Businesses Come and Go Over Summer

The summer saw significant flux in local businesses along Broadway and Amsterdam, with two major arrivals and two departures. Kim’s Mediapolis and Radio Perfecto closed amid controversy, and a new bar finally replaced Mona’s , which closed in 2007.

Adding to the neighborhood’s budding palate for Latin American cuisine, Empanada Joe’s, the first fast-food restaurant in an ambitious chain, opened Aug. 14 on Broadway between 111th and 112th Streets. The eatery centers on a particular Hispanic concoction—literally translated as “coated in bread”—which, in practical terms, is a soft pastry stuffed with some type of food, from meat to cheese to broccoli. At Joe’s, which works with a self-serve system, diners can choose from chicken, eggs, sausage, beef, vegetables, and other options.

Assistant Manager Jerome Maxwell said that by opening the first Empanada Joe’s near a major university, the chain hopes to mold its reputation as accessible to youth.

“It’s more like a college surfer California-type feeling,” he said. “We want to attract the young, trendy students that come into the area.” Maxwell added that the large number of families on the Upper West Side also factored into the decision to open here.

While empanadas are available at Havana Central—located on Broadway near 114th Street—and in other restaurants in northern Manhattan where the Latin heart beats strongly, few fast-food establishments exist, and even fewer cook their empanadas in a healthy way, Maxwell said. Empanada Joe’s advertises its meat as organic and free of steroids, its Goya juices as pure, and its bread as freshly baked.

Another branch will open in midtown in less than a month, and a third in Chelsea in October. Eventually, owner Joe Telsone would like to operate about 30 restaurants and dot the East Coast with his empanada shops.

Later this semester, Village Pourhouse will open on Amsterdam and 109th Street, replacing former student haunt Mona’s, which was closed in part due to lenient carding policies. The bar will be the second Pourhouse in the city, with another located in the East Village.

In departures, Kim’s Mediapolis will close on Sept. 15. Frequented by neighborhood music and movie buffs for nine years, the video rental store could not survive under rising rents and decreased business during the summer, Morningside branch manager Kenny Mativey said.

Additionally, according to a former employee who requested anonymity, Kim’s paid its employees “under the table,” in cash, to avoid taxes.

According to former employee Greer Feick, Kim’s had an intriguing behind-the-counter life. In its customer database, employees recorded comments about each customer.

“Comments range from ‘don’t give this woman a discount! She never pays her late fees’ to ‘he has a charming smile, and tells really great jokes,’” she said. “The comments section is surprisingly extensive, and there’s something written for most of our customers.”

Another local staple, Radio Perfecto, located on Amsterdam between 118th and 119th Streets, closed quietly over the summer. A sign appeared in the window shortly before July 4, informing customers that the restaurant would be closed for vacation until July 15, but it never reopened.

Radio Perfecto was the site of a fatal shooting last December, and had been the site of violence on more than one occasion before that. Columbia owns the building in which it was located, and in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, some residents of nearby apartment buildings had called on the University to shut the business down.

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