CultureFix spotlights artistic expressions of all types offered to all demographics at all times.
First, let’s be clear. These guys don’t want to be referred to as cool. They’ve had thirty nerds in the back of the gallery sawing irons, putting together little Theremin devices. They’ve had a woman in a giant wedding dress made out of milk cartons, swallowing two other women at the bottom of that dress. They’ve had a group of fat guys in beards and red sequence dresses singing about Taylor Swift. Having a “cool factor” might be a Californian thing; but at CultureFix, alternative counts. Anything goes.
CultureFix is a small bar and art venue in New York City’s Lower East Side (LES) highlighting: artistic expressions of all types offered to all demographics at all times. “I’d say, the more alternative the event is in here, the more interesting CultureFix becomes.” Cole Schaffer, who co-founded the event space with Ari Stern, explained, “Ari and I decided that we wanted to open a different watering hold. We had gone to numerous bars that were trying to redefine cool and I think it’s important to keep an attitude of transparency. Some bars try too hard.”
He’s undoubtedly correct. In Manhattan – a city constantly on the hunt for reinvention – the definition of transparency is the concept of smoking mirrors. So Cole and Ari play by their own rules, adamantly committed to being as transparent as possible about what they do on a day-to-day basis, and part of that comes from being operating owners everyday.
Both entrepreneurs met in the restaurant business years ago and decided they didn’t want to work for anyone else but themselves. Sticking to their mission statement at CultureFix (showing the widest variety of work and performances throughout any given time,) they host a huge array of events. Anything from small dinner parties, exhibitions, film screenings, live music gigs, to readings. The duo uses this space as much as they can during the day to facilitate meetings, rehearsals, studio time…etc. Upon entering the venue, guests can expect to see a single, interactive installation piece in the gallery or works on the wall used for completely different reasons. Corporate companies also host marketing events for reality show launches, film premieres and product releases.
“How we differentiate ourselves is being a blank canvas, not being a generic hotel in Times Square. We’re also not the star-white gallery with in-your-face bright lights like those in Chelsea. Nor are we the dim and dark music space like Tammney Hall or The Delancey.” Ari noted, “There are always going to be crazy performance arts here very Tuesday, or there might be an acoustic band on a Thursday. It’s also possible we have classic music on a Friday or two guys getting married here on a Saturday.”
In the city, there’s a standard operation for commercial businesses. It is New York, after all. If it’s a theater, it’ll always be a theater. What Cole and Ari do at CultureFix is offering different forms of experiences every time a local or a traveler walks through the door. It’s the absolute opposite of franchising. CultureFix lives and breaths the rise of a new culture currently thriving in New York City: a personalized business, one that can’t be sold to anyone in a snap of fingers.
Ari and Cole are undeniably in tune with the present ascent of “personalized culture”, which is here to stay. With CultureFix, they’ve build it so much from the ground up that it’s almost to a fault. Since its inception, CultureFix has become a brand and a fresh concept that cannot be sold or bought. Cole revealed, “We work in a way that people really see our service-minded attitude. Lots of event spaces in New York City have become quite standard, it’s just a space. What we’ve done is treating performers and hosts of parties less like clients but more like guests. I rarely see an event space where you’re greeted at the door by the owners and things are already set up for you seamlessly so that you can just perform and do what you do best.” At CultureFix, the guys rarely tell people that they can’t do something. Really, anything goes.
Located off of notable East Houston Street in Lower East Side, CultureFix sits right on Clinton Street where a mixture of Latin, Jewish and the Chinese immigrants historically dominated the working-class neighborhood. A flood of artists also arrived to the area decades ago during a time when LES was known as a heroine den. Buildings were abandoned and rent was cheap. Cole remembered, “Our first Yelp review was, ‘Oh CultureFix i where I used to buy my heroine.’”
During the mid-2000s, Chinatown expanded just south of Delancey Street, especially during a fast-growing gentrification. Nowadays, a transient population of students, corporate employees and families have settled in LES, hence surrounding amenities are geared toward people with higher expendable income. In regards to a changing nightlife scene, New York Midtown crowds have been flocking to LES for funky, alternative vibes that aren’t as boxed in as those in Midtown. Clinton Street is now renowned for its sophisticated boutiques and popular fine dining and lounge bar options.
Having a remarkably trained culinary background, Ari is in charge of the beer, wine bar and food menu at CultureFix. The bar holds forty different types of beers from around the world. He explicits, “Our menu only has four things on it at a time, but it’s not the only thing we know how to cook!” Look out for a delectable pork carnitas, along with chicken mole and cilantro, chipotle shrimp and cabbage slaw.
Five years from now, the guys would love to have a bigger and better CultureFix.They began this venture with the idea of a highly personalized business aimed to attract the attention of New Yorkers. Their main mission has never been about producing huge profits, but making a name for themselves so they can take all the experiences with CultureFix to build bigger and additional alternative art spaces.
Ari explained, “I mean, we didn’t build the Marriott Marquee with thousands of rooms and millions of revenue. This hasn’t been easy because there’s a million other options in New York City. We remind people that we appreciate their business because they chose us instead of a million other places. People forget there are twenty thousand restaurants in a seven-mile radius. As a business owner, you need to ask: Why are they coming to you every night? Maybe because you’re a little bit cooler?”
Still, don’t label them as cool. But understand their rising business runs as one of the most affordable event venues in New York City. Private dinner and open bar packages start at $6/person/hour. Besides glitter and sand, the guys challenge guests to find something that can’t be done in their space. According to Cole, there are three general rules, “No exposure of genitals, no proof throwing and no violence.” Indeed, anything goes? Now, that is cool.
