The Lot Radio (17 Nassau Ave.), an independently owned and operated internet radio station across from McCarren Park, can resume selling drinks and snacks from its neighboring kiosk after the Dept. of Health shut it down last January.
Beer, wine, espresso drinks, and snacks will once again be available at the Lot Radio (with a few new items like sake) starting May 1st. “The kiosk is there to support the radio, so we’re excited to welcome people back,” owner Francios Vexelaire said.
The Lot Radio (kiosk on the right)
“Since the shutdown, we had [a] constructive and positive conversation with the Department of Health to get some code modification approved by them,” Vexelaire said, adding that the Office of Nightlife was a major help during the process.
The Lot Radio (17 Nassau Ave.) opened their underground internet radio station inside of a repurposed shipping container in 2016 on a triangular, decrepit lot between Banker and N. 15 streets where a gas station once stood.
The site of the Lot Radio in 2015
As an independently owned and operated small business that supports up-and-coming artists, owner Francios Vexelaire needed to raise funds to cover costs by selling drinks. The Lot Radio obtained a license from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and for the past two years has legally sold coffee, beer, wine and snacks to attendees.
Last week the Dept. of Health shut down the cafe portion of the business citing code violations, and since then the radio station has been without a revenue stream.
Code violations for the Lot Radio posted by New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
