The fresh graffiti on the outer walls of Mars Bar reads, "Thanks for the Memories." It's a nice sentiment, considering the notorious East Village dive will shut down on June 1 after operating as the premier grungy oasis of punk music and cheap drinks since the late 1980s.
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One of the last art shows that the bar frequently houses — this one aptly named "The End Is Near" — took place on Easter weekend. Now the bar will close to make room for low-income housing units. Although there is a possibility the bar may re-open in the space after about two years, bar patrons are convinced that this is indeed the end for Mars Bar.
On a Wednesday around noon, five loyal barflies reminisced about the past and joked with the owner.
"It's time to go home and sober up," Patrick Bucklew said. "This is the most eclectic crowd you'll ever see."
Ray "Windows" Bell, a man who jokingly identified himself as the owner, said that he wanted to close the place down "because I couldn't handle all these crazy people all the time." He then talked at length about gaining a bronze star in Vietnam and owning a home in Italy, while the other customers rolled their eyes.
"Who knows if anything he says is true," said Bucklew.
Bucklew, a local artist, showed off a few of his works on his phone and pointed out the art behind the bar. The bartender, Jessica, had contributed a whimsical painting of a rabbit in a fur coat.
The regulars all had interesting stories to share. According to Bucklew, his life is the inspiration for many of novelist Jonathan Ames' characters. "Ames is my official biographer," he said.
Mars Bar's actual owner, Hank Penza, confirmed that the bar was closing from his perch in a corner.
"I'm tired of it," he said sarcastically. "If you spend too much time here, you'll switch from a journalism major to a psych major."
The closing of the bar, located on the corner of Second Avenue and First Street, marks the continuing gentrification of the area — the famous CBGB's nearby closed a few years ago. Now, the area is dominated by an Avalon apartment complex and a Whole Foods.
Andrew Berman, director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, called the closure of the bar "a reflection of the ongoing loss of long-standing small, independent businesses in our neighborhoods."
"The one piece of good news is that because of the East Village/Lower East Side rezoning which community groups including GVSHP successfully fought for in 2008, the development on this site will be less onerous than it otherwise might," he said. "But the overall trend regarding local small businesses is a disturbing one which we are working to reverse."
