At Manjares’ 10-year celebration in 2019. Maya McFadden Photo Credit: Maya McFadden file photo
Manjares, the Latin American restaurant and café that has anchored Westville Village’s corner of West Rock and Whalley avenues in Westville since 2009, has been told it must vacate its space by Sept. 30 after its landlord declined to renew the lease, citing nearly $30,000 in unpaid rent.
ArLoW — aka ArtLoftsWest, which owns the building at 382 W Rock Ave. — notified owner Ana De Los Angeles of the decision in a hand-delivered and emailed letter dated Aug. 12. The letter states that the lease covering Manjares’ space — listed as 838 Whalley Ave., Units B & C — expires Sept. 30 and will not be renewed.
De Los Angeles, meanwhile, is appealing for a chance to stay in business. She said she can start paying back the money with a loan that would be conditioned on obtaining a new lease, which ArLoW is not offering.
Manjares has been in the space since it opened in July 2009.
“We are not renewing her lease. We are not evicting,” Thea Buxbaum, a founding member of ArLoW, told the Independent, drawing a distinction between a lease non-renewal and a formal eviction proceeding.
No eviction case has been filed in court, and De Los Angeles has not been served with a notice to quit.
According to the letter Buxbaum sent to De Los Angeles, Manjares owes an outstanding balance of $29,819.55.
De Los Angeles does not dispute that she owes the money, or that Buxbaum has the right not to renew.
“I’m not refusing to pay,” she said in an interview at the restaurant, adding that she has been willing to reach an agreement on the debt.
She said she fell roughly four months behind on rent. She described a financial drag she has never fully shaken since the Covid-19 pandemic, compounded by rising costs over the past year. When money was short, she said, she prioritized utilities and payroll.
“Without gas you can’t cook. Without electricity you can’t keep the place open. And the employees leave without pay,” she said.
Buxbaum said that ArLoW will credit $11,000 against the nearly $30,000 total by retaining a walk-in cooler and stove hood, reducing the balance to $18,819.55. The letter also states ARLOW will forgive September’s rent of $4,819.67 if the premises are surrendered on time and in good condition.
“We are genuinely sorry that we have reached this point,” Buxbaum wrote. “This decision is not a reflection of the value of Manjares’ food, your effort, or the place the business has established in the community.”
Buxbaum described the decision as a business necessity after years of accommodation.
“We have provided many solutions. We have tried to work out options. And we cannot do that anymore,” she said. “We have tried so hard to support Ana over the years. Under other circumstances, I don’t know if another landlord would have been as patient as we have been.”
The Aug. 12 letter states the decision was made after consultation with ArLoW’s attorney, finance team, commercial real estate advisors, and staff from the Connecticut Small Business Boost Fund, a state-supported low-interest loan program. It also notes that Manjares has been paying below-market rent, and that ArLoW will bring the rent to market level when the space is re-leased.
De Los Angeles said her accountant had identified a loan of roughly $60,000 through that same program — CT Boost — that could have helped her pay down the debt, but that it required a longer lease commitment. She said she raised the option with Buxbaum, who agreed to meet about it. The lease non-renewal followed.
Buxbaum said she concluded the loan would not be viable. Taking on roughly $60,000 in new debt, she said, was not sustainable for a business already unable to keep up with rent, and would likely leave both parties in the same position later. CT Boost loans are not forgivable and are repaid with interest over 60 or 72 months at a fixed 4.5 percent rate.
De Los Angeles said she has not filed anything in court and does not yet have a lawyer, but has scheduled a consultation with an attorney. She’s hoping she can convince the landlord to allow her to find a way to pay back the money over time.
Buxbaum said she expects De Los Angeles to vacate by Sept. 30, but indicated some flexibility on timing.
“I’m assuming she is vacating by Sept. 30,” she said. “If there’s an alternative intention, I’m sure that she will tell us and we can work around that.”
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