Bar Matchless today.
Jan. 3, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
The writing is on the wall for Bar Matchless, the 15-year corner bar and music venue in Greenpoint.
Erik Green, one of the original founders of the bar, located at 557 Manhattan Ave. since 2003, said Bar Matchless’ future is bleak since the building it occupies was sold by the owner.
“They have to deliver the building vacant,” Green, 51, said. “But I’ve been trying to work with the landlords to see if I can stay longer.”
Green said the bar’s last day was technically on Jan. 1, but the bar has continued to operate during its regular hours. “They’re not sending the sheriff in and locking the door,” he said.
But getting ahold of the landlords to negotiate has been difficult. “No one wants to answer,” he said. “We are not 100 percent sure what’s going on. My lawyer is calling them every day.”
While Green considers himself an optimist, he says the fate of his bar at the corner of Manhattan Avenue and Driggs Avenue is obvious. “We’re out of there,” he said. “They want to actually develop the property and do something with it. We would never be able to afford the rent.”
Several patrons have already begun to stop by and offer their condolences.
“A lot of people are bummed, “ Green said. “We’ve been open for about 15 years now, its a bit of a landmark. People want you obviously to stay, but you can’t if the landlord wants you out.”
Green has already started to look around Brooklyn for possible sites to open a bar and music venue, but whether it will be called Bar Matchless is a question that weighs heavy on him. “You want to keep the name and continue somewhere else, it’s just never going to be the same,” he said.
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