Take A Sneak Peek At Excelsior’s New Space
Owner Mark Nayden’s face lights up as he shows off the new space for his bar Excelsior, which he hopes to have open by the end of June. It is easy to see that Mark, who has a background in set design, has had a lot of fun designing the new layout.
“We wanted to do it right,” says Mark.
After the landlord sold the building at 390 5th Avenue, where Excelsior had been since 1999, last summer, Mark and his husband, Richard Kennedy, took the opportunity to step back and figure out what to do next.
“We knew we wanted to stay in the community,” says Mark. “And when we found this space, we knew it was right.”
The new location, 563 5th Avenue between 15th and 16th streets, doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the former dry cleaners is a surprisingly large space, which includes a backyard and a second floor.
The second floor was a big draw to Mark because he wanted to provide customers with an area that could be rented out for private events, and to have a separate space for performances.
They signed the lease in October but have had setbacks in trying to get the space ready. So while they waited for building permits to get approved, Mark and his team started building the furniture offsite.
“That way we could keep moving forward even if we couldn’t be working in the actual space,” says Mark.
The decor for the new space uses a different color palette than the old location, switching from reds to blues and greens, but Mark says he tried to reinterpret some of the old designs for the new space. He even used lighting from the old location for the second floor bar.
“We want it to be an extension of people’s living rooms,” says Mark. “A place they can come and feel comfortable no matter what.”
Mark is happy to be able to stay in the neighborhood, even if it is a little bit further down the street. “We survived 15 years and that’s a rarity,” says Mark. “And that’s because of the community, they’ve become our family.”
One thing is for sure, Mark is ready to open the doors as soon as he can. “I’m excited to get back to having conversations with my neighbors.” says Mark.