Monday, May 11, 2015

DRINK: LOFT 142 ARRIVING ON BROADWAY?

So the rumors are all coming to an end on what the space will be at the at Broadway by 142nd Street and the most random one seems to be winner.  First we heard that a Starbucks was arriving to the corner by what we thought were reliable sources but that no longer seems to be the case. Then the second tip was that Anchor wine bar would debut a pizza spot at the said address but that establishment opened up across the street.  Then the last bit of information received on the blog was that a gay bar would arrive, but how could this be?

There has not been a new gay lounge in Harlem since probably the 80s and all of them have shuttered since then.  The closest official gay bar uptown is Suite on 109th Street which is actually on the outskirts of West Harlem's south border.  Based on the Instagram account for @loft_142, the interior space looks like it is almost completed based on a new post from 2 days ago but the bio just states that the business is a bar/kitchen arrving at 3480 Broadway.  One other clue is that the owner tags @castroBarNYC in the aforementioned photo which is apparently the main gay bar in Inwood, so there appears to be a relationship here.  Maybe Loft 142 might not be full on gay establishment but it will probably be one that has a large LGBT clientele based from what can be seen thus far.

6 comments:

  1. Very cool looking interiors. Is there a sizable LGBT community/share of market in hamilton heights/harlem?

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    1. Yes there is a very sizable LGBT community in Harlem and areas north!

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  2. I heard owners on no parking were looking to open a gay bar in Harlem. Also heard owners of gym bar were looking too. Don't forget that El Morocco was offering gay weekend nights that were pretty popular with amazing drag shows. Curious what is going on with that club.

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  3. How exciting for the neighborhood, not that No Parking was actually that good, but it was frustrating to loose an LGBT establishment.

    My thoughts is this will be LBGT friendly which fits well with our neighborhood.

    The design is amazing so that's cool

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  4. Some of owners/investors for Castro Bar (formerly La Boi) also own Papa Juan Cigar lounge just a block south. They had been expressing a desire to open up a spot nearby ever since the cigar lounge went up. I'm glad to see it's coming to fruition. Given their history with Castro, it stands to reason that this business will definitely connect with the LGBT community in Hamilton Heights.

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  5. I agree the design is nice and very street friendly in it's openness to the view of passing pedestrian traffic. Because that style is more typical of Starbucks then most NYC LGBT bars, I'm still guessing it's the coffee giant that's coming!

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