Bed-Stuy Record Store Halsey And Lewis Searches For A New Home

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A record store that has called Bed-Stuy home for more than four years is searching for a new home after losing its storefront on Halsey Street with only a week's notice, Patch has learned.

Halsey & Lewis, which opened on Lewis Avenue in early 2017, announced on Instagram this week that it will be closing to make way for a pizza and wine bar that will take over the storefront.

"We have survived the pandemic, but alas we can not survive gentrification," the business wrote on Sunday. "Our little record shop is being replaced by a pizza and wine bar."

The record store, which also sells books and other handcrafted goods, will be open for the rest of the week until the shop is empty, according to the post. They are hosting a "clearance sale" until the close of the business.

Owners Martin Brewer and Sonya Farrell were told only a week ago that they would need to be out by the weekend, they said in a GoFundMe.

The fundraiser, set up Wednesday, aims to raise enough money to secure and build a new spot for the business, the owners wrote. By Thursday, it had already raised near $8,000 of its $18,000 goal.

"Halsey & Lewis is one of the few black owned vinyl shops in the country. Help stop the erasure!" the fundraiser reads. "We may be pushed out of this spot, but hope to find a new space to keep curating vintage vinyl, books and potions."

Halsey & Lewis first opened at the storefront in February 2017 as an homage to the owners love of vinyl and vintage objects, according to a feature in DNAinfo at the time.

The shop was built out of a personal vintage vinyl collection, goodwill, and a handshake," owners said.

In addition to running the store, Brewer and Farrell also run a"Lets Get On The Bus" initiative to bring under-served teens on field trips to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington D.C.

Halsey & Lewis also served as a gathering space for protective equipment during the pandemic to distribute to neighbors experiencing homelessness, according to the post.

Owners did not immediately respond to Patch's request for more details about their closing.