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BMW Taking Over Brooklyn Night Bazaar Space, But Not for Dealership

By Serena Dai | May 13, 2015 12:34pm
 The Brooklyn Night Bazaar features live music, a bar and vendors.
The Brooklyn Night Bazaar features live music, a bar and vendors.
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Brooklyn Night Bazaar

GREENPOINT — Upscale car maker BMW has signed a lease to take over the site that hosts the Brooklyn Night Bazaar — but it has "no plans" to make the space a car dealership or corporate office, the company said.

The property at 165 Banker St., which spans more than 24,000 square feet, has been home to the bazaar since November 2013 but will end its run at the location on May 23, co-owner Aaron Broudo said.

The bazaar — a "Chuck E. Cheese for adults" with music, booze and vendors — found out last week that it couldn't stay because the landlord had found a new tenant, Broudo explained.

BMW Group confirmed Wednesday that it would be moving in, but declined to say what the company's function would be at the address.

"There are no plans to use the building for either retail or corporate purposes from our side," a BMW spokeswoman said. "We are still in the planning stages at this time."

The commercial broker for the property owner did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The property owner could not be reached.

In addition to BMW cars, BMW group includes the Mini and Rolls-Royce

For the night bazaar, losing the space "took us by surprise," Broudo said.

The lease had always been short-term, but he didn't expect the move to happen so abruptly, he said. Broudo thought the landlord would have allowed the bazaar to stay if it could pay a higher rent.

"We’re basically an independent, DIY kind of space. It’s free to the public," he said. "There’s no way we could afford what they’re paying."

The bazaar plans to continue looking for alternative indoor spaces.

From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the bazaar will be running in the Rockaways at Jacob Riis Park, Broudo said.

The Rockaways location was originally planned as an expansion of the bazaar, not a replacement of it.

"It's sad, you know?" Broudo said of the closing. "But we've bounced back from closing before. ...We're just sort of hopeful and looking forward to seeing the next one, and of course, excited for the beach."