Gowanus Cafe A&E Supply Co Closes For 'Several Months'

GOWANUS, NY — A Fourth Avenue cafè that drew ire from residents over its guerrilla marketing tactics has shut its doors to retool the spot and bring a restaurant back, Bklyner reported.

A&E Supply Co., at 548 Fourth Ave., said it would ditch a butcher and cheese shop at the space and restructure it to keep the coffee shop but bring a restaurant back to the spot with a new menu, according to Bklyner.

The owners announced the closure with a sign on the door and didn't say when they would open back up, only that it would take several months to return.

A&E, owned by Enno Di Nino and former "Top Chef" contestant Adam Harvey, first opened at the end of May with dinner, lunch, brunch, coffee and a butcher shop with meats and cheeses. However, a transformer fire knocked the power out after two weeks and caused the spot to temporarily shut down, Patch previously reported.

The space reopened in November and hired somebody to use temporary paint to stencil their logo at about 15 spots around Gowanus and Park Slope.

"We suffered significant losses and out of pocket expenses," Di Nino previously told Patch. "Without revenue, we were looking for a way to jump start."

The graffiti was criticized by residents who felt inundated by seeing the logo while walking around the neighborhood.

"They're kind of everywhere. It makes you not want to go there," Statia Grossman, a photographer from Gowanus, previously told Patch.

"Imagine if every business tried to use the streets for free advertisements? The city would be a hot mess."

Image: Nicholas Rizzi/Patch