The Pearl, a sapphic bar in Five Points, went out of business earlier this year. The former Mercury Cafe building closed its doors to the community it served, as well as a number of music, poetry, tarot and swing dance groups that had been meeting under the roof for 30 years. While former Pearl employees are getting ready to open a new sapphic bar and many of the Mercury Cafe groups have scattered to new meeting places around the city, the fate of the beloved building where it once all aligned has remained unknown.
Now, it seems a tax lien auction could be in the stars.
On Sept. 11, the Mercury Cafe Building at 2199 California St. was listed on a public notice of delinquent property taxes, with unpaid taxes and interest amounting to $60,573. Building owner Danny Newman has not responded to Westword’s requests for comment…