End of Another Era

 In today's paper I saw a headline that the Langosta Lounge would be closing next month.  The story that went with it explained that Marilyn Schlossbach was selling her whole bunch of restaurants to another restaurant group of investors.   The Langosta Lounge, right on the Asbury boardwalk, was probably the most successful of those and relates to this blog because it has been mentioned a few times.  For one, we once held a studio critique there, as Molly had some tables there that she had done tops for, and there was no other way to see them.  I was there for that.  And I may have had some other work there, though I never saw it to know for sure.

  

 According to my blog, we held this critique back in 2010.  (June of that year if you are interested in seeing more photos of the event)  I know I was there, as I took the photos and posted them.  The above photo shows Molly, though those are not her tables she is in front of.  I have no records of what work I showed.  Apparently there were a lot of diners in the restaurant that night, so we couldn't actually look at the tables she made. 

Besides our regular critique, there was also a performance by some dancers, who were draped in something Molly had made.   A special show for the restaurant patrons.  And below, after we left the Lounge, we reconvened at a gallery on Cookman Avenue to see a show by critique regular Adam.  He seems to be the person at the far right, behind some other people.

The other thing I was involved in that may have been in Langosta Lounge was the Table Talk project.  Again, according to my blog, 6 of the tables that we made as part of this (2013) were destined for local restaurants, including 3 that were intended for Langosta Lounge.  Below are three such table tops, showing the beginnings of Molly's routing of the surfaces, the start of her artwork.

Because these were destined for restaurants, they would not need legs attached, but the restaurants would put them on central pedestals.  However, because the table tops would be on a center leg, Molly wanted the thickness to be doubled, so this meant a second piece of identical plywood was attached to the carved one, a combination of glue and screws from underneath.  Above we see an example by me of attaching the two pieces of plywood, and a wooden clamp holding them together.  Probably did the glue first, clamped them together, and turned them upside down to put in the screws.   Below, the rest of the restaurant tables, what I referred to as cafe tables at the time.  

I never saw these tables on location, only finished my part and had them ready to go. Expecting pedestals, I never made wooden legs for them either.  But I did attach the double plywood to each other, as shown in my photo of that process.  But as I said, I never saw the finished work.  And I have no idea if the tables are still there.  Molly had made tables for a number of locations in Asbury, and when those places were sold, the tables were often thrown in the trash.  Of the tables Herb sponsored for the JSAC. I only see one now, one of the chalkboard tables Molly had at the reception, now down in the cafeteria in the basement.  (I doubt he was a fan)  She made some tables for the 40's room on the second floor, but that room is now empty (had a class there last year) and I think the tables were removed years ago.  (I wonder about the whole future of the 40's room, devoted to people like Herb who went to school there in the 40's but I imagine almost everyone from that era is dead) I think I saw a table top from Molly up in the 3rd floor cafe a few years ago, used as a wall.  So I don't know if any of our work, or even Molly's work by herself, is still at the Langosta Lounge, or if it is, if it will stay there once the new owners take over.  I do know that I was paid for it directly by the agency who gave her the money for the project, and that's what counts for me.