Philly.com gave Point Breeze residents quite a scare when they announced in their headline that Breezy Cafe located at 1200 Point Breeze was closing. Kristin from Breezy’s Cafe was quick to ensure fans that Breezy’s Cafe is looking for a new location to move to and will not be closing permanently.
The building where Breezy’s Cafe now resides was listed on craigslist by OFC Reality, which caused a disturbance in the neighborhood. Ori Feibush of OFC Reality was singled out by some locals as a source of the confusion. Feibush addressed the criticisms thrown his way, but the details behind the situation remains unclear.
Kristin’s Facebook message:
Hi friends,
I wanted to reach out and say thank you to everyone who has expressed concern about Breezy’s Cafe “closing”…and to let you know that it’s totally not true! Not sure why philly.com went with such an ominous headline, but we’re not closing! Take a deep breath, go to your happy place, and rest easy tonight on a bed of organic, sustainable greens wink emoticon.
We heard your feedback about the heating and cooling and, as many of you know, we’ve also had some (many) issues with water leaking. Attempts have been made to fix the problems, but so far without success. Since I’ve just been made aware that I will not be getting a new lease, you will not have to worry about those issues we’ve been having any longer!
Let’s worry about a better location to serve the community! We don’t just serve Point Breeze, we’re part of it, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.
Love you guys!
– Kristin
P.S. Point Breeze location suggestions welcome! Send me a message! #pointbreezepride
Ori Feibush’s Facebook response:
Many of you asked me over the last few days why “I am pushing Breezy’s out” of their current location. I am not.
You asked me why I couldn’t try and make things work. I have.
You asked me why I haven’t given them a second chance. They had a dozen second chances.
You asked me why I had to let them find out through social media that their space was for rent. I did not. I told them 4 months ago.
You asked me why I couldn’t give them the first opportunity to lease their space again. I did.
You believed these tall tails because every story must have a hero and a villain and OCF must be that villain.
The truth is that Breezy’s had an opportunity that no small business owner ever gets. It’s an opportunity others could only dream of. Rather than take that opportunity and run with it, they took a crap all over it.
I spent $150,000 of my own money to help Breezy’s open up at 1200 Point Breeze. That amount does not include the year of free rent which I gave them to get on their feet, the fronting of their security deposit so they could open the doors without spending a dollar, or the thousands I spent with a smile on my face for taxes and insurance to make their lives as easy as possible.
You may also think that I own the building where Breezy’s is. I do not. I leased it for the sole purpose of giving them a real chance after they picked a terrible first location. Any of you who are disparaging my team are welcome to do the exact same thing for their next location.
All of that said, life is too short to hold ill will and I consider this to be a simple reminder that no good deed goes unpunished.
I wish Breezy’s nothing but success and hope they find their new location to be even better than their old.
