BUSHWICK — A new Bushwick bar opened by a couple that plays in a "goth" electropop band is modeling their spot after classic New York City saloons of yesteryear.
Birdy's, located at 1215 Myrtle Ave. in the former Norbert's Pizza space, is filled with booths, four pinball machines and a foosball table in an attempt to create a "timeless" neighborhood bar, said co-owners Holly MacGibbon and Andy Simmons.
"There's this fantasy of bars that existed in New York in the '70s and '80s," Simmons said. "Good old-fashioned-bar bars. There's a community, there's a sense of place and time. We wanted to build something like that."
MacGibbon and Simmons, both 34, have lived in Bushwick for a decade now and play in the group Weeknight, which others have describe as "goth," the couple said.
They met working at a horror-themed restaurant years ago and used to be regulars at the Williamsburg watering hole Soft Spot, where they met the bar's co-owner, Matthew Webber.
Webber — who also owns Old Stanley's, King Noodle and The Narrows with Ben Altman — approached the couple about being a part of Birdy's, they said.
They liked the idea of opening a spot for people from the neighborhood to hang out in, the couple said.
"[Birdy's] is for whoever," MacGibbon said. "We wanted to be in our neighborhood so we could contribute to the community."
