Williamsburg Bar Fight Rages On

Crain’s has a story about Community Board 1’s attempt to crack down on the number of bars in Williamsburg following the board’s decision last month to not vote in favor of any liquor license requests involving outdoor spaces unless the businesses also serve food. The article touches on residents’ complaints about the neighborhood’s bars, most of which center on how noisy the patrons are (“We’re trying to tame the Wild West of bars,” say CB1’s public safety chairman Mieszko Kalita), while also quoting bar owners who say the board is overreaching. Matt Webber, who owns the bar Soft Spot and is looking to expand, says the board is “trying to stipulate us to death.” Meanwhile, Felice Kirby, who has run Teddy’s Bar and Grill for three decades, says “no bar should be demonized that doesn’t deserve it.” Bar owners have banded together as a group called Brooklyn Allied Bars and Restaurants to try to protect their livelihoods.
Crackdown Hits North Brooklyn Bars [Crain’s]
Photo by Johnnie Utah