What brought you to DUMBO?
I had been living and making my art in Santa Fe when I came to New York in 1994 to work on an independent film. I was sent to DUMBO to pick up a prop and immediately fell in love with the neighborhood’s industrial feel, the sense of big sky, the grandiose architecture and the river. When [co-owners Cara Lee Sparry and Laura Taylor] and I decided to open a restaurant about 14 years ago, we had no money, no investors, just a lot of chutzpah. We wanted a place for artists, the kind of place where we would want to hang out which is what we have now.
What do you like about being here?
Since I first got here, the neighborhood has been a huge inspiration for my art and my writing. It feels big, much the way the desert feels big. I also love the dynamism of the neighborhood. I used to know everyone but now I sometimes think, “who are all these people?” At Superfine we try to help promote the feeling of community by welcoming people of all ages — techies, artists, families, everyone — to our space.
What’s in store for the area?
DUMBO is beginning to feel like a small city. I think it’s a shame that so many of the artists who live here and others who would like to live and/or work here are being priced out. There may be a few little rabbit holes left but not many. DUMBO is exploding and will probably keep on exploding.
