Pop Goes the Beatrice Inn

 

Beatrice Inn owner Paul Sevigny called me to tell me that he had been padlocked. It wasn’t an unexpected event since the celebrity boîte had been plagued mostly by its setup, which initially put them between a rock and a hard place. With neighbors all around, Paul’s crowd, which has an unusually high percentage of smokers, made more noise than some neighbors were willing to endure. The Beatrice Inn took many steps to make their presence not just bearable but also a positive thing. In reality, the Beatrice Inn enjoys a very solid relationship with the surrounding community. Rumors circulated around town about the reasons for the shutdown—one with considerable legs claimed that “Kate Moss had been popped in her delicious nose and there was blood.” Another more plausible rumor had ex-Page 6 contributor Chris Wilson taking the pop. My source on this said that this actually did happen but inquiring cops couldn’t pin down a suspect due to “the high number of people with motive.”

Most people were saying it was smoking and/or underage drinking violations. Paul Sevigny told me late last night that it was actually building code violations, but since this matter will be before the courts soon, Paul couldn’t say much. He did point out the irony of the violations, since the Beatrice has been operating pretty much the way it looks now under that name since 1926. It has been a joint for a hundred years prior to that. It was a speakeasy at one point.

Beatrice is one of the best spots in town, continuously attracting A-listers and trendsetters. Paul points out that to the regulars, “the place was their living room and it’s basically like locking them out of their apartments.” He is looking forward to the “Free the Beatrice” party, which will be held this coming Thursday or Friday at an undisclosed location.

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