As Gowanus develops, so do its hipster venues. Danny Tinneny, the son of a large landowner on Carroll Street, is opening a coffee shop and wine bar on Carroll Street and the canal this summer, with plans for live music and outdoor seating. Across the street is an old oil silo and yard that for the past three years has hosted performances, movie screenings and festivals. MeanRed Productions took over the venue last year, while former organizers ISSUE Project Room moved to an old can factory across the canal.
Nearby, Gowanus Yacht Club, a restaurant with a menu of frankfurters and wine and beer in disposable cups, is a favorite hangout for the Gowanus Dredgers canoe club after a long night on the canal, said member Ellie Hanlon. “It gets totally packed. It’s great place to sit outside and drink beer.” She said the club has more than 100 members and is growing.
In the more heavily industrial area on the Park Slope side of the canal is newly opened Bar Tano, an offspring of Park Slope’s Bar Toto. Stumbling distance away, another popular Park Slope bar, Union Hall, is opening a 5,000-square-foot venue. Union Hall owner Jack McFadden said even he was surprised by his stroke of good luck picking a location. “We signed the lease way back in September. I don’t think any of us involved had any idea that Gowanus would be coming up so quickly.”
Brendan Aguayo of Aguayo & Huebener Realty Group said he expects more drinking spots to open in the industrial districts, making Gowanus a haven for warehouse parties turned legitimate establishments, similar to the transformation that has taken place in the Meatpacking District. “It’s the perfect area for nightclubs, because you don’t have residential neighbors,” he said.
Some people imagine Gowanus becoming the next hot spot for art opening crawls capped off by a night of drinking and dancing. “You’re going to see more individual buildings or individual spaces emerge, kind of like the art galleries and little café [that’s] coming to Carroll Street,” said Bob Zuckerman, president of the Gowanus Canal Conservancy.
One place for up-and-comers is Brooklyn Artists Gym, similar to a sports club except that paints, not sweaty socks, are stored in lockers. “We’re one of the only studios that has gallery space. I wish there was more gallery space, but one of the difficulties is getting people to come from Manhattan,” said owner Peter Wallace.