Troubles nix Minx and Mix

GLENDALE — Two troubled establishments that racked up a string of public safety and nuisance issues have closed their doors for good, city officials said.

Mike Ferraro, the property owner of the Mix bar in Montrose, which has been closed since the spring when the California Department of Alcohol Beverage and Control suspended the bar’s license, recently dropped an appeal of its revoked conditional use permit.

Now, Ferraro said he is looking for a new tenant for the property at 2612 Honolulu Ave. after he evicted the bar operator. Already, a bank and grocery market have expressed interest in the property, he added.

“We’ve gotten a little activity, nothing has closed,” he said. “As the owner, I’m just hoping I can get an occupant other than a cocktail lounge.”

Ferraro said he had been unaware of the issues associated with the bar, which ranged from more than 100 police calls to alleged electricity theft.

Across town, the Minx Restaurant and Lounge — which has been battling the city since January when officials secured a restraining order against the restaurant for illegally running a nightclub — also appears to have shut its doors permanently, officials said.

All of the restaurant’s permits lapsed last week, and the property’s owners have indicated they do not intend to apply for new ones, said Neighborhood Services Administrator Sam Engel.

Owner Edwin Minassian could not be reached for comment.

The Minx’s legal troubles started after a partygoer was stabbed at the restaurant on New Year’s Day during a large scale nightclub event. The incident was so volatile that police were unable to safely enter the restaurant because the crowd of 800 people was hostile, according to the legal complaint.

The restaurant, at 300 Harvey Drive next to the In-N-Out, had also logged dozens of noise complaints and calls for service, police said.

“In some respects, we are glad to see both of the operations, which were both troubled at least at the end, come to a conclusion,” Engel said.

Still, officials will be monitoring the sites to make sure the vacancies don’t create additional code enforcement issues, he said.

“It’s a concern for me as a neighborhood services administrator that we have two valuable pieces of property that are sitting unused at this point,” Engel said.