Nervous Breakdown
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The Syskas say that when they sat down with the bill, they determined that the figure they were looking at was for the entire three-story building, which stretches from 4600 to 4612 N. Lincoln. Their understanding had been that they were to pay in proportion to the amount of space they rented, so they calculated that amount and paid it. But Grissette Almann of Group Fox, which manages the building for owner William O’Kane, says they understood wrong, and that no new lease can be negotiated until the bill is paid in full. Ken says that though the venue has received only a handful of noise complaints over the years, the management has recently been pressing that issue as well. Almann confirmed this, saying other tenants in the building have begun reporting noise problems in the past five months.
Considering the lack of experience the brothers had going into the venture, it’s something of a miracle that they made it this long. They’d originally hoped to run a bar with live music, but after a year of searching they realized they could never afford a space that already had a liquor license. Neither had previously considered opening a cafe, but as Richard jokes, “We loved coffee….Before opening this place we were actually roasting our own beans in a popcorn popper at home.” They continue this practice, albeit with an antique roaster, at the Nervous Center. “We probably would have gone out of business if we didn’t roast them ourselves.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Jim Newberry.
