ALBANY — The Larkin Hi-Fi, a Lark Street bar that battled with the city and neighbors since before it opened in the spring of last year, will close after a final day of business on Nov. 7, blaming an inhospitable environment for the demise of what could have been the city’s first vinyl listening lounge.
“I’m just done. I’m not fighting for it anymore,” said co-owner Nick Warchol. He opened the Larkin Hi-Fi with business partner Aaron Wilson as a successor to their Lo-Fi Bar & Lounge, a basement-level spot located across the street that closed in fall 2023 in preparation for the move. Warchol estimated he and Wilson lost a combined $150,000 on the venture, located at 199 Lark St. in a building that has hosted bars and restaurants for a century.
“Everything has been an uphill battle since day one with the neighbors, city council meetings, planning board reviews, the city’s refusal to grant us a cabaret license so we could have DJs and live music (something that was integral to our entire concept), all in combination with the decline of Lark Street,” the partners wrote in their closure announcement, posted Sunday afternoon on Instagram…