Is This The Beginning of the End for Red Hook Bait and Tackle?
It’s safe, if depressing, to operate under the assumption that every good New York dive bar is in danger of closing down at all times. Sadly, we now have another one to keep an eye on: DNAinfo reports this morning that the building that houses Red Hook Bait & Tackle has hit the market for $1.2 million.
Brokers called it “an interesting property,” saying of the neighborhood, “That corridor is really rapidly progressing” (duh). They didn’t comment on the bar’s future (nor have the bar’s owners as of yet), except to say that they’ve gotten “a very strong reception” for the building, which also includes two apartments in need of renovations, as well as a 600-foot-extension behind the property.
The bar is reportedly in the midst of a five-year lease, and it seems likely that its future after that will depend in no small part on whoever ends up buying the building. We’ll keep our fingers crossed this one doesn’t go the way of Jackie’s.
Follow Virginia K. Smith on Twitter @vksmith.