House of Dissatisfaction, and also unsolicited financial advice

Mo Pitkins' House of Satisfaction is closed; awesomeness doesn't pay.

For those of you not in New York, Mo's was the performance venue in which Chicks & Giggles and many other fine comedy shows and other indie shows were held. I especially enjoyed it because it was a reasonably swanky bar and restaurant (not a dirty black box theater with a guy at a folding table in the back pouring plastic cups of wine in exchange for "donations"). Over the few years they were open, the venue's "Judeo-Latino" menu was notably scaled down, losing the incredible "pick-eight-things-including-brisket" variety plate. But still, it was the best game in town.

I can't tell you how many "lifestyle" businesses I've seen fail. That is, businesses that make the entrepreneurs feel like the coolest people alive, until the businesses fail, inevitably, and the entrepreneurs go down as martyrs of coolness. Now, Mo's was an actual restaurant, and a good one; however, I am reminded of the hip-as-all-get-out Williamsburg vintage lingerie store for which I once modeled in fashion shows: how could one think that could ever even pay the rent on a retail space (much less provide an income for the owner)?

If you love, say, vinyl, I'd still suggest against opening a vintage record store, even though you'd feel really cool for a few weeks until you realized what your monthly coolness bill was. Instead, I'd suggest taking the Series 7, becoming a day trader, and using all your filthy lucre to purchase every vintage album you ever wanted off eBay.

And ... that's the end of today's unsolicited Jenisfamous financial advice.