For the past two days, the Mojo has been boarded up. Closed.

So Mrs. Kravitz talked to the guy at the newstand next door and he said that Giancarlo, the new owner of the Mojo is selling. Just a month after the grand re-opening. Aren’t you supposed to stick it out for a year? You can’t expect a new business to be successful after a few weeks.

Well, that’s what I’ve heard.

But the same thing happened to the place that went in before the original Mojo/Carvel. The Rendez Vous. Does anyone remember the Rendez Vous?

The Rendez Vous came in after Ben’s Pizza. They spent months renovating. Expectations were high.  The owners wallpapered the space with sheet music. Promising.

Then they opened but there was no food on display. There was a menu board – tuna fish, egg salad sandwiches – but someone went into a mysterious backroom to get the food. I guess they had coffee.

I was afraid to eat the food. The Rendez Vous closed after a few weeks.

Then the Mojo/Carvel went in (pictured above). The first manager, Robert, was a rock ‘n roll cartoonist. The place looked great; it was clean. They did a classy renovation (must’ve taken a while to get that sheet music off the wall). Michael Gordon, and the other owners were in for the long haul. They worked hard and added features as they went along – Krispy Kreme donuts, wrap sandwiches, soups. The shop became an integral part of Third Street life – a great place for a coffee clatch, a PTA committee meeting, a before pick-up iced coffee, an after school ice cream cone. Corey, also a manager, was a beloved member of this community who, at one time, thoughtfully supervised the PS 321 kids who lunched there and taught them manners: "Throw out your food," he’d say. "Pick up after yourselves." There were other employees who made a positive impression on the kids (like Tito).

Mojo gave it the college try. The Carvel franchise was expensive, it was hard to make money with that as overhead. Michael decided he wanted a job in the corporate world – benefits, a salary, a different lifestyle.

Then came the (new) Mojo: Gianncarlo and his Ainsley cheesecakes of Brooklyn.  I was impressed with his cakes but I wasn’t sure if Giancarlo was up to the challenge of creating a follow-up to the Mojo. Getting rid of half the tables seemed a weird move. He lost the morning coffee clatch crowd and that always made the place look so lively.  The success of the nearby Cocoa Bar probably didn’t help. For the last month, they’ve been offering free coffee in the morning between 9 and 10 a.m. (I knew nothing about it).

So who is Gianncarlo selling the Mojo to? And what will it become. The people on Third Street are waiting with bated breath.