Cafe Workers Stage Occupation of Famous Buenos Aires Writer's Den Turned Nike Store

Workers pose for pictures at the Cafe Richmond in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011. The Richmond, closed by its owners, was taken by workers to protest against its closing. The cafe opened in 1917 and became a favored gathering place for Jorge Luis Borges and other intellectuals. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Carlos Moya, a worker of the Cafe Richmond , shows lockers according to him, destroyed by the movers during the cafe's closing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011. The Richmond, closed by its owners, was taken by workers to protest against its closing. The cafe opened in 1917 and became a favored gathering place for Jorge Luis Borges and other intellectuals. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Laid-off workers are occupying one of the world's most famous literary gathering spots and say they won't leave until they get paid.

The Cafe Richmond in Buenos Aires, a favored gathering place for author Jorge Luis Borges and other intellectuals, is now gone.

Opened in 1917, it became a hang-out for world famous intellectuals as well as chess players. But the elegant cafe lost much of its luster, and most of the tourists crowding Florida Street don't know its history.

Waiters showed up Monday to find the cafe closed down. The owners reportedly plan to rent it out for a Nike store, and have already cleared out all the furniture and historic artifacts.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.