02/21/2019
Hello Mariposa,
It has taken me a couple days to get the strength to make this post...
It would take me way too long to explain the whole story, and I’m not the type of person that likes to name names...
On Tuesday, February 19th, my business “partner”, who held the lease in his name, in conjunction with our “very well known” former landlord, canceled the lease on my business (6 months left), without notifying/asking me/getting my consent (which I didn’t give). The building was sold the same day...
The old owner also lied to the new owner and said I didn’t pay my rent (even though I did). He also withheld the fact that our roof has been leaking and dripping with many visits and promises it was fixed by old owner. The new owner said he didn’t know the roof was leaking. Really?? So basically old owner threw me under the bus. Why? Cause he wanted to take the hood and his sinks out before the building changed hands. He doesn’t care about me or my biz. It’s all about the hood and sinks!
I have been operating this business independently, since my business partner bailed on me, the day before our soft opening in December. I chose a bad partner. A really bad partner. I also inherited a terrible landlord, that in my opinion is a slumlord.
Leaky roofs, broken promises, and most importantly LIES...I’ve been kicking and scratching since before opening and through the construction, as my partner kept wanting to give up and call it quits.. let me clarify that my partner was no partner at all. He was really an investor that got 50/50 ownership in the llc for putting up 20k. Not a bad deal, if you ask me. Everything down to the paint scheme floors, build in..It was all me. All permits, licenses...All me. My partner seemed to always want to quit or give up. He wanted to throw some money around, waste my time and my effort, and then quit!
Let’s talk about the roof and the leaks. Pictures, emails, complaints, promises..roofs still leaking. My landlords solution was to pay less rent. So instead of 900 I paid 600 for Jan. This month he told me to tally up the days it rains and drips and I won’t have to pay rent...That was his “slumlord solution”. The old owner knew he was in escrow, probably selling the building, and probably already had the plan to throw me under the bus and say I was a bad tenant that didn’t pay my rent. He still took my 600, then said,”pay what u tally at end of feb...”
Here’s the kicker..The friggin wrecking ball..
He didn’t even tell the knew owner that my roof was leaking. He just told him that I was not paying rent on the space and not on the lease. Basically threw me under the bus to get my business partners lease cancelled. Our lease was valid. Even though the old owner refused to add me to the lease after I partnered up with the guy that first secured the lease, and told the owner over and over to put lease in my/my businessesname, he wouldn’t do it. Why did he want to do that to me? Cause he wanted to take his hood and sinks out of there that he originally bought for the place years ago. I don’t matter to him. It’s all about the hood and sinks. It’s not good enough he’s selling the building for a premium. That’s the type of guy my former landlord is. But if you know the history of this location, you know the landlord had a “reputation “ He saw he could get me and he did.
All I can say is that this was my idea, my creation, my recipes, my vision. Not that I didn’t have some great people around me through the build in...12-15 hour days, 3 months of building, and two months of being open, and because I did not have a lease secured in my name it was all taken away for me when the building was sold on Tuesday, February 19. Of course something’s fishy when my lease gets cancelled hours before the sale. All I can say is my absentee business partner who never participated is a wimp! A coward! He has no appreciation or respect for my business, my effort, and my time. Forget all the thousands a I’ve put into this out of my own pocket, after I was not paid back for certain things from the business back in December..but I won’t even go there
I am in total shock I went ahead and listed all my equipment on craigslist but not sure I even want to sell it. The amount of money time and heart that I put into this is everyday is too much to even think about...I was completely hoodwinked, flakes on, lied to and wronged.
I can’t really hold anything against the new owner for being an American and wanting to buy stuff. I am not happy, however, with the loss of my baby. I was serving damn good food and I’m pi**ed! I’m hot!
I’d like to think I have an excellent reputation in town. That’s why I get so angry when I try to do something good for town and I get blocked...
I cannot even begin to explain how much this whole experience has meant to me. Every time someone said my food was delicious, it always made my day. If someone had feedback how we could improve, I was always open to that, too. I’ve learned so much from this experience. I learned how to build a restaurant, permit and license it, run it, etc. All the people I connected with that I hadn’t reached over at my other shop in town, all the leaders in town that stopped by to eat. I’m honored. Thank you!
The last thing I’ll say. If this building gets cleared and demolished, it’s gonna be bad for town. Yosemite Treats, Mariposa hair salon , and Agua Fria cafe are great businesses. We all care about our customers and community. Putting another vacation rental in the middle of town is su***de and prob gonna be done right about when the bubble bursts..and we are hurt..we don’t have an ice cream shop in the summer..the tourists are hurt..I mean how many friggin vacation rentals we gonna put in before we have nowhere to shop eat or relax?!
I love all my customers and stop in and visit me at Yosemite Crystals 4998 5th across from Castillo’s and sweetwater...
Thank you Thank you. I’ve worked so hard for you guys, trying to build something for LOCALS. All my customers were locals. I think we had maybe half a dozen tourists the whole time. How was business? Great! I did a good lunch every day and that was awesome for the winter. Making money from the start. I have a great model. What next? Not sure. Anything available in town? Let me know before I selling everything! Open to ideas. Love u Mariposa. I will never give up on town/community
