Newly Opened: Bar Velo, Williamsburg
It’s impossible to walk into the main foyer of cycling-themed, Bar Velo in Williamsburg and not be overcome with an instant sense of “old world nostalgia.” The surroundings completely engulf your senses: the finely weathered textures, the quaint rounded tables and antique-looking chairs, the aged bar and hanging lights, and of course, the one-of-a-kind, gear-driven ceiling fan. It feels like you’ve just walked into a romantic cafe in 1930’s Europe. Next, you are taken in by all the vintage cycling memorabilia & artwork, and you might even come across an elegant, custom fixie bike. These elements add even more layers of depth and character to the space. The designing maestro behind Bar Velo is John McCormick. This Brooklyn icon is nothing short of a design savant, and he’s also responsible for the distinct looks of St. Mazie (another BK spot he owns), Maison Premiere, Five Leaves and Witlof.
Along with his wife Vannessa, they have created a truly welcoming environment. Trust us, it would be tough to find a better place than Bar Velo to enjoy a relaxing night out in Brooklyn. See our interview with John below:
Starting off, can you give us a brief history of your bar/restaurant industry roots?
I always wanted to own my own café. My grandfather, Charles McCormick owned a place called “Chuck’s Pepper Pot Cafe” in St Paul. He bartended there and my Grandma Bernie cooked real homemade style food. I bartended and worked in hospitality here and there in my 20’s. In my early 30’s, I finally opened my own place in Soho called Palacinka. With $36k and a time span of 3 months, I designed and built the place out with the help of my father and brother. After that came Moto, and I never looked back.
Velo gives off a great nostalgic and hospitable vibe, like you want to stay and chat awhile. How did you go about developing the concept behind the bar?
Velo is a very special concept to me & one that I have had in mind for twenty plus years. When I create a space, I like to think of it as setting the stage for people to come and experience a bit of a twist on reality, a place that is indefinable as far as time and space. People draw from their own travel and experiences to make associations as to where they feel they are or are reminded of a favorite bar or restaurant in another part of the world.
There are so many vintage collectible pieces within Velo. Everywhere you look, it seems there’s a hidden gem waiting to be discovered. Where do you go about collecting these pieces?
Details are very important to me in my design work. Really I want people to discover something new every time they come, but also not to be overwhelmed with too many elements. I aim for the room to feel comfortable for people, but not for it to be so obvious as to why. Some of the pieces in Velo I have been holding on to and collecting for over 25 years, waiting for the right time to do the project. There are some amazing pieces. Some items I found in Europe when I was bike touring, and I would get rid of some warm clothing so I could fit them saddle bags. Many items are from scouring junk shops/ craigslist/eBay. I think the pieces often just find me somehow… but I have learned how to seek them out too. I spend a lot of time looking for treasures.
“Details are very important to me – I want people to discover something new every time they come.”
There’s a striking cycling theme surrounding the bar. Does that come from a personal admiration for the sport?
Not just in terms of sport, but also the fact that a bicycle is probably one of the single greatest inventions for mankind. Whether it’s ridden for commuting, travel or sport, it enables us to get from here to there with speed and efficiency while benefitting our health.
I was obsessed with bicycles for as long as I can remember. I started work as a bike messenger for five years starting in my mid 20’s in Minneapolis and New York. I did a bit of amateur racing and traveled throughout the UK, Ireland and Northern Europe on bicycle. I love the culture of cycling. I love the classic races such as Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, Giro d’ Italia etc. I had a ritual of making espresso at home in the morning while watching old films of those classic races or biopics on legends like Fausto Coppi or Gino Bartali, two great Italian champions from the 30’s & 40’s. Not many people are aware, that bicycle races in velodromes at the turn of the century and into the 20’s, were the biggest spectator sporting events on Earth.
We enjoyed the décor so much, we’re excited to hear about the drinks! Can you tell us a bit about the opening menu?
We really wanted to create a place that we would like to hang out in ourselves. Combining a healthy element to our menu was really important to us, and having cocktails that could also create another level of experience. My wife is really into herbs and how they can affect your mood and wellbeing, and we wanted to incorporate that into the drinks. So they have a medicinal leaning. For example, in one of our cocktails, sage is muddled with whisky with an all spice rinse. Sage is said to stimulate the brain and boost memory and is used in magical workings for immortality, longevity, wisdom, protection and the granting of wishes. Now who wouldn’t want that as a topper to a really good drink? There is another drink with scotch, angostura bitters, burned rosemary, ginger, honey, lemon- Rosemary is a brain stimulant, and can affect your levels of Seratonin, so if you’re feeling a little low after a hard day at work, this concoction will stimulate some feel good vibes- and it’s just delicious.
The menu is vegetarian and we aim for local and organic items wherever we can. Most of the dishes are vegan actually, and we have had an amazing time creating them. We are really excited about doing a place that is in line with our own philosophies. We are trying to be as green as possible; composting & limiting packaging by doing most of our wines and beer on tap etc. I hope we can build on that theme more as we go along, and educate ourselves.
There are also plans to launch Velo-To-Go. Please tell us more about those plans …
In the spring, we will be opening our kitchen window that fronts onto Broadway right by the Hewes St. stop on the J/M train and serving coffee, juices and sandwiches and other light fare to go.
During our shoot you told us you’ve even done some design work for RRL. What was the project about?
RRL had a store in Soho that they approached me to do the signage for. It was my first time doing a major signage project and I was very happy with how it came off. Since then I have done signage for a handful of other places. I find it almost meditational doing those projects as they call for such precise detail. On top of that, I have designed a number of restaurants some of those in collaboration with my friend Aleksey Kravchuk of Works Mfg and my brother Kevin McCormick. Most of these places are in Williamsburg with the exception of Smith and Mills (in Tribeca), such as Mason Premiere, Five Leaves, No Name Bar, St Mazie, Spritzenhaus & Brasserie Witlof. Now I am focusing more on designing lights and odds & ends for people who enjoy the traditional European bar/cafe culture & aesthetic. In all my projects I design & make my own lights and it is a real passion and outlet for my creativity.
“In all my projects, I design & make my own lights and it is a real passion and outlet for my creativity.”
Are there any other projects you’d like to tell our readers about?
We have plans to perhaps take Velo to other places once we get off the ground. We are in talks with a few people about projects right now but nothing confirmed just yet. We are launching our online website for lighting and other home accessories early next year. So lots going on! We are pretty busy taking care of St Mazie and Velo right now.
Lastly, the theme for our Nocturnal Issue is #BestNightEver. Can you tell us yours?
Oh yeah, that’s a good one. It involves my buddy Zeb Stewart, who owns Union Pool, Hotel Delmano and Cafe Colette. We had a Monday night ritual of going out for bike rides around city late in the evening, stopping off at friends’ bars, or places we have built and having a few drinks. One night while cycling around lower Manhattan, we decided it would be a great idea to scale one of the cables to the top the Brooklyn Bridge. We were standing up near the flag watching the fog rolling up the East River at 4am. I don’t know how we got away with it, but it sure was a rush.
Bar Velo is located at 394 Broadway in North Williamsburg, BK. Keep up with them on IG here.
If you liked this story, check out more in our Urban Transplants issue.
