Reed Clemmons, who started Bitter End and Mezzaluna among others, was locked out of his restaurant on Tuesday by Simon Properties. Reed's Jazz and Supper Club at Gateway Courtyard paid rent faithfully for 10 years, never missing a payment, until the tax subsidized Domain drained away his business beginning in March 2007. 35 people were laid-off thanks to your tax dollars at work. See Reed's emotional email below.
Please join us at another picket just outside The Domain this Saturday, from 10 to 12 noon on Braker Lane, between Burnet and MoPAC. Here's the motley crew that did the last one. Rumor has it that The Grinch, himself, will be there!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, y'all. We can always use more hands and hearts in 2008!
Linda Curtis & Brian Rodgers
StopDomainSubsidies.com
ljcurtis@indytexans.org
383-8484 or 657-2089
PO Box 14294
Austin, TX 78761
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PS If you wish to receive only a reminder to vote on this in May, next year, please let us know and we will not send you these updates. Just send a note to smilelee55@yahoo.com. Petitions & instructions, etc. are on our web site.
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I own Reed's Jazz and Supper Club, which is in Gateway Courtyard (a Simon owned property...1mile from the Domain). I got a call from my chef that changed my day. This morning Simon Properties changed the locks and closed the doors on my restaurant. My sales at Reed's have progressively deteriorated with each chain restaurant opening in the Domain. Since the Domain has opened our sales have declined over 20%. My pleas for help have been ignored by this corporate monolith. An option of trying to sublease the space has not worked because of the high rent factor and the unwillingness to negotiate a lower rent in light of the Domain draw. To put icing on the cake, yes, I was behind on rent two months and planned to close New Year's Eve. They locked the doors a week before Christmas, putting my staff on the street. In addition they denied access to the restaurant to get the reservation book to call upcoming parties to notify of our closing as well as getting employees their hard earned tips and personal belongings.
They are scum lords...and why do our tax dollars go to support the chain restaurants getting rent abatement from Simon via the taxpayer at the expense of the local restauranteurs. It is beyond me...
I am sorry if this message is a little jumbled...it has been a long day!
Call me if you need a poster child..
Reed Clemons
owner, Reed's Jazz and Supper Club
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