After Permit Problem, Mamushka's Midtown Is Not Closing, Despite Rumors

Photo by Ivanna Vidal

Casey Zap at Mamushka's grand opening party in October.

​Late last night, rumors concerning the demise of Mamushka's Midtown began filtering through the local scene via shocked status updates, email blasts, and half-drunk texts.

On the venue's official Facebook page, a few members of Miami's music and boozing community started eulogizing the hangout in a mix of English, Spanish, and emoticons.

"You'll be missed, Mamushka's Midtown," wrote Bianca Bartolome. "Especially by all the ladies." Meanwhile, others mourned with double-frowny faces and brief expressions of disbelief like "No jodas ... wtf!"

Even the venue's booking manager Moshe Franco announced a temporary closure via text.

"ok so bad news! we are going to have to cancel all shows for Basel and after Basel," Franco texted to a select group of the venue's associates. "Mamushka owners have closed the bar for reasons we are unaware of."

Via Mamushka's Facebook page

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But after speaking with Franco by phone this morning, it appears that his message and the ensuing rumors of the Mamushka's shutdown were premature. "We were closed at the beginning of the week," he says. "But we've reopened."

And contrary to his text, the venue's Basel week parties haven't been canceled. "We're still doing the Nightdrive and Geneva Jacuzzi show tomorrow," Franco insists. "And we'll be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday too."

So what exactly led to the temporary closure? "We had a permit issue," he explains. "But it was taken care of over the weekend."

According to Mamushka's investor Casey Zap, "Two cops showed up and informed us that we had an improperly hung permit. It had been renewed. But we haven't gotten the new copy yet. And apparently, the permit needs to be displayed in full view with a copy of the renewal receipt.

"So we fixed that problem," Zap says. "And we're back in business."

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