CB1 to Burg Bar: We Hate You, Don't Leave Us
The owners of a Williamsburg bar that’s frequently incurred the ire of neighbors came to the conclusion that the only way to appease the ‘hood was to put a cork in their business. Just one hitch: Community Board 1 has been making it almost impossible for the owners to close shop (according to the owners)….
The owners of a Williamsburg bar that’s frequently incurred the ire of neighbors came to the conclusion that the only way to appease the ‘hood was to put a cork in their business. Just one hitch: Community Board 1 has been making it almost impossible for the owners to close shop (according to the owners). Since opening three years ago on Bedford and North 11th, hip-hop bar Triple Crown‘s been on the receiving end of tons of noise complaints and has frequently been ticketed by police officers. Its owners say the complaints and ticketing continued even after they spent nearly $40,000 in early ’05 to soundproof and reconfigure the bar’s space. They decided to get out of the bar game about a year ago since the constant fines were making it nearly impossible for them to turn a profit. “We were never making a lot of money,” says Myles Tipley, who partnered with his cousin Kit Tipley and friend Michael Pappalardo to open Triple Crown. “And then as soon as we’d start doing well, we’d get fines. It was just really frustrating.”
But the trio’s frustrations didn’t end there…
because after finding someone who wanted to buy out their lease, they had to contend with the community board (which issues recommendations to the state about whether or not businesses should get liquor licenses). When the lease’s prospective buyer attended a CB1 meeting with Triple Crown’s owners around a year ago, he was reportedly scared away from the purchase by a group of residents who showed up to badmouth the establishment, according to Tipley, who adds that many people wore shirts reading “Kill Triple Crown.” In an article published in a Courier-Life paper last month (see scanned copy on jump), the chair of CB1’s public safety committee said board members opposed the sale both because they were wary of having another bar in the space and because they wanted to stop the bar’s owners from recouping their investments. In particular, Pappalardo had run afoul of the board because of his “obnoxious” behavior at CB meetings, according to a board member, who also said that “he has so antagonized his neighbors that it’s totally personal at this point.” The bar’s owners spent the next several months trying to secure another buyer for their lease and finally found someone who said he wanted to open up a bar that wouldn’t play ear-splitting music. Despite these stated intentions, CB1 narrowly voted against recommending a new liquor license for the space last month and is set to vote on the matter again next month. Tipley says he and his partners have been confused by the board’s actions and that the experience has soured them on being small business owners. “We just want to walk away from it,” he says. Anyone intimately acquainted with the other side of the story? GMAP
I am Polish and am complaining. No, not about a race thing. About noise. I used to live on the block of 11th and Bedford and it was loud AND the neighbors did complain directly before calling the cops. Guess what? Plenty of other bars in Brooklyn – I was here long before anyone else posting here – that aren’t getting noise complaints.
The other night I was up at the place next to 186 Bedford and they music was loud and guess what? Doors weren’t open the whole front end was wide open. Certain bar owners are bringing it down for everyone.
You want to live. What about people that want to sleep? I guess screw them is your attitude.
Hmm, 5:13 maybe it’s some of these folks on this video!
http://www.thenewpop.com/nyc-details.php?cid=175
This is Lindsey, folks sign this petition if you’re so inclined. Thanks for your support of us!
Strange how many people are pleading for letting these poor guys out of their lease. Gee, I wonder who these posters are?
I miss the old-New York where self righteous yuppies who moved to Brooklyn and complained about noise got the gasface. Is anyone here from Brooklyn? A noise complaint in BK!!? In Williamsburg? I know the Polish aren’t complaining. If you want quite, move upstate. This is absolutely a race issue. If it was white-rocker kids with tight jeans hanging out drunk and smoking cigarettes then it wouldn’t be that big of a deal (been down Bedford lately?). This is why there is no room left in NY for actual New Yorkers. Thanking you, you complaining dickheads for ruining my borough. I don’t mean to come off venomous but this is depressing.
I have to say I found this pretty shocking.
As a native that found a home in the Burg for 6-7 years, I welcomed new establishments such as Triple Crown. Eventually, I befriended several of the guys there, and have to say they are amongst the nicest and most genuine guys around. All it seemed they ever wanted to do was yes, bring a little of what they felt was their ‘culture’ to a place that was lacking in the hip-hop department. And for a while it was a formula that was a success! They had great artists from all over the world come and decorate the interior and exteriors, and WORLD-CLASS dj’s played every week. That IS culture, although it may not be Maehler’s 5th.
I understand that for many residents this would have been a bother. As someone that previously lived in the city above downtown’s manic hotspot HAPPY ENDINGS, I feel the pain. But all this makes me wonder–what the fuck is happening to NYC???? It used to be you wanted quiet, you moved to Long Island, Jersey City, etc.
I live in London now, and I miss the sense of activity and free, open interaction that only NYC can provide. Or does it do that anymore? Manhattan is now teeming with bourgeois baby carriages and massive queues at the Starbucks. Brooklyn, it seemed, was the new Manhattan. Guess not! The wild manic, city I have always loved has lost its erection.
Let the poor guys out of their lease. Ship the residents to Shangri-fucking-la.
I find it interesting that the community board is fixating on one of the bar owners and it’s very telling that they say it’s not personal, but are punishing these young men for the mistakes of one. Be reasonable and humane and let these young men sell the business and move on. Maybe this old adage will strike a chord with those who are making this a personal vendetta “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”
Please someone (10:44, 11:25) explain how TC lied to the community. How could they ever mislead the police?? How is that quote about bringing culture to the neighborhood proof that they only care about themselves? Why are you so angry if you’re not one of the neighbors??
Also, stop by Triple Crown and then look at their web page http://www.triplecrownpage.com. If you look at the old photos on their page and then at the bar now, you’ll see that the exposed brick on the walls is now covered by sound proofing. Take a look at the ceiling and also note that it’s lowered with soundproofing and the places in he ceiling where the old speakers were replaced with smaller speakers. That is if Triple Crown is even open at all. As of now my friends, the owners, barely open Triple Crown to try to make things right with the neighbors. They all work elsewhere to pay the rent at Triple Crown (sad). One of the owners just got married and he and his wife put all of their wedding money into the business to keep it open while the CB take out this personal vendetta. Also note that the inhabitants of the adjacent apartments were offered to be put up in a hotel while their units were sound proofed as well (they declined the offer). When Triple Crown was open more frequently, they were ONLY open Wednesday – Saturday again to make things right with the neighbors. They also hired a door man who would send smokers around the corner or across the street. The door man also made sure the door was closed as soon as people came in and out. Also, if you did attend that CB meeting you’d know that people were yelling about loud hip hop music, people running out of the bar with guns in hand and someone said they found hypodermic needles. Wild! One man at a later meeting exclaimed that the loud hip hop killed his wife! I just think that if the CB were really interested in a solution they would relax a little bit and talk to the owners who are really reasonable and just let them out. They only want to make everyone happy. Why would they not try to fix the problem if they were getting many visits and fines from the cops? That makes no sense. They tried their best to run their business and turn a profit while making the neighbors happy. But as you can read for yourself in that article, it’s not about that. It’s personal and they do not want to see my friends recoup their investment. The owners are the nicest of guys, they ran an honest business and were so friendly. I refuse to believe that anyone came to them and asked them about this problem with a resolution in mind.
You teach em Williamsburg! Don’t bring those brown and black people to YOUR neighborhood!
Anybody here ever hear the old saying “We’re all on a lake and someone’s making waves”? This bar continually made waves. I lived up the street. Nice soundproofing. Then they leave the doors open. We all gotta live together. Not screw each other. You turn down the music at 2 am so the other guy won’t play polka music at 7 am. It’s not a white black thing. It’s when you keep pissin on the rug. What’s gonna happen. You get rid of the dog.
There are no other bars with a majority black clientle in in the burg. And Ive in the area for about 4 years and no bar in the area is what I would call racially mixed. Savallas…come on maybe 10 black folks at most….Royal Oak….Ha!……Onion Pool….yore kidding me. Billy Burg Is a Midwestern/New England College town for tattooed crowed. If you say differently your smoking paint. Bembe is on the wayyy south south side and is in a non residential area.
The CB is being spiteful and do not want another bar located at 108 Bedford period. The owners just want to sell and leave. The sale is good, they just need to transfer the liquor liscence, and you guys can have another boring dive bar. The owners character should not be in question in this issue period.
This is a pretty cut and dry issue.
Either let them sell to the new owner who respectful to the neighborhood, or the TC will have to resume buisness to recap its losses.
As far as noise is concerned. I understand. They screwed up when designing the place to begin with. So the the CB should stop being spiteful and just let them sell. Problem solved. The new owners want to open a quiet bar from what I understand.
Conclusion: The CB: powerless mostly elderly , want the owners to pay for past transgressions by blocking the sale and causing a large financial loss.
My guess is this will be over soon.