Nicole Guzzardi

Wendy Barrett, the owner of Village Scandal, failed to make a court-ordered payment of almost $22,000 in back rent to her landlord Tuesday, and was “scared to death” of getting thrown on the street. But yesterday, she secured a small victory when a civil court judge granted a stay of eviction until a Nov. 27 hearing.

“I’m working on raising the money,” said Ms. Barrett, adding that she had secured about $6,300 so far. The hat shop’s landlord claims Ms. Barrett owes close to $130,000 in back rent and real estate taxes, according to her lawyer. She vigorously disputes the amount, and is suing her landlord and management company for $10 million in State Supreme Court.

Ms. Barrett said she needed two or three weeks to raise the court-ordered amount. “This is my last hope,” she said.

Her lawyer, Jonathan Zimet, remains confident in her case. “There’s every reason to believe that Village Scandal will not be evicted for non-payment of rent, since the facts indicate she has paid rent that covers its obligations well into the future,” he said.