"India Queen owed a very substantial amount of back rent, and [Jaymark Properties owner] Jay Campion finally got court approval to evict them from the site," Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin said.
India Queen's inability to pay rent came on top of several other problems, Griffin noted.
"They had a number of issues over the years, with cleanliness, and over serving of alcohol," Griffin said. "But the fundamental reason they closed was owing well over a year in back rent."
No specific business has expressed serious interest yet in taking over India Queen's former space, according to a representative of Jaymark Properties.
"We do not have a specific tenant yet, but it will most likely be another restaurant," a Jaymark Properties representative said.
Several factors, including timing and the national recession, have contributed to the continued vacancy, according to Griffin.
"This post-Christmas time period is always a slower period for our merchants," Griffin said. "We are waiting to see how they fare coming out of this downturn. People aren't sure how Dartmouth's downsizing is going to affect things so they are holding off on spending money."
Due to its visibility, India Queen's former location is one of the more prominent empty spaces in town, according to Griffin. It is among several properties the town government and local businesses hope to find occupants for.
"We have some storefronts in town that are more challenging to fill, that have been vacant for more than a year," Griffin said. "The space in the alley behind the Hanover Inn is partially subterranean, and it has been empty for more than two years."
Other empty properties in town have trouble attracting buyers because they are difficult to notice, Griffin said.
"There is some space in the Mascoma [Savings Bank] building that is also a bit subterranean," Griffin said. "It is not clearly visible from the street and consequently it is perceived as harder to attract retail customers to that location."
Even above-ground properties, however, have been affected by the lack of buyers in Hanover.
"Jim Rubens, who owns the Hanover Park building, has a second floor space that Quiznos used to occupy and left about 9 months ago," Griffin said. "Even though it has windows on Lebanon Street, it still is not filled."
While India Queen's former lot is a great location, according to Griffin, it may be some time before it and other empty properties are occupied.
"In this economy, it is even more difficult to fill places," she said.
India Queen had been a social hub in Hanover since its opening in 1998, and was known for its hookah bar and colorful proprietor, Bhavnesh Kaushik.
Kaushik could not be reached for comment about the closing by press time.
