Green Onion Closes Amid Rumors of Defaulted Payments

After weeks lying dormant behind its pull-down gate, , the children's boutique at 274 Smith Street, is officially closed for business, said the landlord.

Carroll Gardens Patch visited the retail space Tuesday afternoon to investigate rumors of the shop's owner defaulting on rent payments. While the pull-down gate had finally been lifted, the windows of the storefront have since been covered in brown paper and landlords Jaime Rivera and wife Aida Rivera were inside packing up all of the boutique's unsold inventory.

When asked whether the rumors of owed back rent were true, Rivera said he was unable to discuss the details as they are in the middle of litigation with the store's owner, Elliesha Villanueva.

"She hasn't responded to any efforts by lawyers to contact her," he acknowledged.

A legal notice hung on the front entrance ominously states that the property has been seized. But for his part, Rivera appeared rather unfazed.

"We've already had a lot of interested people stopping by to see the space," he said. "I'd like to get another shop in here."

Attempts to reach out to the owner of The Green Onion yielded no response.