El Beit (later known as Cafe Beit) the long-standing coffee shop on Bedford Avenue, suddenly closed in December, due to their landlord not renewing the lease.
A tattoo shop called White Lotus — cue the obvious joke about the HBO series —has taken over the space, with a grand opening set for Friday, February 3. While the timing of the name might seem suspect, when NY1 host Pat Kiernan noticed the shop and shared a photo on Twitter, a user replied: “This is my friend’s boyfriend’s tattoo shop opening soon. She told me they had the name before the show came out.”
Aside from tattoos, the space will also be offering body piercings. According to Instagram, walk-ins are always welcome, and their hours will be Monday through Sunday, 12 – 10 PM.
I’m always amazed at how quickly the turnaround is for new businesses taking over once an old business moves out. They say New Yorkers are fast movers, and that’s true of the retail world as well.