Petition Urges Prime 6 to 'Embrace Indie Music'

Days after angry Slope residents to protest the noise and company a new Manhattan-style restaurant and lounge might bring to Park Slope, a petition has emerged urging the restaurant to “embrace indie music.”

Prime 6, a multi-story bar, restaurant and lounge under construction in the former Royal Video storefront on Flatbush and Sixth avenues, plans to open in May in anticipation of the new crowds that will flock to the area once the Barclays Center opens for the 2012-2013 basketball season.

At a Monday Community Board 6 meeting, dozens of Slope residents showed up to decry, among other things, plans for an outdoor bar area and 4 a.m food service.

Now an online petition penned by a nearby resident, Jennifer McMillen, urges the restaurant to embrace hosting local “indie” acts, rather than hip-hop.

“What if owner Akiva Ofshtein could be convinced that his business will see far more financial success as a different kind of nightlife establishment,” the petition says. “Instead of focusing on hip-hop and urban entertainment, what if Prime 6 embraced some of the more indie local artists of ALL races who live and perform in the area.”

The petition goes on to imply that featuring hip-hop might result in an elevated crime rate in the neighborhood, and states that the venue would make more money featuring indie acts.

"It's not "racist" to equate hip-hop with an elevated crime rate vis a vi other types of musical genres," the petition says.

It continues: “After all, which one of Prime 6's direct neighbors wouldn't be forever grateful to Ofshtein for seeding a vibrant artistic hub instead of another Yo MTV Raps "bling-bling" VIP club,” the petition says.  

Thanks to MySpace and Facebook pages for the restaurant that boast live music and bottle service, many residents have called into question the types of crowds that Prime 6 might attract. At the community board meeting, several residents raised concerns about the types of live music the venue might feature, as well.

On Wednesday afternoon the petition had already collected 51 signatures, with a stated goal of 5000.

But owner Akiva Ofshtein, a Midwood attorney, said that he had nothing to do with either web page, and that neither accurately reflects the type of live music he would have in Prime 6.

He pointed to the Anyway Café – a funky eatery with locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan – as an example of the type of live music he might feature. 

“They have a singer that sings with an acoustic back up. That’s the idea I have in mind,” said Ofshtein. “I don’t know where the hip-hop thing came from.”

Ofshtein emphasized that he had nothing to do with the either the MySpace or Facebook page for Prime 6. He said that they were designed by a young man hoping to generate buzz for the space in exchange for eventually doing web work for the restaurant, and Ofshtein has since requested that both pages be taken down.

“He certainly generated a lot of buzz,” he said. “But it has nothing to do with the concept I’m going for.”

Ofshtein emphasized that once the space opens, he thinks many neighbors will appreciate the time and energy he’s investing to build a great neighborhood restaurant.

But at Monday’s community board meeting, this seemed to be the largest point of contention.

“When you tell us, the community, that this is a community restaurant you are really and truly insulting our intelligence,” said community board member Pauline Blake at Monday’s meeting.