It's official: Brooklyn Bazaar closing at the end of November; owners planning new projects
The rumors have been confirmed: Brooklyn Bazaar is closing its 150 Greenpoint Ave location at the end of November. The venue opened in the former Polonaise Terrace location in September of 2016. Co-owners Belvy Klein & Aaron Broudo released a statement, saying “we have tried endlessly to negotiate a new lease extension and term but the landlord has been ridiculously unreasonable, with their final offer only being a month to month extension – which makes programming (from tours to weddings) and operation essentially impossible.” They also note that this is “literally like fucking Groundhog Day for us,” given that their previous location, Brooklyn Night Bazaar, was forced to close in 2015 when a BMW dealership took over their Norman Ave space. You can read more below.
They do note “it was a good run” and on the good news front, they will continue operations at Riis Park in the Rockaways, which will soon include “the immense Bathhouse Lodge hotel and venue project;” that begins construction this winter. Klein and Broudo will open a new restaurant/bar, McCarren Parkhouse, in Greenpoint that is “slated to break ground in summer 2021.” As they say, stay tuned. Read their whole statement about Brooklyn Bazaar closing below.
“BKB au revoir Polonaise” – Belvy Klein & Aaron Broudo
WE’RE OUT (AGAIN) After 3 years and thousands of shows, events, fundraisers, benefits, podcasts, weddings and everything in between, Brooklyn Bazaar’s stay at Polonaise Terrace is coming to an end. We are extremely bummed to announce that Brooklyn Bazaar will be closing its 150 Greenpoint Ave location at the completion of our current lease, which expires on November 30, 2019. We have tried endlessly to negotiate a new lease extension and term but the landlord has been ridiculously unreasonable, with their final offer only being a month to month extension – which makes programming (from tours to weddings) and operation essentially impossible.”
STATEMENT So NYC real estate once again gets to kick us to the curb. Joy. “I guess this is what you get when you keep convincing yourself that signing short term leases are a good idea. We were naive enough to actually (foolishly) think that this time would be different, this time the landlords would be reasonable, this time they’d work with us…but nope, surprise! I know I’ve said this before but this city (particularly the private real estate sector) really, really makes it tough for independent venues and businesses to survive, let alone succeed. OK, sure NYC lost it’s soul years ago and I get that, but being a native New York kid, it’s extra frustrating to see your city eat it’s own over and over and over again. I mean this is literally like fucking Groundhog Day for us. But it is what it is.” -Belvy Klein & Aaron Broudo, Co Owners, Brooklyn Bazaar LLC
THIS WAS A GOOD RUN It would take forever and a day to go through all the amazing stuff we’ve had here these last 3 years. But we’ll take a quick shot. From punk institutions like Black Flag and GBH to genre breakers like Princess Nokia and Laura Jane Grace to comics like Michael Che, Dave Atell, Gilbert Godfrey and Jeanne Garaffello, Brooklyn Bazaar always (happily) pushed the envelope. It’s been awesome to see local bands like Hank Wood and Show Me The Body grow into powerhouses. Awesome to host super cool markets like Oddities year after year. Barely (just) pulling off opening night with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! Walking this eerie (pre renovation) , dilapidated shell of a space and knowing instantly A Place To Bury Strangers were born to play Halloween here. Constant benefits and fundraisers during the age of Trump were a given. It was always special hosting legends like The Chameleons, Agnostic Front, Lydia Lunch, Dagnasty, Christian Death, Cockney Rejects, Eyehategod or The Adolescents. Always great getting to see some of our favorite bands of the last 10 years like The Bronx, Priests, Daughters, The Spits and Marked Men just bring the house down. Podcasts with GWAR. Sold out festivals like Black & Blue Ball and Skankfest. Amazing 3 floor DJ takeovers like The Lot Radio, Emo Night Brooklyn and Jonathan Toubin’s Soul Clap…there’s just so many awesome memories. Shit, Belvy even had his wedding party here, so saying goodbye gets extra personal and painful.
THANK YOU We want to thank all the rad bar staff, sound techs, door people, bookers, security, food operators and promoters who helped make this incarnation of Brooklyn Bazaar so special and memorable – you guys are all incredible and none of this could have happened without you. Will Brooklyn Bazaar return with another large scale space in Brooklyn? Probably. But this will be the last short term lease this company ever signs. Lesson learned. We have a killer run of final shows and events through November 30 as well as hosting a new burger pop-up here for these last 8 weeks.
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT We will continue operations at Riis Park in Rockaway for years to come, both on the boardwalk and with the immense Bathhouse Lodge hotel and venue project, beginning construction later this coming winter. We also will be opening a restaurant and bar in McCarren Park, with McCarren Parkhouse slated to break ground in summer 2021. There are multiple other potential projects and opportunities on the Brooklyn Bazaar radar as well. Stay tuned.
