Bushwick bar hurt by fire turns to community to help build back space
Owner Kareem Bunton tells News 12 he put a lot of time and heart into building the space that he describes as a biergarten - with an emphasis on the garden. The space had lots of trees, plants and green space in the facility prior to the blaze.
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A fire in mid-September tore through the back patio of Bunton's World Famous Bar on Broadway Avenue, shuttering the space and throwing the future of the bar into question.
"We had over 100 people back there when it happened. I'm glad no one was hurt but the space is closed, and we are running a modified schedule instead of the six days a week we had," said owner Kareem Bunton.
Bunton tells News 12 he put a lot of time and heart into building the space that he describes as a biergarten - with an emphasis on the garden. The space had lots of trees, plants and green space in the facility prior to the blaze.
As he waits for insurance to assess the space, he says it's not just sentimental value and an active crime scene that he's concerned about. He says an area is now sectioned off, cutting his space in half and wonders about the bar's ability to sustain itself.
"The outdoor space functioned as a part of the bar, and in this business every square foot matters. It's New York City, so we went from 1700 square feet to 800 square feet and the business reflects that," he said.
He says a GoFundMe and a fundraising event across the street raised over $45,000, but the fire caused over $150,000 in damage.
"We were able to make payroll and pay our rent with that, so the community has been coming through. We are scraping by but it's not easy. Sometimes the bills will beat what you take in," he said.
He says the bar now has two additional fundraisers planned to help them keep the doors open, on Nov. 13 at Union Pool at 44 Union Ave. in Brooklyn and on the Nov. 23 at Dutch Kills in Long Island City located at 2724 Jackson Ave.
