We've now heard from various tipsters and Avenue A sources that Bar on A has closed. (We're told that Sunday was its last day.)
Owner Bob Scarrano passed away in March 2010.
Since then, a few regulars felt as if the low-key bar, going on its 17th year, didn't quite have the same spirit ... the bar was also for sale last summer, though one regular told us that a deal never materialized for the ample, 1,500-square-foot-space at East 11th Street.
Eeek! That's one crooked building!
ReplyDeleteThe wife of the owner tried to continue running the bar in her state of grief over the loss of her husband. I was at a CB3 meeting where she and the fella who was helping her manage the bar were asking the board to hear them out over all the superfluous noise complaints from a neighborhood curmudgeon. I'm sure that issue and the current plague spreading over all the longtime EV business owners got the best of her and she closed it for good:(
ReplyDeleteanonymous 9:06
ReplyDeleteWHAT DOES "...all the superfluous noise complaints from a neighborhood curmudgeon" mean?
does the widowed owner live above a noisy bar? or even in the neighborhood? do you?
noise is subjective and if it makes your life miserable IN YOUR APARTMENT the noise is too loud!
does anyone know the contact info of the existing owner?
ReplyDeletei am a current bar owner in the east village and have always loved bar on a's location and ambiance...i would love a chance to try and keep that place alive
good luck with that. They weren't even a loud bar and yes there are "superfluous" noise complaints esp. since the bar has been there for 17 years. Well maybe this curmudgeon will be happy when a nice big 7-11 opens up there. Don't like bar noise don't move above a bar
ReplyDeleteThis is sad but not unexpected. I live half a block away from Bar on A, no it wasn't a very loud bar though it did have its moments. After all it is a bar. When the person moved in, they know they were living over a bar. I have lived in the EV for over 10 years and I honestly don't understand these people complaining about bars. If you want a very quiet environment, live in the suburbs or a different neighborhood.
ReplyDelete"Don't like bar noise don't move above a bar"
ReplyDeleteIt is a big assumption that the bar was there before the person moved in.
It may just be anecdotally, but usually the upstairs resident is in place long before the bar arrives.
@bowery bar
ReplyDeleteIf a bar has been open for 17 years and the clientele of that bar remains relatively unchanged (as was the case for Bar on A), then it is a safe assumption that the complaints were not coming from a grandfathered resident.
Pumpkin,
ReplyDeleteIn most cases I would agree with you, but in the East Village, these spats can go on for decades. I've been in the area since '81 and still feel like a newcomer. It's maybe not an assumption in other neighorhoods, but around here nothing is "safe".
BarOnA didn't originally occupy the corner space. When they expanded, the tenant above the corner had already been there for years, and that's the room where they had the speakers for performances, etc. It could get pretty loud within the building, and very loud in that tenant's apartment.
ReplyDeleteThere's also a woman on E 11th who's life's work is a battle with 11th St. bar, so it's possible she was complaining as well.
Then there's the fact that it's a Ben Shaoul building, so any interaction with the landlord would be exceedingly unpleasant.
Anne is a sweetheart. My heart goes out to her. I wish her well.
I am so sick and tired of the "if you don't like it move to the suburbs", "you should not have moved into an apartment above a bar", "you live in the East Village and it is noisy so get over it" etc comments. There are many of people who moved above commercial spaces when they were stores that served the needs of a residential community. Yes believe it or not the LES, Alphabet City, East Village, pick your name of choice, was and is a residential community, not freakin Times Square. We are not and never have been an entertainment district, people live here and continue to live here. Many of the commercial spaces people lived above were pet stores, grocery stores, children's furniture stores, real local businesses that served the needs of a residential community. Bar on A was not always a bar, Drop-off service was a laundrymat, Horus was Spectra Photographic, to name a few. There are enough restaurants and bars in the hood, so losing Bar on A is no great tragedy. How about all you jackasses that make these comments move to Times Square or the Meatpacking district or better yet that lame ass dormitory you just graduated from and leave our neighborhood alone. We were a great neighborhood before you arrived and will be a great neighborhood when you leave, so don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
ReplyDeleteI doubt someone complaining about noise from the bar got it shut down. If that was the case, a lot of East Village bars would be shut down! I have noticed that the place hasn't been so busy the last few years. With all the new competition in the area and a younger influx of residents who probably didn't like the laidback vibe of Bar On A, they probably didn't have enough business to keep going.
ReplyDeleteg whiz said...
ReplyDelete"Don't like bar noise don't move above a bar."
a lot of folks here have lived here for generations. when i moved here there were almost no restaurants other then the polish/ukrainian ones and we all were overjoyed whtn pier 9 opened on second avenue. the few bars that were here were scattered around the neighborhood and rarely were there more then two on a block. they were populated by residents that lived here and walked down the block to go home, or even up the stairs. some blocks even has NO BARS. imagine that!
this was not the woo woo lack of cultural center for underage college yuppies that think a good time is drinking until they puke. hopefully in your doorway.
stupidity and selfishness was not a thing to respect the way it is now.
The end of Bar On A aka BOA is indeed a great tragedy.
ReplyDeleteIt was home to many & all were welcome.
In a neighborhood full of nondescript watering holes knee-deep in jackasses, BROsephs, Jersey/Staten/Long Island girls, BOA was the bar you could go to for a drink or two even if you lacked company.
It was a meeting place even if it wasn't always the destination.
Great live music courtesy of local faves Lola Johnson, Mark Wynegar, Vinny Cimino, Brother Dave & a few others.
Most of the bartenders had really cool mixes on their playlists, so although there wasn't a jukebox, good tunes were heard.
Some other fun stuff on other fun nights and how about those
bartenders? Nothing short of awesome give or take one or two.
When Chef Deirdre was in the kitchen running things, it was an all women owned/managed business & that's pretty RAD.
Bob was a colorful character with a huge heart, a love of creatures big and small, Asian cuisine & love for his lady Annie.
Thank YOU Bob, Annie, Deirdre, Liz, Amanda, Vinny, Yvette, Jen, Meghan, Femme, Grace, Ismail & Ricardo for all your hospitality!
Goodbye BOA.