Serving Brooklyn beers and American-style classic cocktails, Bar Brooklyn at Strand in Hornstull was inspired by the homely feel of the bars in the most populous of New York’s five boroughs. Why do they want to be different from other bars, and what do the customers like about it? We spoke to the venue manager and a regular.
CONNY
Conny C. Lindström is the CEO and venue manager of Bar Brooklyn.
Why is it called Bar Brooklyn?
Because we wanted to be like the bars in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We wanted to serve different kind of beers from Brooklyn breweries and let people bring their own food to the bar.
What kind of music do you usually play at the bar?
It varies, but we do try to play listening and not dance music. Of course you can dance to some of it, but the goal is more to “soundtrack” the bar. We have a jazz night each week, release parties for left-wing music and sometimes there’s small live combos.
Who is the typical Bar Brooklyn regular?
I really can’t say. All ages from 20 to 50+. It depends what’s on the musical menu.
Why do you think people come to Bar Brooklyn?
It differs from a lot of other bars and venues, even the other compartments at Strand. It’s cosy and intimate, with nice staff and exciting music. It’s almost like visiting someone’s home.
ACKE
Acke Wenelius is 31 years old. He works as a marketing analyst, and lives in Hornstull, not too far from Bar Brooklyn where he has been going ever since it first opened. He spends a lot of his free time at bars and in theatre bars.
Why do you go to Bar Brooklyn?
It’s close to home and it’s very relaxed. The age span of the clientele is also pretty wide. It’s a pretty nice and comfortable bar environment.
What is the most important thing when you choose a bar to go to?
The clientele plays a pretty large part. It shouldn’t be too bright inside, that makes me uncomfortable and self-conscious.
What do you usually order at the bar?
Beer, or beer and järn (shots). Never anything else, really.
Who is the typical Bar Brooklyn regular?
The expression ‘typical’ doesn’t work too well in the context of the bar since the clientele there is pretty mixed, especially for Stockholm. Everything from academics, musicians and art school students to communists and gender studies students on tentaöl (exam beer). And then there are the hipsters and random people who live in the area.
Why do you think people come to Bar Brooklyn?
I think people go there because the place has a mixed clientele. It’s quite nice in a city where it’s easy to pinpoint and complain about the total homogeneity of most bars and clubs.
What makes Bar Brooklyn different from other bars?
Compared to most other bars on Söder with bearable music, Bar Brooklyn feels neither annoying nor annoyingly middle-class.
Is there anyone in specific in the staff that you always chat with?
The doormen. There isn’t a single rotten apple among them. That’s the reason I swing by so often.
Does the Brooklyn/ New York vibe influence the fact that you go to Bar Brooklyn?
No, and I think that people go there despite, rather than because of those influences. If they even exist, besides the name and the beer.
What’s your relationship to New York and Brooklyn?
It’s basically a non-relationship. It’s a nice city, but not an object of desire in my libidinal economy, haha.
Do you think regulars get any special treatment?
Nothing more than usual regular benefits, like not having to queue and a bit of a discount on the beer.
