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Say goodnight to the “night market.”
The producer of the Brooklyn Night Bazaar will postpone his proposed summer flea market and concert series on the Greenpoint waterfront until next year, after near-unanimous public outcry over the scale of the Asian-themed event.
“We don’t want to stuff this down the throats of public residents, we want this to be something that they love and all of New York loves,” said Bazaar producer Aaron Broudo. “We looked at the facts and heard loud and clear that the community is not ready for the bazaar to proceed in its current form.”
Broudo hoped to bring 5,000 people to a vacant West Street lot on weekend evenings to enjoy antique and vintage clothing shopping, delicacies from mobile food vendors, and rock music from neighborhood bands — a bit of Singapore on the East River.
But residents and public officials balked at many of the details, particularly Broudo’s bid to close West Street between Oak and Calyer streets, and his proposed 2 am closing time.
“I work weekends and it would have affected my sleep,” Elizabeth Roncketti told the Greenpoint Business Alliance at a meeting on Monday, two days before Broudo canned the event. “You don’t just walk in and take over the neighborhood.”
The unused waterfront lot where Broudo hopes to hold his bazaar sits adjacent to a windswept stretch of West Street home to several light manufacturing businesses.
But Calyer, Oak and Noble streets, which terminate at West Street, are some of the neighborhood’s most stately residential streets, home to Greenpoint’s only historic district.
Broudo was on the way towards making his market a reality. He had been making overtures to significant promoters such as Bowery Presents and Tiger Mountain Presents to use the space for large-scale music acts during weekdays and had raised more than $8,000, according to the bazaar’s Kickstarter fundraising page.
But he could never fully allay residents’ fears of a noisy, boisterious market.
“The idea [did] not have any real local support and would have a serious impact on the surrounding neighborhood,” said Councilman Steve Levin (D–Greenpoint).
Broudo was disappointed at making his decision, but not discouraged. He says more planning is necessary to hold the event.
“We believe this event can be fantastic but don’t want to start it with an ugly backdrop,” said Broudo. “Look out for us next year.”
©2011 Community Newspaper Group
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