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Gay Bar Needs 4 a.m. Closing Time to Compete in Nightlife Scene, Owner Says

By Maya Rajamani | October 13, 2016 12:18pm | Updated on October 14, 2016 5:22pm
 Rise bar owner John Blair, 67.
Rise bar owner John Blair, 67.
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DNAinfo/Maya Rajamani

HELL’S KITCHEN — A Ninth Avenue gay bar is losing business because it has been forced to close its doors two hours earlier than its competitors, its owner said.

Nightlife veteran John Blair, 67, is hoping to secure a 4 a.m. closing time on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for his bar Rise at 859 Ninth Ave., near West 56th St., he told DNAinfo.

The lounge is one of the few gay bars in Hell’s Kitchen that closes at 2 a.m. on the weekends, he said.

“It’s a problem,” Blair said of the closing time. “It really cuts into our bottom line.”

Many of the neighborhood's gay nightlife venues — including Industry, Therapy, Fairytail Lounge and Hardware — have 4 a.m. closing times.

 Rise bar at 859 Ninth Ave., near West 56th Street.
Rise bar at 859 Ninth Ave., near West 56th Street.
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DNAinfo/Maya Rajamani

Rise’s liquor license application divided community members when Blair brought it before Community Board 4 more than two years ago.

While 17 residents spoke in support of the application at CB4’s full board meeting in May 2014, 23 residents opposed the bar’s plans to open, citing quality-of-life concerns, meeting minutes show.

The State Liquor Authority ultimately asked Blair to close the bar at 2 a.m. for a year and return with a new application this fall, the owner said.

Before Rise opened last November, the venue's landlord spent around $90,000 on soundproofing throughout the building, Blair said.

Additionally, he spent approximately $20,000 hiring a sound engineer to install paneling and conduct sound checks, he said.

The bar owner said he understands the community’s concerns about noisy nightlife venues, but noted much of the backlash comes from “the same people” who show up to every CB4 liquor-license committee meeting opposed to 4 a.m. closings.

“They’re against everything,” he said. “I have a right to do business and make a living.”

More than 400 neighborhood residents have written letters endorsing the proposed 4 a.m. closing time — 14 of which came from residents living above the bar — but Blair still anticipates opposition when he presents his new application to the board on Oct. 18, he said.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, Councilman Corey Johnson and state Sen. Brad Hoylman, meanwhile, have sent their own letters to the SLA supporting the proposed 4 a.m. closing, an SLA spokesman confirmed.

Blair and Rise’s staff have been “very proactive” in working with residents to mitigate noise issues, he said.

Blair himself was a member of CB4’s liquor-license committee for several years, he noted.

“I heard all the horror stories,” he said. “I want to be part of the solution, and not part of the problem.”