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June 23, 2009
Williamsburg Hipsters Aren't All Rich Kids After All
New York Magazine pops The Times' bubble about the real demographic reality of Williamsburg. Despite the fact that its most visible residents make easy targets with their skinny jeans and facial hair, Williamsburg is in fact no hotbed of trustfunddom. In fact, Williamsburg's residents are by and large in worse financial shape than most New Yorkers. In 2005, for example, almost half of those living within the bounds of Community Board 1 were getting some kind of social assistance and the area's median income is almost 20 less than the city as a whole; less than 3 percent of households were bringing in over $200,000 a year. Concludes the New York article, "The reality of Williamsburg, beyond the mythical trust-funders, is that it is a community of people mostly struggling to get by, with a few wealthy residents grabbing headlines — the way New York has always been."
Beyond Hipsters: Williamsburg’s Tough Economic Realities [New York]
Parental Lifelines, Frayed to Breaking [NY Times]
Dose of Reality for Trust Fund Kids [Brownstoner]
Photo by Eric Graham
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Comments
This doesn't surprise me. Partially because I read it yesterday, but I digress.
What is surprising to me is that the neighborhood is able to support so many high end restaurants/bars and boutiques. Many more than areas with a much more affluent population.
This means to me that lots of these are going to close up, or that the relatively few wealthy residents sure do like to consume a whole heck of a lot.
Posted by: 11217 at June 23, 2009 11:20 AM
Old census data. Williamsburg has changed a lot since 2004/2005....maybe not for the better though. :)
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at June 23, 2009 11:21 AM
ugh 11217. you mean like park slope? why dont you just come out and say it. :-/
newsflash, there are poor people in park slope too. ME!
ayaaa
*rob*
Posted by: PitbullNYC at June 23, 2009 11:25 AM
Who says that someone on unemployemnt/public assistance who's out of work isn't going to the bar? Wiilliamsburgh has plently of low-end bars and food est, certainly cheaper than Manhattan. There's a difference between trendy and high-end. Prices in north Park Slope are probably higher, just not as hip/young.
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at June 23, 2009 11:26 AM
Rob, calm down. Park Slope is much less affluent than a lot of people like to think it is. Like Williamsburg, the wealthy few grab all the headlines. I'm certainly by no means wealthy you realize.
And Park Slope has MORE than enough nice boutiques/shops and restaurants already. We don't need more.
You have so many chips on your shoulder, I don't even know how you walk.
Posted by: 11217 at June 23, 2009 11:28 AM
What hasn't changed in Williamsburg is the large Satmar community, many of whose members receive public assistance and live in public housing on the south side. And many people come from outside of Williamsburg to go to those restaurants and shops -- even from Manhattan!
Posted by: babs at June 23, 2009 11:29 AM
i think williamsburg gets a lot more folks coming in from manhattan to hang out/eat/buy things than, say, park slope or boerum hill.
Posted by: i disagree at June 23, 2009 11:30 AM
Yes, the tourist element and those coming in from Manhattan must help. I was out in Williamsburg over the weekend and parts of Metropolitan Avenue felt like Times Square. I just couldn't get over how many people were out. It was truly shocking. Throngs of kids screaming and yelling everywhere.
It was fun though. Wouldn't want to live in it, but a good time for going out, sure.
Posted by: 11217 at June 23, 2009 11:33 AM
The hipsters represent a small part of the community board-- not to mention that if they're trustafarians the don't have income... they just have access to money-- which is a HUGE difference.
Posted by: havelc at June 23, 2009 11:36 AM
Not sure what was the point of the NYMag article (generally I like DailyIntel as well). It seems to just state the obvious in a rather preachy manner.
They even got the Gossip Girl analogy wrong - Chuck Bass would never be seen dead in Williamsburg.
Posted by: etson at June 23, 2009 11:43 AM
"The hipsters represent a small part of the community board-- not to mention that if they're trustafarians the don't have income... they just have access to money-- which is a HUGE difference. "
If they do have these large trust funds you speak of - they have to report interest as income.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 11:49 AM
Retail rents in Williamsburg were a pretty good deal for a long time, and since most of the storefrontage was vacant, opening a business wasn't a hard thing to do. That's why there are so many, I think, although I'd expect to see a lot more closing as leases expire. Because it was sort of a retail vacuum, most of Bedford and Metropolitan ave. got developed in line with the "new" demographic.
Posted by: Heather at June 23, 2009 11:49 AM
" I think, although I'd expect to see a lot more closing as leases expire. Because it was sort of a retail vacuum, most of Bedford and Metropolitan ave. got developed in line with the "new" demographic."
The trend I've seen is as leases expire, businesses that have been in the neighborhood are leaving, being replaced by owners of Manhattan establishments - as retail rents in Williamsburg are still MUCH lower then other gentrified brooklyn neighborhoods, and ALOT lower than downtown manhattan.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 11:53 AM
CB1 includes Greenpoint, and all of Williamsburg, including very large Orthodox Jewish and Latino populations, and a lot of public housing. So I don't think the hipsters are the ones in CB1 who aren't rich.
As has been pointed out repeatedly, the median household income in Brooklyn is less than $41,000, even though everyone posting on Brownstoner earns a mid-six figure income working in the arts.
Posted by: Sparafucile at June 23, 2009 12:08 PM
Sparafucile- don't I wish!!!! :-)
Posted by: bxgrl at June 23, 2009 12:31 PM
"This means to me that lots of these are going to close up, or that the relatively few wealthy residents sure do like to consume a whole heck of a lot."
From my observation - the upscale Williamsburg establishments are frequented by people outside the neighborhood (at least on the weekend). The usual suspects (marlow, diner, dressler, rye, zenkichi, delmano) are packed on the weekends.
There are, however alot of great places that have been absolutely dead lately (DBA, DOC Wine Bar) - so it's definitely hit or miss.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 12:31 PM
From a rare short-sighted perspective (toot toooooot), without even reading the comments and piece, I guess it's what What said, 10 to an apartment. Spiking rents/comps. Until Lehman that is.
***Bid half off peak comps***
Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at June 23, 2009 12:32 PM
The poor hipsters most likely patronize all those successful places that offer free pizza with your pint of beer. And why do you think PBR is sooooooo popular? As far as people coming in from elsewhere to dine and drink, every time I pass Sea on my way to Academy records, you see every type of non-hipster you can imagine from all over, especially packed on weekends.
Posted by: Escape From The Planet Of The What at June 23, 2009 12:37 PM
Oh - and mark my words - Meeker Ave btw Metro and Graham will be the next bar/restaurant row - there's currently 5 establishments in the works, and 3 have opened in the past 3 months.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 12:39 PM
"The poor hipsters most likely patronize all those successful places that offer free pizza with your pint of beer."
The Charleston and The Alligator are crowded on the weekends, but hipsters tend to frequent Royal Oak, Union Pool, K&M, The Levee on the weekends for the free dance parties, or the hookup scene.
Also, PBR is becoming passe - seeing more cans of Schlitz, Miller High Life, Black Label etc.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 12:42 PM
Chassidim and Latinos, like Sparafucile said.
Posted by: VipVop at June 23, 2009 12:50 PM
Sorry but little confused about the new restaurant row. where is that location? Meeker Ave between Graham and Metropolitan? is that possible?
Posted by: king of the burg at June 23, 2009 1:00 PM
Yeah - there's a few spots being renovated now on Meeker (under the BQE) - as well as a few less then a half block away. Seems like an odd location but i suppose the rents are cheap.
There are alot of empty former office spaces all along meeker.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 1:08 PM
The beer distributor is gone?
And Sparafucile, haha. I heart you.
Posted by: Heather at June 23, 2009 1:18 PM
The term "hipster" became completely irrelevant and out of the meme pool at LEAST 5 years ago. There are NO "hipsters" in Williamsburg any more. And just because "hipsters" are not ~trust fund~kids does not mean that the majority of these people aren't completely bankrolled by Mom and Dad. I also question their data and how they confirmed the financial status of these, um..."hipsters".
And since we're on the subject, why does anyone care any more?
Posted by: Prodigal_Son at June 23, 2009 1:20 PM
"The beer distributor is gone?"
Nah - it's still there. A few places opened up on Graham, a few steps down from Meeker (across from R Bar) - There's also a place in the process of being renovated on the corners of Meeker, Withers and Lorimer. I've also seen a few of those community notices of places along Meeker that are applying for a liquor license with the CB.
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 1:43 PM
Black Label! I remember that from college. How retro 80s.
Posted by: mopar at June 23, 2009 1:45 PM
Unfortunately, brands like PBR and Black Label were sold to larger breweries when the original brewers shut down. So the current beers are made by different brewers, to a different recipe. Only the label is the same.
Not that it's really a great loss. The truth is that stuff wasn't really any good back in the 1980s, but it did fit a high school kid's budget. Although I was partial to Colt 45, Schlitz Malt Liquor (the BULL!) and when I was really trying to get wasted on the cheap, the true rotgut malt liquors like Coqui 900 and Country Club.
Posted by: Sparafucile at June 23, 2009 2:38 PM
Brownstoner - your headline is TOTALLY misleading....the NY Magazine article says nothing about the wealth of Williamsburg "hipsters" (if that has any meaning) - it simply talks about the relative poverty of residents within CB1 - which includes many people (a large majority) who are clearly NOT hipsters (Satamars for one). It is possible that every "hipster" in Williamsburg is the spawn of a billionaire - that is simply not addressed.
Posted by: fsrg at June 23, 2009 4:25 PM
south and east williamsburg is still pretty poor including the satamars as noted. there are projects, etc.. north williamsburg is a different animal. zero projects, working adults, etc..
also, the restaurants and bars are seriously booming. on saturday, brooklyn star would not take a reservation even for 7 and walter foods was booked. squeezed in at rye (nothin wrong with that actually!). tried to go to hotel delmano for drinks and was told that it was an 1 hour and 1/2 wait.
ended up at K&M at n. 8th and roebling - great dj, and reliable and awesome as always. would make a good weekday venue for a brownstoner party probably.
Posted by: wine lover at June 23, 2009 4:40 PM
"ended up at K&M at n. 8th and roebling - great dj, and reliable and awesome as always. would make a good weekday venue for a brownstoner party probably."
I was also at K&M on Saturday Wine Lover. We didn't almost get into a fight did we?
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 5:00 PM
"Brownstoner - your headline is TOTALLY misleading....the NY Magazine article says nothing about the wealth of Williamsburg "hipsters" (if that has any meaning) - it simply talks about the relative poverty of residents within CB1 - which includes many people (a large majority) who are clearly NOT hipsters (Satamars for one). It is possible that every "hipster" in Williamsburg is the spawn of a billionaire - that is simply not addressed."
I agree. The article is totally misrepresented. There are a lot of poor people in Williamsburg and Greepoint, and the vast majority of them are not hipsters. I doubt the soup kitchens mentioned in the NY Mag article were visited by hipsters.
Posted by: theandrewlee at June 23, 2009 5:03 PM
Wine Lover:
It's amazing that you continue to post here after your racist comments, but it's a free country. That takes some balls.
Your shilling for your neighborhood even makes ME sick. Which is saying something.
P.S. I was at Hotel Delmano on Saturday.
Posted by: 11217 at June 23, 2009 5:26 PM
"P.S. I was at Hotel Delmano on Saturday."
Delmano still good? Haven't been there in a while.
11217 - FYI as it seems you like cocktails, and I recall from a previous convo you like whiskey - there's a fairly new cocktail joint on the corners of Richardson, Graham and Meeker that specializes in whiskey cocktails (The Richardson) Much more laid back then Delmano and drinks are only 8 bucks. Might be a good evening if you hit Motorino or that new mexican place on Graham and Conselyea beforehand ;)
Posted by: dirty_hipster at June 23, 2009 5:44 PM
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