The continuing gentrification of downtown Jersey City can perhaps be best summed up by the three blocks on Newark Avenue between the Grove Street PATH station and Jersey Avenue. A row of 99-cent stores and vacant storefronts a decade ago, it’s now become a cultural hub of the city, with bars, restaurants and other businesses opening and flourishing. And for the three longtime Jersey City residents that just opened Pet Shop Bar (193 Jersey Ave), they saw an opportunity to create a unique bar for the artistic community of Jersey City.
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David Rappaport, Shen Pan and Eric Speck (pictured, from left) initially wanted to open a music venue. When they weren’t able to find a proper location to do that, they decided to take the space formerly occupied by Village Tropical, a pet store, and open an upscale rock ‘n’ roll bar serving vegetarian food to locals. “We wanted a place for the artists, musicians and weirdos that we hang out with, where music was important, the design was important, and everyone can feel comfortable,” Rappaport says. “Whereas other places that have opened here want people to come from New York or other towns to make Jersey City a party spot, we would like to make it a place that’s for this town.”
Pet Shop Bar delivers on all counts. A jukebox is stocked with releases by local bands, and among the framed posters hanging in the bathroom is one for Jersey City’s own Rye Coalition. And some of the staff are in bands, as are Pan (Coy Kids) and Rappaport (Babraham Lincoln). The layout of the bar, overseen by interior designer Amanda Danesi, makes great use of the space. A long narrow bar to the left gives way to a large open area with tables and a backyard area with several picnic tables. Thrift store paintings and needlepoint of animals adorn the walls, with a neon version of their logo, a bird cage, on the back wall.
While Pet Shop is a bar first and foremost, they do have a vegetarian menu, overseen by chef Eric McGuire, which addresses the lack of vegetarian restaurants in Jersey City. “We’re really psyched to fill this niche,” Speck says. “We feel really good about it from a moral sense and a community sense.” Some of the dishes on the menu include “pulled pork” sliders made from jackfruit, a beet carpaccio, a trio of bean-based pate spreads and curry disco fries.
As far as alcohol, the beer selection ranges from mainstays like Coors Light and Labatt Blue to craft options by brands like Allagash and Kane. There are also about six signature cocktails, created by Pet Shop’s bar manager Lindsay Gomeringer, including twists on a rusty nail and mint julep, as well as several of her own creations.
The end result is a new hangout for Jersey City’s artistic community that’s upscale enough not to scare off newcomers. “You can’t fight gentrification,” Pan says. “The only thing you can do is invest in it before it’s too late.” As far as future plans for Pet Shop, they plan on having occasional live music, but not frequently enough to drive away those that know it as a bar. In the fall, they’ll be opening up the basement as an organic wine bar, with wine importer Chris Leo serving as sommelier. And eventually, they ultimately envision Pet Shop Records, a label to put out releases from local bands. As befitting their name, they also plan on getting involved with animal rescue groups and possibly donating proceeds from drink specials to them. The only downside? Despite the name, no pets are allowed.
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Hero (Top) Feature Image: Courtesy Shen Pan
All other images courtesy Miskha Time
