A new bar will be making its home in Morris Park. Sugar Lounge recently filed an application to open at 1890 Eastchester Road.
With all the past problems surrounding bars in Morris Park, such as the former MP Pub, located 702 Morris Park Avenue, and Café Déjà vu, located 778 Morris Park Avenue, members of Community Board 11 were wary when Lisa and Wilfredo Vives came before them with plans for the new night spot.
According to the couple, who have invested a significant amount of their money in the project, the Eastchester Road club will cater to a different crowd than the other bars.
The Vives’ hope to draw hospital workers from Jacobi Medical Center and Einstein Hospital, located across the street, and off duty police officers from the nearby 49th Precinct to the 1,500 square foot location.
Though small, the lounge will feature a 25-foot bar, seating 15, as well as tables with stool seating and couches. Parking is easily found during the night hours along Bassett Avenue behind the bar, and licensed security guards will protect both the front and back entrance, with security cameras throughout the location.
“We have a personal stake in this business, and if it doesn’t work out we could possible lose our home, so we will not tolerate disturbances,” said Lisa Vives. “We wouldn’t want to risk anything and compromise our licenses or permits, which we are in the process of getting.”
The lounge will serve basic appetizers for hungry guests, and will open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Friday and Saturday until 4 a.m., but guests can only enter until 2 a.m.
Sugar Lounge will have a minimum age entry requirement of 23 for females and 25 for males.
The couple came before CB11 on Thursday, February 26, and before the Morris Park Community Association on Wednesday, March 11 to appeal for support for its liquor license application.
“We wish them luck, they seem like nice people dedicated to running a decent place,” said Al D’Angelo, president of the MPCA and member of CB11. “They came to us with a good plan and we will give them a chance.”
According to Lisa Vives, if all goes well, the location should open in several months.
