NEW YORK CITY (CelebrityAccess) — Knitting Factory Entertainment is planning a return to Manhattan’s East Village for the first time since 2009 through a partnership with entrepreneur Nick Bodor.
Located at 101 Avenue A, on the site of the former Pyramid Club, Baker Falls will include a neighborhood café, bar and a Knitting Factory-branded performance space dubbed Knitting Factory Manhattan, which is scheduled to open in February 2023.
Bodor is no stranger to the New York hospitality and restaurant scene and created and operated multiple ventures in the East Village, including Cake Shop, The Library bar and alt.coffee, as well as Bruar Falls in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Bodor will serve as the managing partner and creative director of the enterprise.
“With this joint venue, Knitting Factory and I are excited to explore the importance of creating a safe, fun, all-inclusive environment for everyone to gather morning, noon and night,” Bodor says. “Baker Falls will have café service all day, happy hour drinks, great performances and even some late-night dancing. Can’t wait to see you there.”
“Of course, it was a difficult decision to close our doors in Brooklyn due to rent escalations. However, finding a partner in Nick Bodor, former owner/operator of the iconic Cake Shop music venue, to team up and collaborate with us has been fantastic. And, having personally grown up in East Village and planting our flag back in Manhattan where it all started brings a lot of things full circle for us and for the brand,” added Knitting Factory CEO Morgan Margolis.
Following The Pyramid Club’s closure at the end of October, the property is undergoing an extensive renovation that includes the installation of new audio and visual production elements.
Knitting Factory Manhattan will be booked by company veteran Carson Ehlert with support from Senior Talent Buyer James Irvine. Programming is set to begin in February 2022.
“Although closing the Williamsburg location was difficult, I couldn’t be more excited about putting together interesting shows, developing new artists, bringing communities together, and continuing Knitting Factory’s unique legacy in the East Village. It’s been a delight to work with James and Morgan thus far and I’m looking forward to collaborating with them and Nick in making the new Knitting Factory a pillar of music and nightlife culture in Lower Manhattan for years to come,” Ehlert said.
