By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
LOWER EAST SIDE — After more than two decades in the bar business, Ludlow Street institution Max Fish will shutter at the end of January because of rising costs and high rent, the owner said Wednesday.
"It's scary for me," Max Fish owner Ulli Rimkus told DNAinfo of her beloved bar at 178 Ludlow St., which was known for its artsy décor, cheap drinks and easygoing vibe. She chalked up the departure simply to "greed, greed, greed."
Rumors had swirled earlier in the week that the 21-year-old tavern, a favorite among Lower East Side locals and hipsters alike, would be forced to close after unsuccessfully attempting to secure a new space nearby, Eater reported.
Rimkus appeared before Community Board 3 back in May to pitch her plan to move to a new space at 195 Chrystie St., but in a heated debate the board's liquor license committee denied the request due to nine existing nightlife operations located on the same block.
Nonetheless, Rimkus seemed optimistic about the future, noting she was in conversations Wednesday about moving into a new address on the Lower East Side.
"We're all really upset but kind of excited that we can move on," she said. "We're just going open Max Fish elsewhere. We'd like to stay in the area."
One employee, who declined to provide a name, described the closure as "like a death in the family."
"Change is inevitable, whether you like it or not," the staffer added. "It's a heavy time for everybody, but they're trying not to show it."
The news followed Tuesday's report that reliably grungy dive Mars Bar on East 1st Street may also close as early as the summer under a plan to develop new affordable housing at the site.
Owner Hank Penza told the Local East Village blog that he supports the project, which would displace Mars Bar for two years but allow him to reopen in a space double or triple the size of his current place at the corner of Second Avenue.
Community Board 3's housing and land use committee will meet Wednesday night to discuss the development proposal.
