Last week, rumors ran wild that famed Mott Street arcade Chinatown Fair had lost its lease, and would be closing imminently. Manager Valentino Ventura told us that the rumors were just that, but Newyorkist sent us a tip that he "spoke to Samuel, proprietor of Chinatown Arcade," and the arcade was indeed closing tonight. And it's now been confirmed: "This location is permanently gone, unless something happens, which I don't know. As far as the landlord is concerned, we're finished with this location," CF assistant manager Ben Palmer told us this morning.
He added that they were hoping to find a new location and re-open at a later date. In a Facebook post, Ventura posited that CF "may be relocating to Williamsburg, Brooklyn if disputes with the landlord are not settled." He also added that "CF IS NOT CLOSING. sam, benny and myself genuinely love our customers (including the smelly ones) and this business." Bowery Boogie stopped by at CF last night, and witnessed the last call; they even have sad pictures of the dismantling of the Street Fighter machine. You can read more about the history of CF at Vanishing New York, including the Tic-Tac-Toe chickens.
