LINDENHURST, NY — A Lindenhurst business is “turning lemons into lemonade”, after a series of unfortunate events have prolonged its opening for more than four years.
Hunter & Thief, a modern-cocktail bar located at 21 West Hoffman Avenue, is hosting a “Good Luck Party” on Saturday, May 27 at 12 p.m.
Guests are invited to bring good luck charms and can participate in giveaways, early club memberships, and enjoy snacks, drinks and music.
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“We owe it to everyone not to quit,” said Gabrielle Gonzalez, co-owner of Hunter & Thief. “We figured why not have a little party to celebrate, you know, turning lemons into lemonade.”
Gabrielle and Jonathan Gonzalez, the husband and wife team, have struggled to open the bar due to pandemic-related and other setbacks.
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Earlier this month, the couple breathed a sigh of relief, believing their luck had changed.
PSEG awarded Hunter and Thief with an $18,750 PSEG Long Island Main Street Revitalization grant. Government officials, representatives from local business improvement groups, chambers of commerce and community leaders all attended the bar’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
But just weeks later, their luck turned sour.
On the morning of Sunday, May 21, a woman sideswiped a vehicle before striking the West Hoffman Avenue storefront of Hunter & Thief.
The driver fled, according to Suffolk County police, who said the collision is under investigation.
The business’ door frame was ripped out, sconces were broken, tile was damaged by gas and oil, and cinder block on the wall dissolved, according to Jonathan.
“Basically, we have had four years of nothing but catastrophes, bad luck,” said Gabrielle. “Anything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Nobody can understand why all these terrible things are happening to us.”
Right before the crash, the couple had planned to announce Hunter & Thief’s official opening date — Saturday, May 27, or their fourth wedding anniversary.
Gabrielle told Patch on Friday that in just a few short days, the repairs are almost finished.
“Our landlord is moving superfast to do it, our contractors are moving fast,” she said. “The speed at which everybody’s working to get us open is just tremendous.”
Community members reached out to the couple, suggesting they “cleanse the space”, after hearing about the crash.
“People are invited to bring us any sort of good luck, charm, talisman, symbol of hope, prosperity, whatever,” she said. ” We’ve gotten such incredible, incredible support from the community. Everybody wants to help us, and we figured that’d be a real fun way for people to participate.”
The good luck objects will be displayed in Hunter & Thief’s windows, for the whole neighborhood to see.
While there is no official opening date at this point, the couple told Patch that it will come “soon.”
Jonathan said that he intends for Hunter & Thief to have the same quality as a bar in Manhattan, but with a strong community feel.
“If you look at the history of bars, all bars were the community center. They were the place where people got married, divorced, got sued, everything happened at the bar,” said Jonathan. “So we kind of want to have the same kind of feeling as well.”
For this reason, Hunter & Thief will not have televisions, but numerous other amenities.
One example is its “mini-library”, where patrons can pick up a book on the shelf, read it, and return it.
Also, inspired by Jonathan’s grandmother, the bar will have a “Take a Tchotchke, Leave a Tchotchke,”where people can drop off miniature figures and take them home.
“People gravitate to things, for whatever reason, it might remind them of something,” said Jonathan. “So you can drop something off, or take something with you. It’s continually changing.”
Overall, Hunter & Thief is a love-letter to Long Island, he said.
“I was like blown away,” he said. ” I’m identifying hawks and Osprey. All these tiny things are just super exciting for me.”
The symbolism of the bar, Hunter & Thief, is inspired by his newfound love for exploration, especially after quarantine in the pandemic.
The bar’s three-tier memberships are even named after famous expeditions, such as Lewis and Clark, Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton, and Apollo 11.
“Our whole ethos revolves around expedition, naturalism, science, community and getting people back out into the world participating in nature,” he said.
Hunter & Thief’s decor also emulates this theme. For example, the couple has already curated several taxidermy figures and museum-like decorations.
“We’re trying to make a fully rounded experience,” Jonathan said.
One thing the couple can count on is that as much as they love Long Island, their community loves them right back.
“We just want to express gratitude to the businesses, community, and people. I will never not say that,” said Gabrielle. “The way that they’re rallying around us to get us open — I just can’t say thank you enough.”
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