BROOKLYN RETAILER KINFOLK HAS CLOSED

Due to the lasting effects of COVID-19, the popular Brooklyn retailer-meets-café-meets-nightclub Kinfolk has closed its doors permanently. In a letter posted to Instagram on Tuesday, the Kinfolk team said the decision was not made lightly.

“Unfortunately, the reality of the extended shutdown and piling up of operational costs has essentially fired the decision to be made for us,” the letter explains, adding that the team is “heartbroken” over this reality and did not want to bid farewell in this manner after more than a decade of memories.

The goodbye note also expresses pride for a legacy built on giving people a space to gather and express their “100 percent true selves” while cultivating culture and connection, ultimately becoming a home of sorts for many.

“We can only hope the energy created in our spaces will inspire and help grow the next scene, sparking a future of an ever-changing New York still built on expression, acceptance, and freedom to be yourself,” the team said, deeming this sentiment of individuality as the central “ethos” that makes NYC the “best place on planet Earth.”

Founded in 2008, Kinfolk made its home on Wythe Avenue in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Born as a collective of creatives from New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, Kinfolk grew from a communal design studio in Williamsburg, called Kinfolk 90; to its culinary and cocktail nightspot in Tokyo, Kinfolk Lounge; to the bar and cocktail club that grew into a multi-use creative space, Kinfolk 94; and, of course, The Kinfolk Store that became one of New York City’s most notable menswear boutiques.