The Living Room received another lease extension for their current home on Ludlow Street, as BoweryBoogie reported yesterday. Third extension in as many months for the live music venue.
Meanwhile, the folks from The Living Room are moving forward with plans to find a new home on East Second Street. As we reported last September, Klean & Kleaner, the laundromat at 173 E. Second St. between Avenue A and Avenue B, was on the market for use as a bar or restaurant.
This potential Living Room move was a topic of conversation during a recent community meeting. Co-owner Jennifer Gilson attended that meeting, and made her case on why the Living Room would be a good neighbor, such as shows for kids, use of the space for neighborhood fund-raisers and no pub crawls.
However, from the meeting, East Second Street residents said that they are "vehemently opposed to the possibility of The Living Room" in that space for a variety of reasons, including:
• East 2nd Street is a residential side street whose residents include a large number of seniors and families with young children.
• As a residential street, we already endure excessive noise due to late night crowds from the many bars and restaurants already on our block and nearby.
• While we believe The Living Room is a wonderful part of the cultural fabric of New York City, its presence at 173 East 2nd Street will severely and negatively impact our quality of life.
The Living Room will go before the CB3/SLA committee next Monday. Gilson told BoweryBoogie:
Of course there’s a good chance that if they block our liquor license, another less-neighborhood friendly business with less community history will take the space.
[On April 8] I will argue why after 15 years of enhancing the quality of life by hosting great music, kids shows, fundraisers, theater, etc., I should be able to stay in my neighborhood, which I helped to transform, and not be pushed to Brooklyn…
One 18-year resident of the block told us in an email that he didn't have problems with The Living Room, "but I'd much rather keep the place as a laundromat."
Of course, the landlord has different ideas...
6 comments:
The Living Room should take over a space with an existing license. If they really want to contribute to the community. They already have an asset with their liquor license on Ludlow Street. They should sell that one and purchase another one.
Did the Living Room ever fight to keep other bars and clubs out of the neighborhood? I'll guess Not. And if so, their "neighborhood" argument holds no water. Their place in this neighborhood has been taken by other bars. One comes in, then one should go. Maybe it's time for the Living Room to go. It's too late now for them to be a good neighborhood. Should have thought about that when their success was encouragement to lesser liquor businesses.
The Living Room isn't a NYU oriented pub, isn't a magnet for SantaCon and it isn't a 3 for the price of 2 PBR joint. It's a music venue that has presented (and nourished) some of NYC's finest emerging and established musicians. It's also not home to a ear-splitting Death Metal or techno scene. It features real people playing real instruments in coordination with each other. Yes it's amplified, but it's not even close to really loud in the venue much less outside it and beyond that they do an immaculate job of isolating sound to the club at the present location and I would imagine would do an even better job at this proposed location.
The East Village needs a dynamic, multifaceted cultural life. We could ask for a better cultural enterprise than the Living Room.
I don't live on the block but I'll venture if the Living Room moves in, they won't regret having them as new neighbors...and the whole neighborhood benefits by the programming and entertainment options they provide.
Purchase an existing license. Don't need another license at an unlicensed location period. They already have a license. Sell that one and purchase another. Would love to have them just not here.
It would be nice to have another music venue but most of them have sold out. The Lakeside lounge is now a Yuppie bar called (Blackbird). Banjo Jims has now become (The Wayland), an artisinal douchey lounge. Acme Bar & Grill/Acme Underground is now just Acme an extremely high end Yunnie restauraunt and event space.
At the community meeting where Jennifer Gilson persented she said that one of the primary reasons she wants the Klean & Kleaner space is that it's a one story space and she doesn't want to disturb her neighbors. If the Living Room needs a one story space so as not to disturb its neighbors, clearly it is not a quiet place. We walk by the Living Room all the time and there are constantly people milling around outside, making noise and smoking. That block of Ludlow is noisy and congested and the Living Room is a great contributor to that. Ms. Gilson needs to find a space that is zoned for a live music venue with scheduled shows. 173 East 2nd Street is NOT. She needs to find an appropriate place and not force herself into a location that will suffer with her as a neighbor.
I like the living room - but I can understand why neighbors on a semi-quiet side street would not want it there.
What abou the old laugh lounge space at 151 Essex St? or one of the many empty ave A or B storefronts...
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