Beloved Brooklyn music venue says farewell after a decade: 'Going to miss it'

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) – The music is about to stop at a venue that has helped launch countless Brooklyn bands and brought the creative community together. 

Our Wicked Lady, a staple of East Williamsburg’s music scene, is closing its doors after ten years.

Owners Zach Glass and Keith Hamilton spoke with PIX 11’s Cory McGinnis about this bittersweet farewell and what the closure means for those who found a home at the venue.

For the past decade, Our Wicked Lady offered local musicians a stage and music lovers a truly unique gathering spot. Glass and Hamilton founded the venue with an ambitious vision, “Our Wicked Lady is the center for the music community of North Brooklyn and New York as a whole. It's a place for people to be safe and express themselves and try out and grow,” said Glass.

On Sunday, the venue will celebrate a decade of creativity as artists who have called it home return to play farewell sets and say goodbye. Hamilton admits the end is tough, “I haven’t really cried yet and I know it’s going to hit me a lot the last day.”

Both owners say the pandemic changed everything, damaging the financial footing they once built. 

“A lot of people think that we're all back from COVID, but I know in the service industry and the bar restaurant venue industry, most of us know that it's, the landscape is different,” Glass explained. Hamilton added, “It's just gotten so expensive and, you know, people just don't go out as much. They don't drink as much. All those factors come into play.”

They launched a final campaign to save the space and sought new buyers, but hopes fell through. 

“We were excited to hand it off to the right people, to have Our Wicked Lady continue even without us,” said Glass. “We finally found those people and we finally got that offer. But by the time we did, the landlords weren't interested.”

As the community gathers for a last round of performances, the owners reflect on how much the venue meant to so many. 

“I'm sad, angry, excited, proud,” Glass shared. Hamilton described the emotional outpouring from supporters.

 “It’s almost like being at your own funeral because just so many people have been saying so many kind things about us and about the venue and how much it’s meant to them and how it really did build a great community for artists and how much they’re going to miss it.”

Our Wicked Lady’s closing marks the end of an era for Brooklyn’s indie music scene, but its legacy as a creative home for artists and fans will live on.

The venue will close its doors on Sunday, July 20th.