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….
re: a comment last night in the forum …
http://www.brownstoner.com/forum/archives/2011/02/prime_6_fight_a.php#comments
Just curious, why the concern about “bottle service”?
this place is going to be more investment bankers and corporate entertainment than anything else. there isn’t enough parking around here to accommodate the long island or brighton beach SUV crowd.
instead of focusing on keeping the bar out, the community groups should be focused on getting permitted parking in the area. that will do more for quality of life than anything else when the arena is up and running. IMO, of course.
I used to live around the corner from here and if I still lived there I’d be pissed. At the same time you have to consider that this clown is going to open his club years before the stadium will be ready. Without that stream of customers (and that idea itself is questionable) this place will never survive.
quote:
It’s a few blocks from my house & I really don’t like the idea. I like a good neighborhood bar but I don’t want a bunch of assholes from Long Island getting their rocks off here.
but this is on long island
*rob*
It’s a little late now for people who ignored the whole thing for the last seven years to start complaining about the new businesses that will begin opening up in the surrounding area. Whether this place is there because of Atlantic Yards or not I have no idea. The Brooklyn Paper seemed to have a bit of a racially tinged view on this though. In addition, CB6 was notified in November about the application for a liquor license and had 30 days to object which they didn’t.
Doesn’t really sound like my scene, but neither is 200 Fifth or Voodoo Lounge. There’s nothing wrong with having a few establishments serving a different crowd mixed in with the vegan, farm-to-table restaurants. Not everyone in Park Slope conforms to the stereotype. I don’t get the idea that people think they’re entitled to decide which establishments can open in their area based on whether they “reflect their values”, whatever that means. It sounds like a lot of spoiled whining. And of course, the hysteria over this leans dangerously close to thinly veiled racism.
The lady worried about noise in her backyard of course has a real concern that should be addressed. But “my dog slipped on ice that you left”? Oh for the love of god. And the second guy just seems to be yelling at no one in particular – he doesn’t have a coherent point about the issue at hand.
Of course the arena will bring in some changes, but if you look at the area around Madison Square Garden (which sucks anyway), it’s not a bevy of sports bars or strip clubs. Actually, its pretty empty and dead, nightlife-wise. Everyone comes to games through Penn, and leaves through Penn. I suspect this will be the same – Atlantic Center is already a huge transit hub and commercial center, but 2 blocks south in the Slope you wouldn’t know the difference. So let’s all calm down.
It’s a few blocks from my house & I really don’t like the idea. I like a good neighborhood bar but I don’t want a bunch of assholes from Long Island getting their rocks off here.
It’s hard to know who to root for here. On the one hand, Prime6 seems like its going to be a real den of d-baggery, with it’s bottle service vibe and all. On the other hand you have entitled Park Slopers at their worst. They buy property abutting Flatbush Ave and expect complete quiet after 11 pm. I have a few pieces of news for you people. Almost every bar in Brooklyn is open till 4 am, as they have the legal right to be. Also, despite that one guy’s claim, there are tons of people within walking distance of that location that are going to bars between midnight and 4. You may not like the crowd that Prime6 hopes to cater to, but Brooklyn is a diverse place. Not every restaurant in the borough has to offer organically raised Berkshire pork and a lovingly curated steam-punk decor. And the notion that somehow this club will make the traffic and foot traffic situation on the corner of Flatbush Ave and Sixth Ave unbearable is just plain absurd. A drop in the Brooklyn bucket.
“My dog slipped on the ice you didn’t shovel”.
Jesus H. Christ, I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and then they say shit like this and it really calls into question the whole principle of participatory democracy. Dollar to donuts her dog was wearing some of those cute “booties” which completely undermine the millions of years of evolution that have permitted dogs and wolves to conquer the frozen tundras of the world.
In all honesty, these comments were largely fair and NYC residents have every right to call out bar and club owners who are generally kind of douchey. There was nothing wrong in any of these clips, but I do think that the media coverage has played on racial and class biases. Park Slope is chock a block with bars and you have to wonder if this one is being targeted because its proposed clientele is apparently expected to be black and latino.
There is no evidence that this bar is going to be a gentlemen’s club. So why is this allegation repeated? I don’t think they have a cabaret license so any gentlemen’s club could be shut down legally.
As for “sultry” ladies, I think sexy posing is par for the course from young women on Myspace. Nothing wrong with that.
A strip club near Atlantic Yards is a no brainer. They will come, this is just not it.
Strip clubs could actually improve things in the Slope, less passive aggression at the Food Coop, reduced Stroller Rage on Seventh Ave., etc.
People need to see the bright side of things.