Brick&Mortar becomes latest firm to tap Williamsburg market

An aptsandlofts.com alum has struck out on his own, opening a new firm in Williamsburg. Residential and commercial brokerage Brick&Mortar opened its doors last month in a 1,250-square-foot space at 135 North 7th Street, “a stone’s throw” from the Bedford L train stop, the epicenter of life in the hipster haven, founder Rolan Sereny told The Real Deal.

The nine-agent firm will focus on retail leasing and residential sales and rentals, Sereny said. In the coming months, he expects to expand the firm to 16 agents.

Sereny, who worked for six years in the Williamsburg office of new development marketer aptsandlofts.com, owns Brick&Mortar with his father, Peter Sereny.

The younger Sereny decided to start his own firm, he said, to take advantage of the bevy of new projects currently under construction in the neighborhood.

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“There are 37 new-construction projects in Williamsburg,” he said, noting that he is already in talks to become the exclusive marketer of one such development.

Sereny said he hopes to set the new firm apart from other companies by creating a relaxed climate in the office. “We wanted to flip the script on how real estate offices are set up,” he said. “Instead of sectioning off the agents, we [gave it] an open loft, living room feeling. It’s very warm and inviting.”

Already, the firm has done deals such as the $1.18 million sale of a penthouse at the Lucent condo on North 11th Street.