Nearly a decade after opening, the owners of R&B Cellars and the Riggers Loft wine bar are now in a legal fight with the landlord — the city of Richmond.
Winemakers and co-owners Kevin Brown and his wife Barbara look on at their Riggers Loft Wine Company in Richmond, Calif., on Saturday, March 30, 2024. RICHMOND — The days could be numbered for Riggers Loft Wine Company, long considered a crown jewel of Richmond’s waterfront.
The city was seeking $392,248.57 in unpaid rent that includes late fees and interest, while the Browns assert they are obligated to pay only $228,000. City Attorney Dave Aleshire did not respond to requests for comment, but in last month’s filing, the city said the Browns still owe “$285,845 in delinquent rent, plus late charges and interest.”
Winemakers and co-owners Kevin Brown and his wife Barbara look on at their Riggers Loft Wine Company in Richmond, Calif., on Saturday, March 30, 2024. The couple had started R&B Cellars in Alameda but were looking for a new, permanent location in 2014 when they began conversations with Jim Matzorkis, the longtime Port of Richmond executive director, according to legal filings and an interview with the Browns.
Riggers Loft Wine Company officially opened for business in 2016, with a 20-year lease agreement signed the previous year setting rent at $8,400. As a collective tap room, the space offers visitors tastes from a variety of winemakers, including their own in-house creations. Thanks to its large open floor plan and bay views, the space quickly became a go-to for community events, weddings and private gatherings.
But as the months turned into years, the amount of back rent the Browns owed grew to a concerning amount. In 2022, the Browns began paying their full monthly rent, which rose to $10,300, they said. Management of the city’s bayfront land has been controversial. City officials have most recently faced scrutiny over a 2004 lease agreement with Orton Development that allows the firm to pay $1 annually to operate the Craneway Pavilion, a former Ford plant that was turned into a vehicle assembly site during World War II.
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