After sitting empty for a long time, the store front at 196 Smith Street is about to become a whiskey and B.B.Q. Joint. Char 4 will open on September 15th. The establishment is supposedly going to offer about 150 types of whiskey.Oh, great! More booze on Smith Street.
Pardon me for asking, but am I the only one who is fed up with the proliferation of drinking establishments in the neighborhood. Someone should take a survey of how many liquor licenses have been issued on the little strip between Atlantic Avenue to Carroll Street in the last few years.
Don't get me wrong, I truly appreciate the fact that Smith Street has undergone a revival, but at the same time, I am resentful that there seems to be such an emphasis on drinking establishments. Beer gardens, cocktail lounges, whiskey bars.... Smith Street is becoming Bourbon Street.
[where: 196 Smith Street, Char 4]
For Home Page, click Pardon Me For Asking
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18 comments:
Not mention that the alteration on that building is hideous.
P.S. Loved the photos of France! Looking at them was like being transported to another time and place.
Hi Queens Crapper,
I agree. The top addition is, well, crap. And the dark, iron façade of the whiskey bar doesn't help much.
Glad you liked the pictures of France.
We had a super time.
But what would you guys like to see open on Smith Street? It's not like we really need anything here do we?
Agree that too many bars and restaurants. Places with liquor licences can pay higher rents than other small shops.
We have serious rat problem now on our block (in backyards) because of them. And Smith St looks disgusting in early a.m. with greasy sidewalks and spills from garbage from these places.
Neighborhood ceases to become neighborhood when it is just center of nightlife and variety of types of shopping decreases.
Community Boards do vote on (but only in advisory role) recommending these licenses when too close to another establishment.
Unfortunately CB6 seems to thing that more is merrier.
Something is terribly wrong when so many liquor licenses are handed out on such a small strip. Though the Community Board, as you say only has an advisory role when it makes its recommendation for issuing liquor licenses, they should act as the community's first line of defense.
Instead of representing the community, they are so pro-business that they allow entire commercial strips to become night life districts.
Unless the community speaks out, CB6 will just continue to vote yes to every license application.
And yes, Smith Street is filthy,
loud and the drunk patrons obnoxious.
You just may be the biggest pain in the ass in the neighborhood.
I've lived in the "hood" for more than 15 years and remember what Smith Street was. Only two businesses were open later than 10 p.m., the Warren Street end of the station closed at 10 p.m. and the only nice place to eat from Atlantic to Carroll Park was the Red Rose. If the choice however is bars or chain stores, I will choose bars. There was a rumor a few years ago that McDonald's was interested in Smith Street. Give me late night drunks any day! I live in fear that Rite Aid will abandon the corner of Warren and that some big chain store will come in (not that the Rite Aid is great but I think about all the things that would be worse). More gourmet shops, a pet groomers, and someplace that sold some sporting goods would be my list for what's missing but they can't pay the rents that the bars and restaurants can.
don't be such a ninny - it's fabulous to have lots of bars and restaurants on Smith. Unfortunately most of them suck, but the more there are, the more likely there will be decent ones. For god's sake to you want it to be all stroller mafia? bars attract younger people and help keep the neighb vibrant.
Design equals brooklyn social knock off, be happy you dont live in Williamsburg...we don't have "the real world"!
The *entire* strip of smith street has six bars, two wine bars that serve food, two "beer gardens" that serve food and are only open during the summer and one "club" that is only open weekends. Anything else, like Char No.4 are restaurants that also serve alcohol. Considering the number of people in the neighborhood, it's really not that bad. And it seems to me that Smith street seems pretty quiet except for friday and saturday nights.
Having been in the neighborhood 5+ years, it occurs to me that there are actually fewer "bars" now than there were when I moved here. Quench, Roxy and Vegas are closed, Clover Club is the only real bar to open up in a non-bar space (and they serve food as well).
Is it really so bad?
perhaps you would prefer that some licenses be issued on hoyt street? oh wait...
Stop complaining, go back to your Mac. It's great for the neighborhood. If you lived here years ago like I did you wouldn't be bitching. I love when you people move to the neighborhood and then start bitching about your quality of life. Smth street is friggin quiet compaired to other neighborhoods.
@6:10PM To be fair, quench was replaced by The Jake Walk. Just as Bar was replaced by Bar Great Harry, so no net loss of drinking establishments there.
I remember the good old days when walking on Smith Street was like visiting downtown Beirut. And let's get over the chain store phobia. They anchor neighborhood shopping districts, pay taxes and help improve the image of a once blighted shopping strip.
Just for everyone's info,
I have lived in this neighborhood since 1985 and remember the way Smith Street used to be.
As I mentioned in the post,I truly appreciate the fact that the street has undergone a revival.
However, as a resident directly affected by the 'night life' this revival has brought with it, I am starting to question the number of liquor licenses issued within those few blocks.
Would be super if the members of Community Board 6 actually looked into it the next time they recommend
the issuance of yet another one to the State Liquor Authority.
That's all!
Are you seriously proposing that the CB should prevent any new restaurants from opening on Smith St? We all know that restaurants make most of their profit on alcohol. If you stop granting liquor licenses you're essentially stopping new restaurants from opening.
The diversity of businesses and restaurants on Smith and Court is one of the best things about living in Brooklyn. If they weren't here, we'd essentially be living in the burbs and would be dependent on Manhattan for culture. Frankly, I wouldn't live here if not for Smith.
I agree that there are NOT too many bars and restaurants. I think it's great to have a wide variety in the neighborhood, and if anything there aren't enough.
What would you rather take up those storefronts?
Yeah, let's go back to the days of having to dodge muggers on the walk home; that's what I grew up with on Smith Street. I for one welcome Char No. 4, and all the bourbon they are bringing to the County Of Kings. Looks like a class joint.
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