The Francis Kite Club in Alphabet City is a relatively small space that houses a lot of ambition.
Created by Laura Hanna, Kyp Malone, John McEnerney, Alice McGillicuddy and Laura Raicovich, the bar at 40 Loisaida Ave. is a combo of uptown chic and downtown social club, with an ethos rooted in the spirit of community and the goal of becoming part of the neighborhood.
“There are so many places that, if you have enough money, you can buy out of the box, hire art directors and you have a nice bistro or whatever,” McEnerney muses. “The difference here is,” he laughs, “we didn’t have the money to do that.”
Hanna grins and notes that “a bunch of people creatively built it together. … John built the bar, Alice did the shellacking, our mothers worked on the space. … None of it was done by professional hospitality people. There are photos all around of everyone who worked on it.”
Their friend Nina Nichols is responsible for much of the decor, having designed the color scheme, painted the murals and even created some of the furniture. Nichols, who moved here from New Orleans a few years ago, wanted to bring some of that city’s “practice of building for the sake of joy” into the space.
“Francis Kite began as a space for mutual benefit,” she says. “It has become an open-ended venue that could host a neighbor’s birthday party or an art gala or a punk show. That is what we set out to do — to create infrastructure for wildness.”
The bar, also designed by McEnerney, was purposely structured to give off a flattering light and provide a mirror so that customers can see themselves looking good. After all, you can’t go wrong by appealing to narcissistic impulses in the selfie age.
Among other things, Alice wanted “to go to a bar where I can hear my friends.” Unless a band is rocking the place, the music is kept at a reasonable level and, by the way, there are no TV screens to be found.
The acoustics were designed for maximum comfort and when there is live music, Malone is at the sound board making it all sound great.
The joint has already hosted a diverse roster of acts — from the Jazz Gypsies to the PI Power Trio to Dark Wave Disco to French rockers French Boutik to Swing Jazz to downtown’s rock and roll poet Puma Perl, not to mention the Bread and Puppet Theater, live figure drawing and various authors. But Malone — a noted musician himself — wants more.
“I almost feel like the music booking isn’t eclectic enough yet,” he says. “I’m not looking to create a festival of non sequitur but there’s so much music out there. I’ve felt lucky to host several friends from my musical community as have others in the bar and hopefully those musical circles expand and reach further and further. I would love to have a situation where my mind is being regularly blown by people from around the world in that room.”
Music booker Jon Weiss is likely to make it happen. Although he wasn’t initially looking for a gig at the club, he found it hard to resist.
“I can describe the Francis Kite Club in one word: inclusive,” Weiss explains. “As a talent buyer, there are only two kinds of music: good and bad. So, if you’re lucky enough to program content for a venue that’s inclusive in every way, do you have any idea how much of the ‘good’ music that’s out there that you are now encouraged to seek out and confirm?! It’s a dream come true!”
Even the bartenders are enjoying the experience, as Toki Cardozo relates.
“Working at the Francis Kite Club is like being surrounded by a symphony of creativity,” they say. “It’s a cozy hideout where I feel totally at home and forever inspired – where every customer brings a new chapter to the story. A place where bringing your authentic self is celebrated.”
Becoming a part of the community is a definite goal.
“We’ve been very intentional here – we are making a space for other people”, says Raicovich. “Places like this are only successful when real relationships can be built.”
They’ve only been open six months and they’ve got a lot of “big ideas,” says McGillicuddy, “but we’ve hit a lot of the bases we desired.”
The term “organic” gets mentioned a lot and there’s no doubt that the place is still evolving, with mentions of parades, art shows and social programming still to come.
Maggie Wrigley is a regular who knows something about music, clubs and art, as she is the manager of the Mercury Lounge and the director of the Bullet Space gallery.
“It’s the kind of place that’s open to possibilities,” she says. “Something different every night and it’s welcoming to anyone with ideas. It’s fantastic!”
More info at franciskiteclub.com and on Instagram @franciskiteclub. Nina Nichols will be opening her show there on May 25.
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