We never like to see independent small businesses fade away, especially ones run by our neighbors. Malt & Mold, the craft beer and cheese shop at 221 East Broadway, is the latest casualty.
Rental signage went up recently in the window, signaling another transition at the intersection of East Broadway and Clinton streets. In Malt & Mold’s newsletter, owner Kevin Heald wrote:
It was a truly wonderful and special six years. We had a great run, didn’t we? I will miss our Thursday night book club, the field trips, the day(s) at the races, the Saturday coffee klatch, and that one time we got caught in Mr. Hooper’s lettuce patch. Thank you! You are more than welcome at the Gramercy location. We’ll save a spot for you.
Heald, a resident of the Grand Street cooperatives, opened Malt & Mold in 2012. He’d attracted a loyal local following with a business model that emphasized community. This past April, we published a video interview with Heald in which he talked about the burden of sky-high Manhattan commercial rents. Pushcart Coffee, Malt & Mold’s onetime neighbor, closed its LES store in 2014 (it was replaced by the gourmet ice cream shop Ice & Vice).
The Gramercy store is located at 362 2nd Avenue (21st Street).
