The building was recently sold and the cafe’s lease with the new owners (a couple of Marin) was canceled in June without explanation, Castleman said, just days after the cafe made national headlines at late May for adding a $5 fee for those who ordered food from their cafe while wearing face masks.
castleman said he was in talks to extend the lease for three months through September to allow him to sell his business, but said he refused to sign the agreement when he saw the new terms. Among the conditions included in the month-to-month lease, along with an increase in rent, it is stipulated that “there will be no further business-related advertising, of any kind, regarding the use of masks or vaccinations, and the business will comply with any order.” , laws, or government mandates,” according to a copy of the extension agreement castleman provided to sfgate.
Reading: Fiddlehead’s cafe in mendocino
castleman was also required to avoid making “denigrating or harmful communications or actions or consequences of any kind” that could affect other businesses, the owner and the local community, according to the contract reviewed by sfgate. in addition, he was reportedly asked to remove all “controversial” signs from the cafe’s windows.
“I declined the extension offer due to the extraordinary terms, thus I am forced to move everything out of this location on July 4th (Independence Day),” Castleman wrote to sfgate about the closure. “I view these actions by my landlord as a clear attempt to silence my views and remove me and my clients from the community.”
“The landlord claimed it was ‘business only’ and denied any political motivation for his actions,” Castleman continued. “However, they have rejected my numerous offers to negotiate.”
The owners, for their part, said they have no problem with the castleman ideology. In a statement emailed to sfgate, they wrote, in part:
“We respect and accept the political and personal beliefs of all of our tenants. However, if a tenant’s behavior affects the business of other tenants (by driving customers away from the building) or creates potential liability (for example, fines large, the building the owner is ultimately responsible for or conflict in the community that could result in physical altercations), then it becomes a business decision whether or not to continue with the lease…hours were spent discussing chris castleman with members of the mendocino community and it was clear from the feedback that we were interested in him leaving. out of respect for chris, we will not repeat the strong negative feedback we have heard from the community and the strong advice that he needed to leave as soon as possible.
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“During our assessment, chris castleman created a false narrative that we canceled his month-to-month lease due to a disagreement with his ideology. We received multiple messages, many of them threatening, from his supporters expressing their dismay at that we would not renew. your lease was based on a difference in ideology. this narrative is patently false. this is a business and since we will lose money by deciding to terminate your lease, it is only indicative of the extent to which Mr. Castleman’s beliefs have interfered and added. risk to the business as a whole. We have heard from people in the community who continue to move away from the building as a result of Mr. Castleman, and some have expressed fear.”
castleman claimed he offered to double her rent, pay her rent two years in advance or increase the security deposit from $500 to $10,000 (“because of her ‘liability’ concerns,” castleman wrote) and renovate the shared bathroom in the building for free. , among other offers. Castleman’s owners stated that they do not recall Castleman’s offers for double the amount of rent or to pay two years in advance.
When contacted by phone, castleman said he had made no plans after his business closed this weekend, calling it a “devastating financial loss” and that he is losing his investment by not having the opportunity to sell the business.
“They said they were trying to help me sell my business and that’s why I wouldn’t talk to the press and take down my sign,” Castleman said. “I mean, that’s complete bullshit. If you want to give me advice on selling my business, you could email me or tell me on the phone, don’t put it in a contract.”
In response to questions from sfgate about the lease extension, the new owners wrote that they did not have to provide an extension, “but they did so out of courtesy.”
“we gave him the time he wanted,” they wrote. “in granting his extension, we wanted to make sure mr. castleman was serious about selling his business rather than political fanfare, as we had a vested interest in him getting out of his business, so we added conditions to remove polarizing signs and communications so as not to discourage potential buyers we consulted with real estate agents who confirmed that if castleman was serious about selling his business he would remove the polarizing signage but castleman rejected the extension and prioritized his business over beneath their ideology.
castleman’s actions over the past year have earned him both detractors and supporters as he protested mask mandates during the pandemic. He first made headlines in late June 2020, when he faced two $10,000 citations for violating health orders requiring restaurant employees to wear masks, the North Bay Business Journal reported. Most recently, in April 2021, Castleman offered customers 50% off food orders for throwing away the mask, drawing attention on social media when videos of their offer and banners circulated on TikTok. his last brush with the media was over his $5 mask fee in late May.
fiddleheads cafe is located at 10450 lansing in mendocino. the restaurant posted signs on May 24 saying customers would be charged an additional $5 fee for wearing face masks.
When asked if he had any doubts about his approach to protesting the state’s mask mandate in light of its shutdown, castleman said, “absolutely not.”
“I think if it were to happen again, I’d be more outspoken from the beginning,” Castleman said. “I wouldn’t have waited a few weeks or months. I would have been more direct. I would have called more friends and family into town, and fought [the mask mandate] even harder to stop it from the start, because I think the problem is that we all let this go on for too long and then people were trying to fight it to the bitter end.exiled out of town.
“I can play devil’s advocate and see what I did, and I also don’t want to sound like I’m the victim of losing my business… I can be reasonable enough and understand that I’m definitely out.” of my way of showing my opinions and finally I paid a high price for it, but I think it’s worth it, “he concluded. “I think I wish more people had done it, and maybe they had not been able to highlight a single person.
castleman acknowledged that some of his neighbors in town might be happy with his coffee shop closing, but said he sees it more as a community losing its business, from the farmers he buys lettuce, tomatoes and eggs from even the bakers. who make their bread.
“I think it’s a sad day for everyone,” Castleman said. “I don’t think anyone wins on this stage. I think the townspeople who don’t like me are definitely celebrating and think they’ve won, but look around: what have you won? You’ve won an empty store.” in the historic district that won’t be crowded for a while. you have gained a less diverse and less tolerant community. what benefit could that have? …so I don’t really get who wins in this scenario.”
Editor’s Note: This story was updated at 10:25 AM. m. June 30 to include responses from new owners. they asked sfgate not to use their names for security reasons.
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