Café For Deaf In Newark Is Struggling, Facing Battle With Landlord

NEWARK, NJ — New Jersey’s first café for people who are deaf or hard of hearing is on the ropes, and its owner says she stands to lose everything – including her home.

Located in the heart of downtown Newark at 2 Treat Place, Deaf’s Delight Café has a simple mission: Create a friendly environment where people who are deaf or hard of hearing can gather, socialize and enjoy a tasty snack in a place that feels like home.

While the café is "open to everyone," it has a special focus on providing a place that caters to the deaf community. The menu, which includes vegan and halal options, also reflects its mission to be inclusive for all. Read More: NJ Woman Opens Groundbreaking Café For Deaf Community In Newark

For Sandra Rivers, the eatery – which employs workers who are deaf – is a tribute to her parents, who struggled to find a social gathering place where they could meet new people and have fun. It hasn’t been easy, however, NJ.com previously reported.

In June of 2019, after putting her life savings into the eatery, a heartbreaking burglary nearly stopped the effort in its tracks. And then, just as Rivers began to rebound, the coronavirus pandemic hit.

As a new business, Deaf’s Delight Café was ineligible for many of the loans that helped other small businesses make it through the pandemic. But through it all, Rivers persevered, organizing poetry sessions, open mic events and potlucks.

Now she’s facing another battle to stay open – and seeking financial help from the community to help her fight it.

After Hurricane Ida destroyed the restaurant’s kitchen, forcing Rivers to close for six months due to the condition of the roof, a portion of her claim for lost wages was denied by the insurance company. Rivers’ landlord, Paramount Assets – which was responsible for the roof repairs – has filed a lawsuit against her, requesting more than $35,000, Fox 5 New York reported.

A GoFundMe campaign to benefit Deaf’s Delight Café has since been launched, and has raised more than $800 as of Tuesday. According to the campaign, which can be seen here:

“Last year, Hurricane Ida destroyed my kitchen, and State Farm issued a check and then denied my claims due to negligence of the horrible conditions of the roof. Paramount Assets had three months to fix the problem but took six months to do so. In that time, I accumulated $15,000 [of debt] in my personal life and over $40,000 in business. Paramount Assets told me that because they kept me closed for six months and recognized I received no income for those six months, they would credit the rent. Fast forward now a year later Paramount sues me for the six months rent they were due to credit me, then went to what I feel is blackmailing by telling me they will no longer credit the six months until I'm current with my rent which was impossible to do in a timely manner. Due to this, Hurricane Ida and COVID, I am currently being evicted from my home and business. I did everything right and stood to lose everything.”

An executive with Paramount Assets has claimed Rivers’ account of events isn’t the full story, and that there is a large sum of money that is due which is beyond the credit that the company pledged to give her, Fox News reported.

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