Despite Objections, CB3 Backs Bed Stuy Bar
Daphne Surpris, who has operated the impeccably designed coffee spot Ms. Dahlia’s Cafe at 449 Nostrand Ave since last year, recently decided that she would like to expand by opening a bar in an empty space next door. You might think such an entrepreneurial move by someone who’d proven her commitment to the neighborhood and…
Daphne Surpris, who has operated the impeccably designed coffee spot Ms. Dahlia’s Cafe at 449 Nostrand Ave since last year, recently decided that she would like to expand by opening a bar in an empty space next door. You might think such an entrepreneurial move by someone who’d proven her commitment to the neighborhood and her ability to create a tasteful establishment would be welcomed by Bed Stuy residents, but a Community Board 3 meeting on Monday night revealed widespread disagreement within the community about the bar in particular and the future of the neighborhood in general. Some of those in favor of the application said they were tired of going to Park Slope and Harlem to find “more sophisticated bars.” Other supporters argued that the community should be backing an African American woman wanting to open a business in the area. (“We should be supporting someone who looks like us,” said one person from the audience.) One of the arguments against the bar was that there are some schools nearby, though it was later pointed out that the closest one was an adult learning center. Others worried that adding alcohol to an already dangerous block (dangerous? really?) had the potential to increase violence in the area. A man in his late 20s, whose parents lived nearby, argued that he didn’t want them to worry about the same type of violence he felt growing up nearby. Despite the naysaying, the community board ended up supporting the application for the liquor license, so now it’s on to the State Liquor Authority for Surpris, who, ironically, plans to call the new spot Nobar. GMAP
No ditto. Some people just can’t understand that the irish run the best bars.
Ok…the owner of Ms. Dhalia’s is African-American, correct? I think they were asking the audience to support her because she was Black.
Did I miss anything? I just got back from protesting an asian-owned deli on my block. I was ambivalent because the wife looks like my wife but the dude did not look like me, apart from his hawaiian shirt, so I protested to be on the safe side.
Cillmylandlord_again, lean in….
closer…
closer…
SMOOCH!
(that’s for your 12:54 post)
**handing you a hankie to remove the excess glittery lipgloss from your forehead**
“But it’s counterproductive to the common good to stop someone from opening an upscale bar in my neighborhood when the only objection is that they aren’t black.”
And ridiculous. What difference does it make whether or not they “look like us?” Do they have the best interests of the neighborhood at heart? Someone once said it’s not about the color of their skin, but the content of their character.
Thank you Cill.
very well said.
Here’s the thing, as a Southerner…I always find it interesting how New Yorkers don’t realize exactly how conservative Black people actually are. New Yorkers are very liberal by nature, but Black people are not (by nature liberal)…Bed Stuy has Black roots. Those roots reach too far back. That’s why there is so much conflict with this issue. You have liberal African Americans that don’t understand why this is an issue, and most likely conservative African Americans that are happy to have things just the way they are.
Cill, I want to see successful African American entrepreneurs in my community. I’m trying to be one of them. But it’s counterproductive to the common good to stop someone from opening an upscale bar in my neighborhood when the only objection is that they aren’t black. If we’re going to ban bars because they are a negative force in the community, then black owned bars are just as negative, and should also be banned.
Peace and light frownstoners, stop finding reasons to internet fight. The “look like us comment” is clearly said by sectors all over this city…women, Asians, African-Americans, Jews, Italians, because people like to see success within their community. Let’s be for real for one second and not bring personal BS about Bed-Stuy into this, ok?
That’s why there are museums honoring particular groups of people because folks have been downtrodden by the man who scream on TV code words like “Take Back Our Country”. Stop the madness already. Be relevant, the conversation was about a bar opening in a neighborhood that has a fear of bringing back it’s past.