For months the new owners of the Mel’s Tea Room building on Bridge Street in Sackville have been renovating the interior of the building, tearing out the iconic diner’s booths and counter, and walling off a section on the back left side of the space. But this week, the changes reached the exterior of the building. On Wednesday, the scripted lettering reading ’Mel’s’ on the green glass tiles above the front windows was removed.
The fate of the neon “Mel’s Tea Room” sign overhanging the Bridge Street sidewalk remains uncertain.
Mel’s Tea Room has been empty since last summer, when John Ernst and Tyler Gay bought the building, and restaurant operators Dave and Wendy Epworth tried in vain to sell off the business. For a brief period, Wild Carnivore Pet Store had plans to take over the space, but that fell through this summer. (Instead Sarah Honea and Diego Mora opened up their store up the road at 95A Bridge Street.)
A new tenant took over the space in August. Paul Sungchul An, owner of Song’s Chopsticks, is renovating the space in hopes of opening a Korean fried chicken restaurant. Sunchul An says he’s not quite ready to share his plans for the new restaurant, but will be able to share details by the end of August. He says the neon Mel’s sign will stay in place for the time being.
Originally, Dorchester Jail owner Bill Steele had purchased the sign from the Epworths as they liquidated the restaurant’s assets. Since then, Steele has been trying to get permission through Plan 360 to be able to hang the Mel’s Tea Room sign at the Dorchester jail. But after months of trying to navigate the bureaucracy, Steele has thrown in the towel. He says the sale of the sign was reversed mutually, and ownership has reverted back to the Epworths.
CHMA has reached out to Dave and Wendy Epworth, and building owners John Ernst and Tyler Gay to find out more, and have yet to hear back.
