Vice & Virtue ready to open its doors to public
Bar and restaurant fills Pinhead Susan’s space, plans grand opening Tuesday
SCHENECTADY — After a “minor setback,” a bar and restaurant looking to replace longtime pub Pinhead Susan’s is ready to open, its owners say.
Vice & Virtue first announced it would open in fall 2023, before missing that deadline after owner Timothy Rankins withdrew the restaurant’s liquor license application on Oct. 5. It will open to limited reservations on Friday, a post on its Facebook page announced last week. A grand opening will be held Tuesday, its website says.
“After a minor delay, we are ready to open!” the post said with a laughing emoji. “Our team has poured their heart and soul into this project, and we are thrilled to start serving our community.”
Pictures show marble countertop bars and plush chairs under lit-up lyrics to Notorious B.I.G.’S song “Juicy,” along with artwork of the late rapper. Its website says it offers an “upscale yet down-toearth atmosphere, designed for those who appreciate quality, consistency, and a strong sense of community.”
Calls, emails and messages to Rankins and the restaurant have not been returned.
The business submitted for a license on Nov. 20 — this time under principles Julie Moscheo and Christopher Campanella — according to the State Liquor Authority. A temporary retail permit was issued while the main license awaits approval. Temporary permits are valid for 90 days, and one, two or three 30-day extensions can be requested. The Daily Gazette identified Moscheo as a coowner of the business.
It’s not clear why Rankins withdrew the initial liquor license application. It required
approval by the full SLA board, SLA spokesman Patrick Garrett previously told the Times Union, noting the SLA is required to hold a hearing for applicants within 500 feet of at least three businesses already serving alcohol in municipalities of 20,000 people or more. The North Broadway establishment, just blocks from Proctors theater and Movieland, is surrounded by bars and restaurants in downtown Schenectady.
Previously denied applications could also have been a factor. Rankins was a longtime operator of bars and restaurants in downtown Albany before going on to found mixed martial arts promoter Cage Wars. In 2008, his bar Pearl Restaurant & Lounge lost its liquor license after a raid reportedly discovered underage drinkers.
Pinhead Susan’s operated for around 20 years at 38-40 North Broadway before it closed last April. It was among the first new dining and drinking establishments that inaugurated the return of entertainment into the city’s downtown commercial hub.
In 2011, Rankins was sentenced to six months in jail and five years of probation after pleading to charges of failure to pay sales taxes at the Pearl Restaurant & Lounge.
He’d been acquitted weeks earlier of a misdemeanor charge alleging he arranged to have a professional fighter and his brother assault Times Union reporter Steve Barnes in 2008. Criminal history was not noted as a factor when the SLA reviewed Vice & Virtue’s initial application.