Williamsburg

Only in Brooklyn: Vacant lot transformed into radio station and café

Gem is on the Williamsburg-Greenpoint border

May 12, 2016 By Scott Enman Brooklyn Daily Eagle
A view of The Lot Radio at night. Photo: Emile Dubuisson Photography
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It doesn’t get more Brooklyn than this.

For more than 20 years, an abandoned, triangular lot, snugly situated between Nassau Avenue, Banker Street and North 15th Street on the Williamsburg-Greenpoint border, was left to the elements.

Young adults on their way to the neighborhood’s clubs would use the property as a convenient location to relieve themselves and discard empty beer bottles.

Recently, however, the faint odor of urine and stale beer has given way to that of freshly brewed coffee. Rather than hearing the chirping crickets that resided within the lot’s overgrown vegetation, pedestrians now hear catchy tunes and a thumping bassline.

What was once an eyesore has been successfully converted into an independent radio station and café called “The Lot Radio.”

The radio studio and café are run out of a repurposed shipping container in one corner of the lot, while the rest of the land boasts a mixture of secondhand furniture, church pews, umbrellas, lawn flamingos and a hammock.

Williamsburg resident Francois Vaxelaire thought of the idea for The Lot Radio when he passed by the abandoned property on his daily commute to work.

“One day, it appeared that the lot was for lease, and I took it as a sign that we could do something different, original and creative,” Vaxelaire told the Brooklyn Eagle. “It would have been impossible to find such a magical place like this in Manhattan.”

On one side of the shipping container is a radio studio where DJs play songs 24/7. The station changes DJs every two hours, and all of the shows are livestreamed on thelotradio.com.

“We don’t have a genre of music; it’s more about people being really passionate and knowledgeable about their style of music,” said Vaxelaire. “What makes us different is that there’s a real live connection.

“We’re geographically located in Brooklyn, but we have listeners from 75 countries. We’re thriving online, but we also have a brick-and-mortar location that is creating a bridge between the online and offline world.”

The other half of the shipping container is home to a café that is open during the week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The entire project is funded exclusively from the coffee shop’s sales. The store sells only local products, including cold brew coffee from Brooklyn’s Grady’s Cold Brew, pastries from Greenpoint bakery Ovenly and donuts from Bed-Stuy’s Dough.

Vaxelaire is applying for a beer and wine license, but he doesn’t want The Lot Radio to turn into a gathering place for inebriated youths.  

“This isn’t a party pad; it’s not a club, and it’s not a bar,” said Vaxelaire. “Think of it as an informal, chill, European terrace with honest wine and honest beers.”

Lloyd Harris, vice president and resident DJ of The Lot Radio, articulated the uniqueness of the location.  

“This space lends itself to ideas and is a free space to express yourself,” Harris told the Eagle. “I’ve been in radio stations where it’s really stuffy and nice, but you’re not outdoors feeling the wind like here with this beautiful view of Manhattan.

“Brooklyn is a melting pot for the trading of ideas, and we built this space for that reason — to build a community,” Harris continued. “We didn’t want to be the young kids that set up shop in an area in Brooklyn and completely take over.”

The Lot Radio is also working to forge a close relationship with Greenpoint’s Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family. It intends to host several concerts where 100 percent of the proceeds go toward repairing the church’s damaged organ.

Friar Raphael Zwolenkiewicz spoke to the Eagle about his church’s relationship with The Lot Radio.

“The church certainly has a strong background in liturgical celebrations and the need for music,” Zwolenkiewicz said. “To have the opportunity for musicians to come across the street to The Lot Radio and be able to share that experience is wonderful. We look forward to the possibility of having organ performances streamed live on The Lot Radio station.”

 

A live broadcast of The Lot Radio. from Scott Enman on Vimeo.

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