[Updated] Times Are Tough For Jeffrey's Meat Market

is having a rough winter. Despite a glowing Times profile in December about how the Essex Street Market butcher had gotten his groove back by reinventing himself and his third-generation shop with restaurant clients, classes and an online store, a new round of rent increases and insurance premiums are threatening his groove all over again.

Back then Ruhalter told the Times "I’m someone’s butcher. That’s what I am. My grandfather and father hated being butchers, but I love it. It’s not over till the fat lady sings, and then I’ll kick her in the teeth." Well, we hope he's got some steel toe boots. We're now being told that his shop, which he claims is the only remaining original tenant in the Essex Street Market, is facing a rent increase of 29% next month along with an $8,000 renewal fee. We've tried to confirm this with the Market, which is run by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, but have yet to hear back (see update below). For what it is worth, because of the Seward Park renewal project the future of the Market itself is currently in question (some are pushing to move it to a more modern building though current tenants would get help if the move goes down).

Anyway, Ruhalter is worried about how to afford all those cost increases without hurting his remaining customer base. “Raising my prices anymore is like telling the community I can’t feed you anymore,” he said in a statement. So in the meantime he's looking for an investor and trying to work out the details of a meat-centric cookbook, though he claims the book deal is conditional on a reality TV show... so he's shooting a demo next week.

Which is a long way of saying, a Lower East Side institution is in dire straits and can use your help. Even if you can't make it down to the shop before the Market closes at 7 p.m. you can always try the online store or just give a shout-out of support on the market's Facebook page. We're pretty positive Jeffrey will appreciate it (though he'd probably appreciate your business more).

Update: Kyle Sklerov of the NYCEDC got back to us with the following statement regarding the situation at the Market:

We’re tremendously excited that we’ve been able to open the market seven days a week, giving tenants an opportunity to raise more revenue. However, in this difficult fiscal environment, the City has to look carefully at every expense, and unfortunately we cannot afford the level of subsidy that we have given to tenants in the past.

As for the rent increase, a source points out to us that while a 29% jump is high, because of the subsidized nature of the Market the rent is actually only going up about $10 per square foot.

Meanwhile the Lo-Down is reporting that, according to their source, the $8000 renewal fee isn't actually a renewal fee: "Jeffrey is not being charged a renewal fee, but is required to put down a larger security deposit. He must pay an extra $849 to bring the total security to $8000."

Oh, and Coucilwoman Chin is outraged that this is going on. Among other things, she feels that "no responsible landlord should hand their tenants double-digit rent increases in this fiscal climate, least of all our great City.”