“Finally, a local hang out for the likes of me” is the caption accompanying this photograph on Flickr, encapsulating the excitement a lot of people in the Ditmas area felt when Sander Hicks and Holley Anderson opened Vox Pop at 1022 Cortelyou Road in 2004. The cafe’s arc has mirrored the real estate market at large, thriving for several years until falling on hard times recently. The popular neighborhood gathering spot is three months behind on its rent, the phone is disconnected and it lost its food and beverage license recently because of $29,000 in unpaid fines to the health department. We’re in trouble,” says Debi Ryan, the person brought in to try to straighten out Vox’s problems.
A Cortelyou Cafe Struggles to Stay Afloat [NY Times]
Photo by CocteauBoy