people to express themselves creatively in a space free of drugs or alcohol. In January, 2004, the Cohens moved to their current 12,000-square-foot venue on Reynolds Road near Southwyck Mall.
Since then, it has become a popular teen hangout that draws about 250 people to each of several concerts a month, many of which put the spotlight on local teenage bands. The bands Sugareater from Chicago and SuperNothing were scheduled to perform there last night.
The Cohens also operate The Happy Badger as a place for local artists to sell jewelry and paintings, as well as a cafe that sells fair-trade coffee and "creative" sandwiches.
"It's a great atmosphere; really warm and personal," said Katie Vines, 20, who met her fiance at a Happy Badger concert and will hold her wedding reception there on July 23. "There's something pure there that is going to be hard to replace."
Shawnteal Perry, 15, of Toledo, said she goes twice a month to concerts at The Happy Badger and would miss the experience if it closed.
"It's really sad," she said. "It's such a warm, friendly place."
The Cohens said they are similarly devastated by the possibility of closing The Happy Badger, but they believe they may have no choice. They have been unable to pay the full rent for the last 10 months, and they have no money to pay any of their outstanding bills. Two weeks ago, they filed for bankruptcy.
Paul Stark, the Cohens' landlord, said he served the couple with an eviction notice on Saturday because he could not afford their consistent failure to pay rent. The eviction notice gives the couple until Friday to pay the $8,000 they owe for the month of July.
"I was soft on them, and I regret it," Mr. Stark said. "I had people I could have rented it to last summer if I had evicted them, but I felt bad. Nice guys finish last, I guess."
But the Cohens' bankruptcy lawyer, Gordon Barry, said the couple would likely not have to vacate the venue for at least two weeks. Because the couple is currently going through bankruptcy proceedings, Mr. Stark will have to apply for a relief of the stay order that prevents people from collecting from the Cohens while they attempt to get their financial affairs in order, he said.
Mr. Cohen said The Happy Badger was a workable business model, but that the lack of initial capital made it difficult to create a self-sustaning company. He and his wife poured $250,000 into renovating the space when they rented it a year and a half ago with the full knowledge that they would need significant financial help to be able to afford the venture.
"We knew from the start we didn't have nearly enough money," Mrs. Cohen said. "We decided to create it and show people and hope they'd see the importance and contribute."
For months now, the Cohens have relied on a series of spontaneous donations to keep The Happy Badger afloat each time they have been near the brink of closure. Among their previous rescuers: a former employee's fiancee wrote a $9,000 check, while the mother of a teenager who frequently attends concerts there paid $4,000 to restore the electricity after the power company cut off thier service.
But unless they can secure a much larger donation -- they need about $50,000 to pay off their debt and be able to turn to a profit, they said -- the Cohens said they will have to close The Happy Badger.
"I don't want this to be a charity," Mrs. Cohen said. "I can't keep begging anymore."
The couple said they are not overly worried about what they will do if The Happy Badger closes for good, leaving them jobless and with no savings. They will simply seek other jobs and hope for the best.
"I've been through every fear there is, but I know we'll manage," Mr. Cohen said.
(The Toledo Blade)
I've been to the Happy Badger a total of two times. Great food. Each time I went there I wondered aloud how the owners managed to pay the heating bills alone on such a large space containing so few people. Sure I don't have an MBA or anything. But I know that venues attracting teens to shows don't make much money apart from what they take in at the door. I also know that the space being leased on Reynolds Road is way too big and poorly laid-out. So why is the owner crying and begging for an investor to bail him out? For what...so he can add another investor in a few months when the place goes under again? I'm so sick and tired of watching people try to create a unique niche only to complain that there's no market for what they're doing; that their ventures are unprofitable. Wah-wah, we built it and couldn't fill it. Instead of crying about the situation to a reporter, why not take what you have and move to a better location? There are spaces available for under $10,000 a month.
