Can a newspaper with an editorial staff of 15 people sustain a bar by itself?
The answer, we strongly suspect, is yes, as a 5,000-square-foot watering hole is set to open in the New York Observer Building. Moreover, the New York Beer Company will serve only local fare, much like the little salmon paper, making this sound very much like a match brewed in heaven.
“New York is a brand in and of itself,” owner Brian Connell told the already-thirsty Observer in his cheery Irish accent.
His House of Brews has two locations in the area and plans to make this the latest addition to the family. “We want to ride the coattails of how New York is branded all over the world. You have to do something to set yourself apart a little bit, that creates a buzz, and gets people talking about what you’re doing.”
Yes, indeed, the New York Beer Company will have some stiff competition from 44th Street’s fine selection of dive bars and parking garages.
The tenant will take half of a 10,000-square-foot retail space at 321 West 44th Street. The other half has also been leased, but that deal remains a mystery. The pub’s lease is for 15 years, though the space will need to be rejigged for restaurant use, meaning it will be nine months before young journalists can bend elbows there.
“I have to clap my hands to both the landlord and the tenant because they were coming into a space that was not utilized for a restaurant use for 15 years,” said Kelly Gedinsky of Winick Realty, who repped the landlord, Kushner Companies (Jared Kushner, a principal there, is the publisher of this paper), and the tenant, along with Monica Kass and Lori Shabtai. “This is one of the easiest transactions I’ve been a part of in my career.”
