By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
EAST VILLAGE — Care for a latte with your loan?
A combination of Starbucks and Chase Bank will open next month in the East Village — if you believe a prankster's sign posted on the side of a vacant storefront at 160 Second Ave.
The bogus notice, adorned with official logos for the bank and java joint, heralds the July 7 grand opening of a "dog-friendly branch" at the corner of East 10th Street, EV Grieve reported.
But spokespeople for both Chase and Starbucks dismissed the note, confirming that neither company is opening at the location.
The hoax may seem obvious to some, given the location of a Chase bank branch directly across from the storefront, and a Starbucks a block away.
But the trick still caught other East Villagers off guard.
"I'm flabbergasted — there's one across the street!" said David Cohen, 84, who's lived next to the address for more than four decades. "F—k, man. Amazing."
Uopn closer inspection he acknowledged the sign was likely a joke, but Cohen still smarted at the idea of the mega-chain mash-up.
"That's madness," he said. "But hey, that's America."
The address in question was most recently home to the Mediterranean restaurant Café Centosette, which closed in April.
