FAIRFIELD – The longtime Las Vetas Lounge coffee shop and local music venue plans on reopening around July 1 at 1640 Post Road, which is down the street from its former Unquowa Road location, according to owner Andrew Servetas.
The new spot will be the third for Las Vetas in its 20+year existence – all in or around downtown on Post Road. Servetas had to look for a new space for the eatery when the landlord of 27 Unquowa Road sent him a letter asking he vacate the premises by April 5. The former lounge site is making way for a 5-story apartment building, which had been the subject of a legal fight. It officially closed its Unquowa Road location on March 31.
Las Vetas, the Fairfield Barber Shop, Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe, Tenth of June for the holidays and Nancy Galasso Interiors had to find new locations as well. They recently all received a letter to vacate by from Dr. Lee Forest, who owns the buildings.
Dr. Forest, a Stratford family doctor doing business as 15 Unquowa Road LLC, worked out an agreement last year with the Town of Fairfield and its Plan and Zoning Commission to allow for the complex to be built with at least two street level retail shops. Forest had sued the town after the PZC denied the application.
As for Servetas, who was working with a crew to move in to the new location on Friday, April 10, he sees the move as a blessing in disguise.
“I really do think it is orchestrated by the Good Lord because it’s a miracle,” he said. “This guy (the owner of 1640 Post Road) finally came through not to do it with the highest and so he came down to earth and let the local guy go in.
“It couldn’t be too small and it couldn’t be too big. I couldn’t afford 2,000 square feet but I also couldn’t jam it in to 900 square feet.”
Like any homeowner who buys a new home, Servetas sees the opportunity the new location will be for the new Las Vetas Lounge.
“It’s good, right. Declutter, you know. Degrease,” Servetas said. “It’s a way to refresh everything. This is almost 300 square feet bigger just on the front floor. It’s nice and deep. Then we have a full basement. We didn’t have that before at either of the two previous places.”
He plans on still having musicians play at the new location and may even have expanded hours to accommodate the music.
“In the early days, we used to have live music probably three times a week,” he said. “Then as years went by, we closed by 3 p.m. Back in the day, we used to open til midnight.”
Since the new lounge will have a nicer stage, Servetas is rethinking the hours of operation. “Maybe we close at 3 and reopen for people to do music,” he added.
Even though he has a dependable core of employees, he said he as a funny feeling that he is going to have to get some more people in to work at the refurbished lounge.
