LYNN – Eclectic eatery and local hangout, Gulu-Gulu Café in Central Square will be reportedly closing its doors next month after a nearly four year run.
Brian Cahill, an employee at the café said he was told the eatery would be shutting down by Dec. 13.
?I don?t know the specifics, but I know that the place is definitely not as busy as it used to be for lunch and dinner,” he said. “I heard there were a few offers for the place, but I don?t really know.”
Cahill, an employee at the cafe for a little more than a year, said he was offered a position at the Salem location to replace his current job.
?It?s good that I?m not going to be out of a job, but I?m going to miss this place,” he said. “It?s been fun, and definitely the coolest job I?ve ever had.”
The laid back café at 56 Central Square was the first location for owners Steven Feldmann and Marie Feldmannnova, who also own a sister café to Gulu-Gulu at 247 Essex St., in Salem.
After meeting and marrying in Prague in 1997, the couple later moved to Lynn and took a chance in 2005 when they opened the artsy café, modeled after a similar one in Prague, in an effort to serve the up and coming crowd of downtown residents.
Despite the Lynn location?s exposed brick walls, beer and wine offerings and comfy couches, the Salem spot, which is a larger version of the Lynn café, has since evolved into the busier of the two restaurants.
James Cowdell, executive director of the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC), was surprised to hear the news about the popular café.
?I feel really confident that the space won?t stay closed for long,” he said. “We haven?t been able to officially confirm it, but we?ve placed calls to Feldmann. If it turns out to be true, then it?s really too bad.”
Cowdell said EDIC gave the café two separate $25,000 loans in 2004, which were both paid in full. A third short-term loan was also granted to the business for a water leak repair and was also paid off.
Numerous calls placed to Feldmann at his Lynn and Salem locations were not returned Wednesday.
Aside from Gulu-Gulu, another former hotspot, The Downtown Bistro and Wine Bar on Oxford Street, also closed its doors in August due to a lack of business.
Owner John Moore, who also owns the Navy Yard Bistro in Charlestown, previously said the business wasn?t able to thrive in a flagging economy and locals didn?t want to shell out $16 for dinner.
Since closing, Moore said he has had several offers and is nearing a sale with a buyer that has North Shore roots.