I had a lovely chat with Danny, one of the owners of Kingsize on Essex Street, last night. It was my first visit to the place; originally, it was a coffee shop, but evidently they just weren’t getting the business. Now it’s a little bar with two seriously kick-ass little back rooms and great drink specials, and you can order from the other owner’s establishment — Il Bagatto on 2nd Street. Yum.
Anyhoo, Danny and I got to talkin’ about how bars operate in the neighborhood, and how the top section of Ludlow and Orchard have been turned into Bourbon Street, right along with St. Mark’s Place… this sort of Disney-fied frathouse hotspot. It’s distressing, and I was curious about what a new bar owner would think about being in a relatively “quiet” part of the LES.
He said that he liked being the only bar on the block, because it retained the original charm of the area, with all the different kinds of shops and people that are there. Women have said they’re glad that Kingsize is open there now, because it’s the only thing on the block that is at night, and they feel safer. He watches out for his neighbors upstairs and all around, and makes sure the music isn’t too loud and the smokers aren’t raising hell. He had the opportunity to make one of the back rooms a garden, which would have brought more business, but he didn’t want to risk ruining his relationship with the neighbors and making enemies. (He also likes the same bar owners that I like — Lucky Jack, Whiskey Ward, etc.)
My god, he’s a model bar owner. Give him your money, if it is booze that ye seek.