Rising Developments Endanger 'Old School' Williamsburg Bar

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOLYN -- A local bar sandwiched between two new developments is fighting to stay in business as construction on the high rises mounts, the owner said.

LP & Harmony owner John Clemente launched a GoFundMe site in August to save his neighborhood bar at 683 Grand Ave., which he says is struggling to bring in customers because of construction next door.

"Business has been really slow," Clemente wrote. "[We] need all the support we can get."

The bar, which New York Magazine dubbed, "the type of venue that makes a dive bar look like it’s trying too hard," has been providing locals with a low-key watering hole since it opened in 2010.

The bar also hosts occasional barbecues, vinyl parties and fundraisers for hurricane relief in Puerto Rico, but locals say it's best for meeting up with friends.

"LP Harmony is my go to place when I want to feel right at home where I can see all my friends at once," wrote Rita Infante in her Facebook review. "The staff treat everyone like family, which is why we love them and keep coming back."

"This is the top neighborhood spot of any of them I have ever been to anywhere," added Mark Smith. "The friendliest and most attentive staff you could imagine. When you enter here it doesn't take long to get comfortable and feel at home."

Troubles began for the bar in 2015, when a construction boom hit Grand Street and construction mounted in LP & Harmony's three neighboring buildings.

City records show that within one year, St. Nick's Alliance, a nonprofit that provides affordable housing, filed permits to build an eight-story building at 695 Grand St., 675 Grand St. owners filed permits to build a penthouse on top of their four-story building, and 679 Grand St. owners began constructing four additional stories to their two-story building, city records show.

Google satellite images from January 2018 show the bar crammed between construction awnings on both sides and a street blocked off by multiple orange traffic cones.

In his online plea, Clemente blamed construction for slowing business.

"Since the construction is finally coming to an end, we are on the brink of things to turn around," Clemente wrote. "We appreciate all the help we can get to put this behind us and move forward with renewed energy."

The bar owner is trying to raise $25,000 which he says he'll invest in new marketing campaigns, making payroll and paying rent.

Clemente, who did not immediately respond to Patch's request for comment, had raised $1,661 by Oct. 23, according to his GoFundMe site.

"All you support will allow this old school neighborhood bar to continue to be the community hub that is has been," Clemente concluded. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Photo courtesy of GoogleMaps/January 2018