Courtesy the Knitting Factory
Update on the The Knitting Factory: It’s not coming back to Brooklyn
The beloved rock and comedy club, which shut down in Williamsburg last month, will be returning to its East Village roots
The Knitting Factory, which became a beloved Brooklyn nightlife institution after moving to Williamsburg in 2009, is returning to Manhattan — to the neighborhood where it all started.
Morgan Margolis, CEO of the Knitting Factory Entertainment group, confirmed the news but could not reveal the specific new address, which will be the music and comedy venue’s fourth outpost since opening in 1987. Margolis told Brooklyn Magazine in June that the venue will be partnering with an existing business — likely a neighborhood bar, but he would not elaborate.
“I think it’s time to get back into Manhattan,” Margolis told Gothamist. “I’m excited to be back into the East Village. I think it’s kind of a trip for me, having grown up there, to have a space back there.”
The Knitting Factory’s original location was 47 Houston Street on the border of the East Village, not far from CBGC, before moving to a new Manhattan location at 74 Leonard Street. It relocated again to Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg in 2009 and became a neighborhood favorite, hosting everything from premier touring rock bands to open mic comedy showcases.
In June, the venue’s umbrella company — which also operates venues in Boise and Spokane, along with a record label and a live festival business — released a statement about the Brooklyn location’s closure but days later confirmed that it was just relocating.
“The vibe is going to be similar, you know, open to all. Capacity is going to be similar [around 300],” Margolis said in June. “It’s going to be a little different in that it’s going to be more of a neighborhood bar … we’re partnering up, so it’s not just going to be Knitting Factory.”
Star comedian Hannibal Buress headlined the Williamsburg venue’s final show last month at the Knit, as it’s affectionately nicknamed.
Clarification: An earlier version of this story neglected to list the Knitting factory’s Leonard Street location in its various permutations. We’ve updated the story to reflect that oversight.
