The Intrepid Museum Foundation has left its gift shop high and dry in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, according to a new lawsuit.
Owners of the shuttered souvenir shop, which is located at the entrance to the museum, accuse the foundation of trying to “clear the decks” of its current tenants, citing bogus storm damages. The real intention is to evict the long-term leaseholders and replace them with higher paying clients, the Manhattan Supreme Court suit alleges.
“The foundation’s actions reflect an opportunistic money grab,” the Walsky family, which operates the store, charges in court papers. The family only pays 12 percent of net sales in rent while national competitors “regularly pay in excess of 25 percent,” the documents state.
The foundation’s president allegedly told the Walskys their space was “wholly unusable” and stuck them with notice for a Feb. 15 eviction, even though the museum reopened in December after repairing flood damage.
The Intrepid, an sea, air and space museum that recently acquired the space shuttle Enterprise, is one of the city’s most popular tourist destinations.
The Walskys argue that the storm only caused “cosmetic” damages.
They want the court to stop the eviction and $100,000 in damages.
A spokesman for the Intrepid said the lease allows for termination in the event of a disaster like Sandy.