Rue Lafayette closes

Rue Lafayette, the Lafayette Square cafe and boutique that featured live jazz regularly on weekends, has closed. According to reports published today on STLtoday and the website of St. Louis magazine, the closing is a byproduct of divorce proceedings between proprietress Araceli Kopiloff and her co-owner and soon-to-be-ex-husband.

The venue (pictured) had presented live jazz during Saturday and Sunday brunch and on occasional evenings, featuring retro jazz and swing performers such as Miss Jubilee, the Sidemen, Wack-A-Doo, and others. Miss Jubilee, who had been playing at brunch there most Sundays, now will move over to a regular slot on that day at BB's Jazz Blues and Soups, performing weekly from noon to 4:00 p.m beginning this coming Sunday, February 17.

The St. Louis magazine story said, "Kopiloff confided that she has attempted a variety of measures to keep Rue Lafayette open, including selling the business to a third party, but no agreement has yet been reached." A post on Kopiloff's Facebook page, since deleted, also mentioned the possibility of reopening under new management. Watch this space for news of any further developments.