Bed-Stuy “boozerie” Project Parlor had its grand re-opening Friday after closing up for a month of renovations. The bar originally opened in 2009 under the ownership of Megan Florence and was bought from her in June of 2018 by former employee Rob Morrero, the bar’s music booker TJ Olsen, and law student Roy Berman, who was a regular there. The three co-owners all felt a strong connection to Project Parlor and that feeling was shared by the large crowd of friends that celebrated with them into the wee hours.
Project Parlor’s once-woodsy, antique interior has been stripped down and coated with white paint, and its trademark piano has been broken up with its pieces being used as decoration. “It’s been a lot of work this month,” co-owner Olsen told me. “There’s been ten years of wear and tear on the place and we wanted to give it a fresh look. There’s also a new photo booth and a Twilight Zone pinball machine in the back room.”
Olsen heads up local booking agency TJO Productions and in the warmer months he’ll host backyard concerts featuring local food vendors. Michael Whiteshoes, who designs the bar’s flyers, will curate art shows there starting Thursday, Feb 13.
As Friday’s party got crowded around midnight, we spoke to Project Parlor mainstay DJ TEK, who spun an all-vinyl hip-hop set. “It’s great that I live close to here, so I can bring all my records,” he said. “The crowd is dope and it’s got the best bartenders. I love this place.”
Project Parlor is located at 742 Myrtle Ave. in Bed-Stuy, hours here.