Slopers Rally Against Alleged 'Gentleman's Club'
Last night it was Park Slope vs. Prime 6, as neighbors rallied at the CB6 meeting against the under-construction restaurant rumored to be a gentleman’s club. The owner of the spot, Akiva Ofshtein, came with his attorney to explain that Prime 6 will not be a gentleman’s club, rather a restaurant with a backyard, basement…
Last night it was Park Slope vs. Prime 6, as neighbors rallied at the CB6 meeting against the under-construction restaurant rumored to be a gentleman’s club. The owner of the spot, Akiva Ofshtein, came with his attorney to explain that Prime 6 will not be a gentleman’s club, rather a restaurant with a backyard, basement lounge and VIP room. He called the anonymous accusations and protest fliers passed around the neighborhood “cowardly.” What got Slopers really upset was the proposed closing time (11pm for backyard, 4am for the bar); the possibility of bottle service; the proposed occupancy of 230 people; and the suggestion this could be “the new home for the Brooklyn Nets.” (The “sultry young women” on the resaurant’s Myspace also got a shout out; the owner claims not to have seen the Myspace or main site.) As Hope Reichbach, who reps Steve Levin, said, “To have a restaurant for the Atlantic Yards crowd is different than to have a restaurant for this community.” Many complaints also arose from resident’s experiences with the uncleanliness of the construction site itself.
Despite the anger, Prime 6 has already been approved for a liquor license, not by CB6 but by the SLA. The board made a recommendation to start a dialog with the SLA and ask them to reconsider the license. The board also encouraged the owner of Prime Six to start a more constructive dialog with the community, although Slope residents accused the owner of being “a difficult person to deal with” and “disingenuous.” Only time will tell what’s in the future for Prime 6 in Park Slope….
By NYGuy7 on March 2, 2011 10:42 AM
“Did anyone see that awesome petition by some woman saying they should change the place to “indie” music?”
Strippers can dance to indie music as well as to any other genre.
Did anyone see that awesome petition by some woman saying they should change the place to “indie” music?
> the warm cocoon of Polhemus place
Just wanted to say I loved that turn of phrase.
the reason people in the neighborhood called it a ‘gentleman’s club’ is because that’s what the construction workers told them it was going to be. since the owner(s) completely avoided talking to anyone in the community, and the website mentioned stuff like ‘private champagne rooms’ and bottle service, people went with the information they had.
the owner could have nipped that issue in the bud by being, well, available and informing people who were inquiring about the business.
i’ve lived on this block for a while. and every time a business has been in the process of opening, i’ll stop by and ask the owner what the place is going to be. and they’re all ‘oh, it’s going to be a gourmet hotdog place’ or ‘a bike shop’ or ‘a coffee house’ or whatever. this guy said ‘i don’t want to talk to people or answer emails’, so people asked the construction crew and they said ‘gentleman’s club’.
it’s understandable.
as an aside, is it common to have to wait an hour for comments to show up, or is that just when you sign up?
So far the “community” has done nothing but bitch and moan. About the fact that the place has received a liquor license using the law and calling the place a “gentleman’s club” when it doesn’t seem like that at all. It’s a restaurant and a bar with an outdoor area. I guess because of the friends the facebook page has, people have decided to call it a gentlemans club. Not really sure.
Perhaps the owner is disgusted by the way he’s being treated by “the community” before the place even OPENS!
No excuse about the snow on the sidewalk, but plenty of OPEN businesses on 7th and 5th Avenues didn’t shovel their sidewalk in a timely manner and the owners were standing a few feet away inside their stores.
The good thing is that the 78th Pct. is quite near by.
The pavement outside was unshoveled for far too long – that the dog tripped isn’t germane but that the owners don’t give a damn about maintaining the sidewalk is indicative of their community involvement.
lol, i guess everyone in the neighborhood is all the same to you?
sadly no, i’m not the one you’re thinking of. i have a child. a child is not a dog. sorry to have to explain that to you.
Welcome to Brownstoner, schwankmoe!
I’m sorry to hear your dog slipped on the ice of Prime 6’s sidewalk!!