Pete’s Candy Store (709 Lorimer St.), a Williamsburg music and venue and bar, is continuing to adapt during these strange times. It has long been a space where people have engaged with musical artists, but this winter Pete’s is a space for visual art.
“It feels good to be able to share art with the community in a different way than people are used to here at Pete’s,” said bar manager Somers Barto. Barto, a musician himself, is getting into a new artistic community through this project.
Pete’s outdoor dining area, or what they call their “Roadside Inn,” has four separate rooms. Each has heating lamps, white walls made of thick plastic, and a window. “I was sitting here and realized how sterile the rooms were,” Barto said, so he posted a call on Instagram to show artists’ work in the spaces. With the artwork, each room looks almost like the inside of a tiny Williamsburg apartment.
There are four featured artists and each gets their own room. The work varies from a large abstract painting by Cody Kussoy, to sketches of great Brooklyn music venues by Jen Toth, to Berkley Kirsche’s photography collages and striking drawings by JJ Pinckney.
“It always feels like a dream when I see support from the community,” says artist Jen Toth about the show. “I’m overjoyed by times ten.”
To drink and dine with the art, you can reserve a room by messaging Pete’s on instagram, emailing [email protected], or stopping by in person. The menu is lush with cocktails, bottled beers, and draught brews. To eat, a range of hot and cold sandwiches, like a spicy salami with arugula and honey or a pesto grilled cheese, range from $12-14.
The art is for sale, with all proceeds going directly to the artists.