'Their pockets will hurt': Wealthy communities threaten boycott over Gypsy Tea Room closure

Grey Lynn and Westmere residents are threatening to boycott Barfoot & Thompson and take their future property sales elsewhere as opposition mounts to the closure of the Gypsy Tea Room. 

At a packed community meeting on Wednesday night, supporters vowed to “protest with their pockets”, arguing the bar’s forced departure from its Richmond Rd home would cost jobs, damage a cherished institution and erase a piece of Auckland hospitality history. 

While supporters accuse Barfoot & Thompson of forcing the bar out, the real estate agency says it spent 12 months working with the tenant and exploring options before deciding to move ahead with its plans. 

Director Stephen Barfoot told the Herald his firm had gone “above and beyond” in an effort to engage with the bar and find a compromise that could accommodate it. 

However, these efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, and the company was now “looking to move forward”. 

“While we appreciate that some people will be disappointed by our decision, our position remains unchanged.” 

The bar is due to pour its last drinks at the end of August, which is when Barfoot & Thompson, the building’s owners, plan to begin redeveloping the premises. 

“If the Gypsy moves, it will no longer be the Gypsy,” local and avid patron Richard Upton told the 200-strong crowd on Wednesday at the Grey Lynn Returned Services Club. 

“What [Barfoot and Thompson] are doing is wrong,” Upton claimed. 

“The community wants it to stay where it is.” 

The proposed option for Gypsy Tea Room was to set up somewhere else in the area. But the crowd was adamant the bar must remain where it is. 

Th’ Dudes’ Peter Urlich is a major supporter of Gypsy Tea Room and helped run the meeting last night. Photo / Corey Flemming 

Th’ Dudes’ Peter Urlich ran the PowerPoint presentation as Upton and co-owner Brett Simeti rallied the crowd. 

Simeti said a few words through tears, thanking the community for the huge amount of support. 

“This is an incredible sign of a community standing together for something we love.” 

About 3000 people had also signed a petition in support of the business. 

Upton asked the crowd to raise their hands if they owned a property in either Westmere or Grey Lynn, which the vast majority of the room did. Then he called on those people to keep their hands raised if they refused to use Barfoot & Thompson as their realtors. Nobody dropped their hands. 

“Their pockets will hurt,” Upton said. 

Local and avid patron Richard Upton speaks to the packed Grey Lynn Returned Services Club. Photo / Corey Flemming 

Upton encouraged the crowd to email Stephen Barfoot directly with their house CV to make it clear the money the firm could miss out on. 

Other suggestions from the crowd included crowdfunding to buy the premises and stage physical sit-ins at other Barfoot & Thompson locations. 

A joke was made about Ulrich leading the charge to create a We Are the World-style track to raise money for the cause, but this was quickly rejected by the hall-of-famer with a chuckle. 

“What about us? What about our customers? What about the community you serve?” Upton said. 

The crowd booed when talk turned to rumours about what might replace their beloved bar, such as a cafe or Barfoot & Thompson office. 

Around 200 people packed into the Grey Lynn RSC last night to come up with an action plan to keep their beloved bar in its original home. Photo / Corey Flemming 

More boos sounded when slides were shown with listings of recent home sales from the agency, which used Gypsy Tea Room’s proximity as a selling point for the multimillion-dollar Grey Lynn properties. 

“It is just hypocritical,” Upton said. 

Barfoot told the Herald that after a year of engaging with the owners, going “above and beyond” with communication a typical tenant could expect, the real estate agency was looking to move forward. 

“Our position has been communicated clearly and fully, particularly with the affected tenant over an extended period of 12 months. 

“This includes attempts to find a workable solution that met their needs and several different potential design plans.” 

Auckland's iconic Gypsy Tea Room will pour its last drinks at the end of August. Photo / Annaleise Shortland 

Barfoot said he would have “welcomed” the opportunity for Gypsy Tea Room to remain part of the building. 

“While there are differing perspectives on those discussions, we remain comfortable that we have acted in good faith and communicated our intentions clearly.” 

His firm worked to find a solution “that balanced our requirements as the building owner with the tenant’s needs”, but it was not possible for the bar to remain in the current location. 

“That option was declined by Gypsy Tea Room and is no longer available.” 

Neither he nor a representative attended this week’s meeting, but he said this was not a reflection of the importance they placed on community values.