Stanislawa "Anna" Sulkowska's family shared the following details...
Stanislawa "Anna" Sulkowska's centennial celebration on Jan. 13, 2025, marked the culmination of a longstanding devotion to the East Village's dynamic bar and restaurant scene.
Anna is a Polish immigrant who arrived in the United States in the early 1970s and was a fixture in the East Village restaurant/bar scene dating to 1977.
She had previously owned The Baltyk, a Polish restaurant (
pictured below) at the corner of First Avenue and First Street. Lucy (future owner of Lucy's on Avenue A) worked at the Baltyk upon her arrival in the United States from 1980 to 1982.
Anna opened Downtown Beirut (
below) on First Avenue in 1982,
which we still talk about today, and subsequently opened Downtown Beirut 2 on Houston Street in 1987.
Anna's final venture, Oasis Lounge, was located on St. Mark's Place just off Avenue A and closed in 1997.
Anna's daughters, Bozena (known as Bridget) and Basia (known as Barbara), who bartended at Downtown Beirut, are doing well. All three still reside in the East Village. Anna also has four grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Her favorite days are spent with her 4-year-old great-granddaughter.
Anna is a symbol of hard work. These successful restaurants and bars were spearheaded and run by Anna while she was in her 50s, 60s, and 70s.
At 100, Anna still talks about dreams of opening another bar in the East Village.
One of Anna's granddaughters shared this with EVG in an email...
My grandma speaks very fondly of her time running those businesses. She still remembers specific customers and employees. My grandma is unique, and she has a lot of qualities that make her so strong-willed and determined. She was never afraid of anything or anybody was very independent and held a strong belief that she (and we) could do anything.
I heard stories of her going toe to toe with men who attempted to rob her cash registers or people with weapons in her bars, intimidating her or her customers. I think anybody who knows, has known, or has had the pleasure of meeting my grandma can gather that much about her — she is tough!
She has always been purposeful in all her decisions. She has always intended to be successful and would never allow anyone to get in the way of that. Maybe that’s what made her such a successful businesswoman in the EV and a strong pillar of our family.
My grandma has lived a very vibrant and remarkable life. Born in Poland in 1925 and 100 years later is settled in NYC.
Every morning, she tells my mother or me, without missing a beat, that "life is beautiful."
My grandma found a true home and history in the East Village.
Downtown Beirut photo by David Vega via Flaming Pablum.