Annnnd… Another Brooklyn Venue Bites the Dust
Another north Brooklyn DIY venue has bitten the dust, as the owners of the Brooklyn Night Bazaar announced today that their landlord has notified them that automobile manufacturer BMW is destined to take over the space this summer. Co-owner of Brooklyn Night Bazaar, Belvly Klein, spoke to Gothamist earlier this afternoon about the situation, and shared some frustrated sentiments about being priced out of Greenpoint, a neighborhood once considered friendly and accommodating to New York’s artistic communities:
You do have to wonder how it’s even possible anymore to operate a venue that doesn’t have massive financial backing. Coming from a punk rock/DIY background personally, to see venue after venue basically fall victim to the same developer/price-you-out scenario is really depressing. And as a native New Yorker, it pisses me off even more to see how unrecognizable this city has, and continues to, become.
Although the venue is giving way for a massive corporate entity to take its place in less than a month, the Bazaar will finish an upcoming spate of shows at the venue in the coming weeks.
And later this summer, after BMW officially sets its shimmering luxury vehicles outside the building near Wythe Ave. and North 15th St., Klein and the rest of the Bazaar staff will move their operations out to the Rockaways, where they’ll orchestrate the Riis Beach Park Bazaar. The beachside festivities promise live rock and other musical performances, along with food, booze and beach chair rentals and games underneath what we hope is a perpetually glistening sun.
