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Kinfolk, the multiuse creative venue on the corner of N 11th and Wythe, is shuttering its doors after 12 years.
In a letter addressed to "family and friends" on Tuesday, the Kinfolk team made the announcement that this decision, forced by financial burdens from the pandemic, was not made lightly.
"Unfortunately, the reality of the extended shutdown and piling up of operational costs has essentially forced the decision to be made for us,” the letter reads. After over a decade, they reiterated how heartbroken they are: “ We did not want this to be the way we said goodbye.”
They also expressed how proud they are of the community and legacy that was built that gave people a space to gather and express their "100 percent true selves."
"We can only hope the energy created in our spaces will inspire and help grow the next scene, sparking a future of an ever-changing New York still built on expression, acceptance and freedom to be yourself," they wrote. "This is the ethos, we believe that makes this city the best place on planet Earth."
The vibrant Brooklyn space has been open since 2013, and hosted a variety of happenings from art openings to DJ sets. On any given night, you may have caught a secret show by beatsmith Jamie xx, attended a party where Jonah Hill showed up, or counted on it for a nights of pure house, trap, rap and reggae.
Both Kinfolk 90, the coffee shop by day and bar by night, and Kinfolk 94, the disco ball-laden club with a dance floor, have been the grounds for many New York memories. Fans of the space have taken to social media to say goodbye with their own slew of stories and thoughts on the sudden closure.
KINFOLK IS CLOSING. Mi can’t breathe pic.twitter.com/JiaxZiGoXX
— Jenny say quan (@madamemazel) July 15, 2020
Kinfolk closing is like next level devastation.
— @BeaThick (@BeeNick) July 15, 2020
we threw a fucking party for Jonah Hill and he showed up and raged with us. LIKE WHAT?! RIP KINFOLK BRUH, FR FR. https://t.co/hoXb1XeRk0
— Jelani Carter (@_JelaniCarter) July 15, 2020
rip kinfolk, where i once saw the lead singer of wheatus perform “teenage dirtbag” in the middle of the afternoon at a birthday party for someone i still don’t know
— brittany spanos (@ohheybrittany) July 15, 2020
Damn, Kinfolk is closing.๐ That place really defined me in my mid-twenties.
— Chavonne (@ccchavonne) July 15, 2020
wow, kinfolk and china chalet closing during the same season is truly the end of a very specific new york media era
— ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ (@sydegee) July 15, 2020
Many also eluded to their fears about what's to come for New York nightlife as we know it. Without major government action and with hefty rent checks building up for those sprawling venue locals, there’s a lot of anxiety around when the next nightlife institution will be forced to shut.
Kinfolk closing has to be the nail in the Williamsburg coffin
— Ryan Dueñas (@ryanduenas) July 15, 2020
The never ending eulogy of NY nightlife. Farewell Kinfolk.
— DJ TREATS®๏ธ (@iamdjtreats) July 15, 2020
Places like kinfolk that we’re community oritented are going to start closing left and right. This is going to be a massive blow to American nightlife. It can’t be understated how horrible this pandemic and the gov’s response will be for nightlife
— DZA3000 (@DZA3000) July 15, 2020
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