Ciao For Now is closing after 17 years on 12th Street; will continue with catering business

Ciao For Now is closing after 17 years on 12th Street; will continue with catering business
[Photo via Instagram]Ciao For Now, the homespun cafe at 523 E. 12th St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, is closing after 17 years in business. They will serve their last meal next Wednesday (Jan. 31).However, the owners will continue on with their catering business as well as use the space for community events.Here’s a letter than they shared with me last night…Dear East Village Community,It is with heavy hearts that after 17 years, we close our cafe doors on February 1.Moving forward, our primary focus will be our catering business and hosting community events.We look forward to continuing to serve delicious handmade food to you by way of our online catering store at ciaofornow.nyc where you can order catering platters, cakes, pies, pastries and beverages…and yes…that includes our ginger green tea with lemon and honey :)It is difficult to put into words all of the emotions we are feeling. We feel like we gave it everything we’ve got but as we are seeing all over NYC, the retail small business model has become nearly impossible to sustain. We have met so many incredible people along the way.Raising our children in the cafe has been a great joy for our family. Ciao for Now has been a second home to many, and we couldn’t have made it this far without our amazing staff and all of your love and support. Thank you for your friendship and loyalty. Our family will always cherish all of the beautiful memories made here.With much love & gratitude,Ciao for NowThe Miceli FamilyFrom 2008-2015 Ciao For Now had an outpost in the West Village. (Read about that here.) They closed that spot to focus on the original East Village location. As Amy Miceli said at that time: “It is brutal running a business in the city. I love it and hate it every day.”Ciao For Now will be open per usual for brunch this weekend 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.