DOWNTOWN hipsters better sit down for this one – the days are numbered for Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction.
The multilevel East Village eatery, bar and performance space that looks like a New Orleans bordello and hosts celebrities like Deborah Harry, Janeane Garofalo, Al Franken, Paul Shaffer, Moby and Mario Batali has fallen on hard times and is up for sale, sources tell Page Six.
The Avenue A building is owned and occupied by the Hartman family – artists and entrepreneurs best known for their chain of funky Two Boots pizzerias in Manhattan and Brooklyn. But while the pizzerias are thriving, business apparently hasn’t been all that great at Mo’s.
So, 2½ years after the family did a gut renovation on the space, they’ve tapped Walker & Malloy uber-brokers Alex Picken and Rafe Evans to sell the building and its contents. The price is $5.5 million.
Picken and Evans, who confirmed the sale offering to us, say the property can be delivered vacant. A duplex penthouse apartment and a coveted liquor license are included.
“It’s got a full restaurant and bar and another bar upstairs, plus an office and living space. And it’s in an area where the State Liquor Authority has declared a moratorium on new liquor licenses, so it’s a very valuable property,” Picken told Page Six.
“The renovation on Mo’s a few years ago was in excess of $1 million,” the broker said. “It’s one of the most pristine buildings in the area and maintains the old-style look of the area on the outside. We already have a couple of people who are interested. I would think this sale could be wrapped up by the end of the year.”
The Hartmans named the club after an eccentric family relative who claimed to have tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler during the height of World War II – a story that has never been verified.
Phil Hartman, the mastermind behind Mo Pitkin’s, will continue to run his Two Boots pizza empire, as well as the Pioneer Cinema around the corner from Mo’s – which remains open while the family searches for a buyer.