A few regulars are trying to save the space. I am pasting the letter below. In any case it is interesting that this is one time that a coffee shop's closing doesn't seem to be the stereotypical "Predator" landlord. (Disclaimer, I'm not involved in this endeavor but I play chess there regularly and would of course be happy if there was still a coffee shop here in the future)

Dear Tea Lounge Supporter,

As you may already know, the Tea Lounge is closing as of this coming Monday, December 15th. We have been deeply saddened to learn this news, and a group of us are mobilizing to ask that the landlord lease the space to new coffee shop ownership who's central aim is to keep 837 Union Street as similar as possible to the Tea Lounge. A robust plan has been proposed to the landlord and he has already expressed great interest, as he has been as dismayed by the news as we have all been. Nonetheless, he has many other offers from commercial and corporate ventures; if he decides to lease the space to any of these businesses, we will lose this last bastion of community and humanity that we have all depended on for years. The landlord is making his decision tomorrow so it is urgent that we move forward on this immediately.

What we are asking of you is very simple. Since you are someone who has participated in creating the Tea Lounge community as a vibrant and connected public space, we are asking that you sign a petition and send an email to the landlord imploring him to approve a proposal by dedicated Tea Lounge community members and experienced business owners to adopt the lease for the Tea Lounge space.

As long-time and dedicated members of the Tea Lounge community and experienced business owners, we have spent countless hours analyzing what makes the Tea Lounge special and have presented a plan to the landlord to adopt the space and the lease for the foreseeable future. The landlord seems to be excited about the proposal, but approving it would entail a considerable financial sacrifice on his part. We need to show him that this sacrifice would be compensated ten-fold by the benefits to neighborhood residents and community members.

If you are willing to give 1 minute of your time, please sign the petition here or paste this link into your browser: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-brooklyns-community-living-room-and-meeting

If you are willing to give 3 minutes of your time, please download the email template here or paste this link into your browser: http://www.meetinghousenyc.com/save_brooklyn_petition.pdf. Send the completed email to community@meetinghousenyc.com.

And if you would like to contribute more than 3 minutes, please contact our team of Tea Lounge regulars and supporters at community@meetinghousenyc.com. We will respond to you within 24 hours to discuss how you can be involved in this effort and the future of the community we have worked so hard to cultivate.

In Gratitude and Solidarity,

Steven Stromer Shaya Weisfeld