Libation Owner on New W'Burg Digs: “I Don't Want to Be Typecast”

When news spread that the crew behind Libation - a venue known by some for dismantling the Lower East Side's hip essence - was opening a new spot in Williamsburg, the neighbors got nervous. But now in it's third week Brooklyn's newest addition, Good Company, promises to leave the bridge-and-tunnel crowd on the other side of the river.

"We're trying to carve our notch in this neighborhood and we're being very careful as to how we're approaching it," said part-owner Stephen Maly of his newest endeavor at the annual kick-off of Finger on the Pulse's BBQ Blowout. "I don't want to be typecast because of Libation."

With cheap eats from Roberta's, the DJ stylings of Modular Records and photo skills of venerable nightlife photog Nicky Digital, the party series was salvaged from the formerly defunct Hope Lounge -- making a point to locals that Good Company isn't just a name.

"The idea here is to create a good vibe in the neighborhood. It's not to create any pretentiousness. We're not charging a cover and we're here to evolve," said Maly. "It's Williamsburg, and it's literally good company. We just want a good vibe, good energy, good people -- we're not looking for the bridge-and-tunnel crowd."

As for Maly's relationship with Finger on the Pulse's twin brother duo Greg and Darin Bresnitz -- the brains behind IFC's series "Dinner With the Band," a show that brings together music and cooking -- he said it's going swimmingly. "They're awesome dudes, they're definitely really cool guys. I love the fact that they do 'Dinner With the Band' ... and I knew that the people they would bring to the space would make for a really great crowd."


 

Contact Us