Jan. 14, 2016 By Christian Murray
Molly Blooms, a gastropub located at 43-13 Queens Blvd, is closing Sunday, and its owner and staff will be having a final swan song to mark the occasion.
New owners are expected to take over the establishment in about a week and are likely to rename the bar, according to sources.
Ciaran Staunton, a well-known civic leader, opened the establishment in 2011 and transformed an old Irish bar into an upscale operation that was modeled after Victorian-style pubs built in the early 20th Century. He put in a kitchen and the venue became a popular eating and drinking establishment.
The bar posted a message on Facebook yesterday that announced that it was closing:
“The management and staff of Molly Blooms would like to take this opportunity to thank all our loyal customers for their patronage over the past 4 years. Sunday January 17th will be our last day of business. All drinks will be $4 Thursday through Sunday.”
In September, Staunton attended a Community Board 2 meeting and announced that he was selling the bar.
“We thought it would be our retirement restaurant in Queens,” Staunton told the board at the time. However, “Things have changed in my life,” he added, referring to the 2012 death of his son Rory, who fell victim to a freak infection that led to a Sepsis that was initially misdiagnosed.
“Unfortunately given the turn of events that have happened to me in the past couple of years, I don’t have the energy or desire to spend as much time in it [the bar],” Staunton said. “It’s time for me not to be involved in the hospitality industry.”
The bar has been acquired by two men who have worked with Staunton and have been involved in managing Ryan Maguire’s Bar & Restaurant in the financial district.
