(Photo: TBA’s website)
TBA Brooklyn, a stripped-down South Williamsburg bunker for house and techno music that operated away from the flash of the Northside’s clubbing district, has been closed by the city, but it’s trying to bounce back via a fundraising party and campaign.
On the weekend before Thanksgiving, the club was shut down by multiple city agencies, according to a Facebook post. Since then, it has been “working with architects, contractors, expediters and lawyers, each of which cost money,” per the message to patrons. “We have learned that we will need multiple inspections and our expediters have been tirelessly working to get those inspections scheduled promptly but the timing and findings of these inspections remains largely out of our control.”
Since the club’s operators face “many outstanding bills and are struggling to find a way to survive this crisis,” they’re holding a fundraiser at Good Room this Thursday, Dec. 18, and have launched a GoFundMe campaign that, as of this posting, has raised about $5,500 of the desired $30,000.
It’s uncertain what exactly brought about the shutdown, but Department of Buildings records confirm that 395 Wythe Avenue was smacked with a full vacate order, filed Nov. 23. An open violation served June of last year alleges an “altered/changed building occupied w/o a valid certificate of occupancy.”
TBA opened in early 2013 in a former auto body shop and quickly became a favorite electro enclave of New York magazine, thanks in part to its democratic door policy and a sound system that was impressive for the small dark box of a space. Below is the club’s Facebook message. You can find the lineup for the fundraising party here.
TBA Brooklyn Needs YOUR Help
Almost two years ago TBA Brooklyn opened its doors in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with the goal of providing a home for New York’s underground electronic music scene. We wanted to create an intimate space that is open to anyone looking to grab a drink and hear some good beats without spending a lot of money.
We like to think that since opening we have succeeded in our dream and solidified our reputation as a space where even though you rarely pay a cover, you can always count on seeing the best talent that NYC has to offer, along with artists from around the country and world. We have also been lucky enough to host some amazing art exhibitions, both on our outside walls and at TBA and its sister gallery space. Those who have been with us from the beginning know that we are always working to improve the space and the TBA experience, whether you are a regular, an occasional visitor or a random tourist stopping by.Unfortunately, recent events have put that dream at risk and we need your help to make sure that we can continue operating.
On the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving, TBA was subject to a multi-agency inspection by various New York City authorities and at the conclusion of the inspection, to our surprise, we were forced to immediately cease operations. Since then we have been working on multiple fronts to determine what exactly the requirements are to reopen and how we can satisfy those requirements. We have already begun this process, working with architects, contractors, expediters and lawyers, each of which cost money. We have learned that we will need multiple inspections and our expediters have been tirelessly working to get those inspections scheduled promptly but the timing and findings of these inspections remains largely out of our control. Until the authorities are completely satisfied and convey their sign-off across departments, we are not allowed to operate.
Having zero revenue for going on 3 weeks has been a challenge. We are faced with many outstanding bills and are struggling to find a way to survive this crisis, and so we are turning to YOU to help us weather this storm and keep TBA alive.
On Thursday December 18th we’ll be hosting a fundraiser at Good Room from 5pm to 4am. There will be over 30 artists joining us & delicious food will be served from our friends’ eateries. Below you can find the list of the artists, eateries & supporters. We’re thankful for having so many amazing people around us.
Plus we’re starting an online fundraising campaign where you can make donations for a month. All funds will go directly to paying our outstanding bills and we will provide updates as available. Thank you so much and hope to see you at TBA soon!
Much love and happy holidays,
TBA Brooklyn
www.tbabrooklyn.com