Comedian-actor-rapper Hannibal Buress had a long relationship with the space formerly home to The Knitting Factory. In fact, he performed standup at the club’s first show in Brooklyn in 2009 (after it relocated from its decades-long home in Manhattan) and its final show before it closed in 2022.
But he never thought he’d run the place.
A realtor who knew about Buress’ connection to the space reached out to him in 2023, though, with an offer — and it “felt right.”
“I didn’t know it was still available,” Buress told Brooklyn Paper. “[The realtor] took a creative process to getting a sale done.”
And after a year of redesigning and preparation, Buress reopened the spot in early March.
The venue, located in Williamsburg on Metropolitan Avenue and Havemeyer Street, is now called Isola Brooklyn, named after a town in Mississippi where his mother’s side of the family hails from.
Fans of the comedian — who has taped several standup specials for TV and has been featured on shows such as “Broad City” and “The Eric Andre Show” — should be excited about the regime change.
“I’m programming it to my taste and I’m performing a little bit,” said Buress, who also raps under the moniker Eshu Tune.
The Knit, as it was known to hardcore fans, was beloved for hosting a mix of both big-name music and comedy acts alongside up-and-coming locals. Buress is keeping that tradition alive, with his own spin. Friend and well-known rapper Open Mike Eagle performed at one of the new venue’s first concerts in April — and comedy giant Dave Chappelle stopped by for a set in March.
“Any curator or any person that books shows, they bring their own lens. So everybody has different folks that they work with or things that they like,” Buress said. “It wasn’t necessarily about trying to outdo [The Knitting Factory]. It’s just more about doing my thing.”
He was also involved with the physical redesign of the space, which is ongoing — from the fancy new sound system to light fixtures to the look of the bar — and he wasn’t in a humorous mood when discussing the renovations. “It’s been tedious,” he said.
“I love that a comedy and performance venue is actually being run by a comedian and performer,” said Evelyn Frick, a 27-year-old writer and comedian who lives in Ditmas Park. “That it’s Hannibal Buress, someone who both has pull as a comic and is willing to try new things, is even better. At a time when the NEA is pulling massive funding from the arts and censorship is at a high, I’m glad to see an arts space in Brooklyn starting fresh. As someone who’s produced comedy shows I know how hard it can be to get people to come out, so I really hope Isola thrives.”
Michael Dorf and Louis Spitzer opened the original Knitting Factory in 1987 on Houston Street, where it became known as a home for jazzy and alternative acts outside of the mainstream. Over time, it attracted more well-known indie rock and standup comedy acts, and it moved to its Williamsburg location in 2009, where it stayed for 13 years.
Buress said Brooklynites should expect “concept shows, fun parties, private events, filmings, podcasts” and pop-up collaborations. He even said he’ll do a standup special there, joking in a recent NBC interview that he’s leaning on comedy touring to pay the hefty rent.
(Buress declined to tell Brooklyn Paper whether he bought or is renting the space, and what it costs. Knitting Factory Entertainment chief Morgan Margolis told Brooklyn Magazine in 2022 that the company was offered a new lease asking for nearly $30,000 per month.)
As the club gets going, Buress hopes to turn his creative focus back to his rap project, which he put on the back burner while setting up Isola in 2024. He currently raps and performs standup regularly at his new venue — which is just blocks from his Williamsburg home.
Buress also promised more big-name acts who will be “happy to ‘underplay’ and have a cool moment” at Isola, which has a capacity of only 300. But the 42-year-old, who won an Emmy in 2010 as part of the “Saturday Night Live” writing team, admits that the calendar will develop over time.
“There’s what I want, and there’s what the market kind of demands a little bit, and there’s where those two overlap. So we’ll see,” he said. “We’re just getting going.”
