By Kristen Fiore, Westword | A storm of people raced to save The Pearl, Denver’s only lesbian bar, raising more than $83,000 via GoFundMe over the weekend after the bar announced that it couldn’t afford to stay open. But by April 14, the clouds had cleared to reveal that The Pearl’s issues were more than just financial, with the business dissolving its LLC and refunding those who had donated to the GoFundMe.
The poets, dancers, musicians, tarot readers and astrologers who have been meeting for decades at 2199 California Street, the iconic Mercury Cafe building that The Pearl had been leasing for a year, were caught in the crossfire, but building owner Danny Newman assured the groups that those who had events through the Merc would continue to have their dates and access to the venue, and swing dancers met in the space on the evening of April 14.
But now, nobody will be able to get into the building. The City of Denver has changed the locks and seized the property because of The Pearl’s unpaid sales and occupational privilege taxes; one document lists $53,869, a second $2,386.43.
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But it’s not just The Pearl’s stuff that is locked inside. Some of it is Newman’s, some employees’ personal belongings and still more equipment belonging to the groups that met at the building.
“Personal items, like car keys, purses, jackets, etc., belonging to employees or guests, can be retrieved by those individuals,” Swartz says. “Under Section 53-26 of the city’s municipal code, any assets used by the taxpayer for business purposes cannot be returned until the taxes owed are paid.”
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Go here to read more of this ongoing sad story:
https://www.westword.com/arts-culture/mercury-cafe-building-seized-by-city-for-the-pearls-unpaid-taxes-40872765/
