At 2 p.m. on a Saturday in June, the front door to Pleasure Island stood open. Yet, the sidewalks of the establishment at 816 Avenue U were deserted. It was quiet enough to hear the radio playing through the firehouse window of Engine Company 254 across the street.
Beneath the print letters of the sign spelling “Pleasure,” the entrance loomed in a shadow. Inside Pleasure Island, owner Mark Shteynshlyuger, 55, sat by himself. A glance down the street revealed many businesses in the East Gravesend section of Brooklyn—kosher delis, groceries, pharmacies—closed for Shabbat.
Inside Pleasure Island, Shteynshlyuger perched on a barstool. He’d been working with contractors to remodel Pleasure Island since fall of 2010.
Pleasure Island smelled like a new car. Black leather booths had been newly installed. Wrought iron murals were accented by colored lights. Beneath tables and chairs in the 2,000-square-foot main room spread a wooden dance floor. At the far end rose a three-foot balcony with VIP seating. In the back was a stainless steel kitchen.
Few community members have seen Pleasure Island but many already expressed resistance to its opening. On May 17, South Brooklyn residents and leaders banded together in opposition to Pleasure Island at a 500-Foot Hearing at the New York State Liquor Authority office in Harlem.
The onslaught of objections – including letters from New York State Assembly member Steven Cymbrowitz and New York City Council members David Greenfield and Domenic Recchia – cautioned the State Liquor Authority against issuing the new “On-Premises Liquor” license.
In New York State, establishments falling under the “500-foot rule” – those operating within a 500-foot radius of other liquor establishments – must demonstrate that it’s in the public interest to issue a license. With vocal opposition on record, administrative judge Raymond DiLuglio advised Shteynshlyuger to make amends with the community.
In recent weeks, Shteynshlyuger has made inroads by meeting with local leaders and residents. However, some members of the community feel that they’ve already heard enough.
The State Liquor Authority will make a decision on Pleasure Island at a full hearing later this year. Allotting time for both sides to reach a resolution, the State Liquor Authority did not include Pleasure Island on the June or July hearing calendars. Denial of the license would quash Shteynshlyuger’s chances to open the new business.
“The community board is going to oppose it 100 percent,” said Theresa Scavo, chairperson of Community Board 15. Scavo said that Community Board 15, covering the Brooklyn district where Pleasure Island resides, received over 300 calls from residents opposing the establishment. In response, the Community Board sent five letters of objection to the State Liquor Authority.
Scavo and many others believe that the application for Pleasure Island is an attempt to resurrect Pleasure, a nightclub open at 816 Avenue U from 2006 to 2008. In its short tenure, Pleasure attracted a club-going clientele to an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood. “They just thought they were going to reapply,” said Scavo, “come back as the same rowdy crowd, and no one was going to notice.”
Owners of Pleasure received violations for parking, noise, serving alcohol after hours and failure to permit an inspection, among many infringements. “It was lots of problems, lots of drugs, lots of drunk kids,” said Konstantin Krivonos, 42, owner of the building next door at 824 Avenue U.
Shteynshlyuger, who identifies himself as the 90 percent owner of Pleasure Island, has defended himself by saying he was never affiliated with the previous nightclub. “Nobody talked to me,” he said. “Nobody asked me a question. We invested more than $40,000 to create a nice place. Suddenly, we were an adult club.”
He chose the name Pleasure Island for several reasons. “I’m from Russia, formerly,” said Shteynshlyuger. “And in Russia, ‘pleasure’ means something else. It’s not ‘pleasure’ in the American way, connecting with sex objects and everything else. It just means: ‘Have a good time.’”
A 20-year resident of Sheepshead Bay, a nearby Brooklyn neighborhood, Shteynshlyuger calls this community home. He raised two daughters here and made his career in product wholesale and distribution. Although he has over 10 years’ experience in the restaurant business, Pleasure Island is Shteynshlyuger’s first stint as an owner.
Shteynshlyuger and Marat Zagorin, 57, who identifies himself as the 10 percent owner of Pleasure Island, said they envisioned the establishment as an upscale cocktail lounge. For musical décor, they said, they intend to hire a vocalist and DJ. The proposed menu featured entrées ranging from roasted duck breast with truffle corn porridge ($20) to tapioca-crusted tuna steak ($26).
At the 500-Foot Hearing, Shteynshlyuger learned that residents had submitted petitions insinuating that his business was a topless dance club. Authored anonymously, the petitions objected to the opening of an “Adult Establishment at 816 Avenue U” and assailed the “degenerating effects” on the neighborhood’s children. He said the allegations came as a shock.
Joseph Cayre, 69, chairman of the business Midtown Equities Group and member of the local Jewish community, took issue with the implications of the term “Adult Establishment.” “Mark is a great guy, who’s invested a lot to make his business upscale,” said Cayre. “Nothing rowdy, nothing topless. Those things are terrible, and I think people smeared his name who said them.”
Several facts in the public record support Shteynshlyuger’s assertions. Pleasure Island applied for an “On-Premises Liquor” license, the standard bar license in New York State. Adult dancing venues must apply for a special “Cabaret Liquor” license. In their “New Certificate of Occupancy” approved by the New York City Department of Buildings, “No” is checked in the section labeled “Adult Establishment.”
Some other facts in the public record, however, appear to challenge Shteynshlyuger. In the floor “Plan Exam” approved by the New York City Department of Buildings, “Pleasure,” the name of the previous nightclub, is entered in the section labeled “Name of PA Establishment.” Many, such as chairperson Scavo, cite these instances as reason for distrust.
“They say, ‘Oh no, it must be a mistake,’” said Scavo. “I say nothing is a mistake. Please.” Scavo cited another obstacle: 10 percent owner Marat Zagorin. Listed as a principal on Pleasure Island’s license application, Zarogin was also a principal on Pleasure’s old liquor license.
At the Community Board meeting on June 28, George Karp, attorney for Pleasure Island, acknowledged that Zagorin received and paid penalties for alcohol beverage control violations while owner of Pleasure. “So, because they’re paid off,” said Scavo, “we’re supposed to act like they didn’t happen?”
Shteynshlyuger vouched for Zagorin as an associate, saying that the violations pertained to the previous business and not to Zagorin personally. He said he has known Zagorin for 14 years and endorsed Zagorin’s work by making him part owner and manager. “He is a decent person,” said Shteynshlyuger. “For him to work for me, you have to compensate him somehow. So, I gave him 10 percent.”
Shteynshlyuger said he hopes that his community outreach will clear the atmosphere of suspicion. “I don’t want a strip club in my community, too,” he explained. “I’m a regular person. I don’t want that because there are kids around. But people who start these rumors, they have to realize that they don’t know what’s inside.”
Leave a Reply