The owner of the bar and its supporters, which included many local residents, argued Pieces was more a bar for the local LGBT community. Some residents, like Woolums, told the subcommittee they did not want empty stores to be taken over by bars that would draw patrons from all over the city.
What was once a hot stretch of commercial real estate for the neighborhood, West Eighth Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues has seen a steady decline in recent years, leading to high retail vacancies. “I find myself asking people to wait with me while I put my bike away.” “There are a lot of strange people,” Woolums said, adding that she prefers not to be alone on the street at night. I don’t want it to change.”Įinstein said he promised during previous negotiations with the West Eighth Street Block Association that the proposed venue would be professionally soundproofed.īut residents spoke out about the effects of all the bars on the area, including Sharon Woolums, a West Eighth Street resident of 40 years. “It's an institution,” Einstein told the subcommittee and a crowd of more than a 100 people last week. Pieces opened at its current Christopher Street location in 1993, but could not resign its lease there because the landlord was rehabilitating the building, he said. The bar’s owner, Eric Einstein, said he gathered more than 4,000 signatures supporting the relocation. There are currently 15 active liquor licenses within 500 feet of the proposed new location, requiring the establishment to prove some public benefit before being approved. Crown Heights, Prospect Heights & Prospect-Lefferts Gardens.Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens & Red Hook.