ABOUT US

Alex PickenPicken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage, established in 1988 by owner and business entrepreneur, Alex Picken, is the premiere real estate brokerage company that specializes in the sales and leases of nightclubs, restaurants, bars and lounges in Manhattan, New York City and the Hamptons. Prior to the foundation of the company, Mr. Picken spent several years working his way up the real estate ladder at three different firms. The most prominent agency he was employed with was LBK International, at the time, one of the largest in NYC. While at LBK, Mr. Picken worked in the investment sales department, focusing on building sales and commercial leasing.

Since its conception, Picken Real Estate has successfully brokered more nightclubs in Manhattan, than every other real estate agency combined; Pacha NY, Copacabana, Culture Club, Centro-Fly, Estate, Life, Club NY, Eugene, Duvet and Providence, just to name a few. The company’s mission is to assist its high-end clientele and customers, using pre-established criteria, locate and obtain the ideal space in which to open and fully operate their venue. Picken Real Estate’s excellent track record of successfully executing over 35 nightclub (cabaret) deals, in addition to numerous restaurant and bar transactions throughout New York City, ensures prospective clients and customers that their business endeavors can and will be realized. With a customer base in excess of 5,000 in the New York City area, the professional staff at Picken Real Estate is also capable of assisting business owners, who are ready to sell their establishments to well qualified and experienced buyers, thereby attaining the best price possible. The aforementioned establishments are enlisted with Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage on an exclusive basis, allowing team members the advantage and ability to directly market the listings to all potential customers, as well as networking within the brokerage community. Picken Real Estate is a recognized member of The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), The New York Nightlife Association (NYNA) and The New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA).

If you are looking to buy or lease New York real estate customized for nightlife, please visit our Exclusive Listings Section. You will find a wide variety of nightclubs, bars, lounges and restaurants for sale or lease.We Look forward to working with you!

PICKEN REAL ESTATE

• Serving New York City for over fifteen years.
• New York State Licensed Real Estate Brokerage Firm and Business Brokers.
• Specialize in business sales & leasing for nightclubs, restaurants, lounges and bars.

We are Members of:

NEW YORK STATE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION www.nysra.org

THE NEW YORK NIGHTLIFE ASSOCIATION www.nyna.org

REAL ESTATE BOARD OF NEW YORK www.rebny.com

PRESS

SCORES GOES ON THE BLOCK

April 30, 2008

Legendary mammary mecca Scores West has been entertaining offers since it became apparent earlier this month that its liquor license would be pulled.

Alex Picken, a restaurant and nightclub real estate broker, told us he's been showing the space. "I have arranged for inspections of the property for different investor groups that are focused on the real estate," said Picken. No competing clubs need apply as the owners are not eager to sell to another adult venue. On the other hand, Scores' cabaret license adds value to the deal as no other rival can open within 500 feet of the current club. If they don't use it themselves or want to tear down the building, the next owners could "sell" the early termination of the license so it can be used nearby in a better-suited structure. Scores' 200 foot-by-50 foot building at 536 W. 28th St. goes through the block to West 27th Street and its special zoning district allows for it to be developed to more than 50,000 feet. That's because it could tap into the High Line bonus whereby more air rights can be transferred from elsewhere in the district. Through a spokesperson, Scores owner Richie Goldring advised, "While it's not actively being marketed, everything is available at the right price."



http://www.nypost.com/seven/04302008/business/scores_goes_on_the_block_108833.htm

Daily News

November 29, 2007

THE CLOSER- *The price for Club Deep, one of the last giant New York City nightclubs, just dropped. Having had their liquor license yanked by the State Liquor Authority, Club Deep owners reduced their asking price from $3.5 million to $750,000. Legal issues over closing hours and drunk clubgoers out front after 5 a.m. caused constant strife between the club and the local community. Located on 22nd St. between Fifth and Sixth Aves., Club Deep has two floors of 10,000 square feet each, 18-foot ceilings and another entrance on 21st St. Alex Picken, who owns New York-based Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage, one of the biggest club and restaurant brokerages in the country, has the exclusive. "A big restaurant or banquet space decked out in white like the Delano Hotel in Miami would do wonders here," says Picken. "It is sad, though, to see another big club go away." If interested, call (212) 979-2800.

http://www.nydailynews.com/services/realestate/2007/11/29/2007-11-29_the_closer.html?page=1

E. VILLAGE CLUB FACES CURTAIN

By Paula Froelich September 5, 2007

DOWNTOWN hipsters better sit down for this one - the days are numbered for Mo Pitkin's House of Satisfaction.

The multilevel East Village eatery, bar and performance space that looks like a New Orleans bordello and hosts celebrities like Deborah Harry, Janeane Garofalo, Al Franken, Paul Shaffer, Moby and Mario Batali has fallen on hard times and is up for sale, sources tell Page Six.

The Avenue A building is owned and occupied by the Hartman family - artists and entrepreneurs best known for their chain of funky Two Boots pizzerias in Manhattan and Brooklyn. But while the pizzerias are thriving, business apparently hasn't been all that great at Mo's.

So, 2¸ years after the family did a gut renovation on the space, they've tapped Walker & Malloy uber-brokers Alex Picken and Rafe Evans to sell the building and its contents. The price is $5.5 million.

Picken and Evans, who confirmed the sale offering to us, say the property can be delivered vacant. A duplex penthouse apartment and a coveted liquor license are included.

"It's got a full restaurant and bar and another bar upstairs, plus an office and living space. And it's in an area where the State Liquor Authority has declared a moratorium on new liquor licenses, so it's a very valuable property," Picken told Page Six.

"The renovation on Mo's a few years ago was in excess of $1 million," the broker said. "It's one of the most pristine buildings in the area and maintains the old-style look of the area on the outside. We already have a couple of people who are interested. I would think this sale could be wrapped up by the end of the year."

The Hartmans named the club after an eccentric family relative who claimed to have tried to assassinate Adolf Hitler during the height of World War II - a story that has never been verified.

Phil Hartman, the mastermind behind Mo Pitkin's, will continue to run his Two Boots pizza empire, as well as the Pioneer Cinema around the corner from Mo's - which remains open while the family searches for a buyer.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09052007/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm

STRIP SEARTH! DID COPS FLOCK TO SCORES WEST?

Big music venue coming to W. 56th

By Lauren Elkies August 14, 2007

One of the city's largest live music venues to open in a decade is coming to the Midtown West space that housed Club Exit.

The Bowery Presents, a New York-based promotion company, signed a 25-year lease for 40,000 square feet at 610 West 56th Street, between 11th and 12th avenues, and will open as Terminal 5 in early October. The initial line-up at the multilevel venue, which accommodates 3,000 people, includes the Shins with Vetiver and the Decemberists.

The space near 11th Avenue sat vacant for a year following Club Exit's closure a year ago and a failed deal with the Copacabana nightclub about nine months ago, after that club was bumped out of its West 34th Street venue.

"It's not the kind of space for everybody. It's all the way west by the Department of Sanitation," said Alex Picken, president of Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage, who represented the landlord.

Bowery Presents, which manages and operates live music venues, including the Mercury Lounge on East Houston Street and the Bowery Ballroom on Delancey Street, will also open the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Patti Smith and her band will play at its Sept. 4 grand opening.

The Bowery Presents signed the lease for 610 West 56th Street about six months ago at less than $40 a foot, but only obtained a liquor license a few days ago, Picken said.

The New York State Liquor Authority's moratorium on granting new liquor licenses at the end of last year lengthened the search for a tenant, he said.

Unlike the series of club tenants, including Black, before it, Terminal 5 "will be a success because it's live music," Picken said, and will cater to a wide range of age groups. Each of the three floors will feature a bar.

"Opening Terminal 5 allows us to continue providing better venues for bands and the best live experience for fans," said Michael Swier, a Bowery Presents partner.

The new space will rival long-time venues like the Hammerstein Ballroom on West 34th Street and the Beacon Theatre in the West 70s.

Picken negotiated two other deals for smaller Manhattan clubs in the last year -- Highline Ballroom on West 16th Street and Rebel on West 30th Street, which are each about 10,000 square feet.

CHELSEA BLOCK IN REHAB

By Lois Weiss August 8, 2007

ROWDY CLUBLAND AREA WILL SEE EXTENSIVE REDEVELOPMENT

THE Chelsea block that's been held hostage by the raucous club-hopping of bridge-and-tunnel crowds may be on the verge of getting some relief. Several development sites on West 27th Street between Tenth and Eleventh avenues are under negotiation, are in contract or have been sold to developers that intend to put residences above the fray.

Additionally, sources said several clubs are either fending off entreaties or negotiating to be bought out of their leases.

While the north side of the block can be a receiver of air rights, the south side remains zoned for manufacturing. Even so, lots are falling like dominoes to those who want to redevelop decrepit buildings into galleries, stores and offices.

Artist-turned-developer Peter Moore has already started construction at 520 W. 27th St. on a new, 100,000-foot building that Schechtman said will be lofts for artists.

Department of Buildings records show approvals for an 11-story building with parking for a dozen cars, ground-floor retail and offices above. A call to Moore was not returned by presstime.

The former home of Spirit, located at 530 W. 27th St., was controlled by former club dishwasher Robbie Wooten and Dominic Kelly, a Dublin-based accountant who also owns 534-536 W. 27th St.

The building at 530 W. 27th St. is in contract to be sold, confirmed Alex Picken of Picken Real Estate & Nightlife Brokerage, who declined to provide other details. E-mails to Kelly were not returned by presstime.

We also hear that the owners of Scores West at 533-535 W. 27th St. are in talks with anyone from anywhere willing to pony up $40 million for their 10,000-foot lease which runs through 2021 and includes its coveted adult license.

"There is no specific offer," an executive with Scores told us. "We get approached by people all the time."

HOTTEST SPOT NORTH OF MANHATTAN

By Lois Weiss July 6, 2007

The Copacabana could be moving to Da Bronx.

The famed nightspot at 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue shut its doors last Saturday night, leaving the fate of the club, made famous by Barry Manilow's popular song of the same name, up in the air.

"We've been actively showing him spaces in the Bronx and there is a good chance the Copa may be leaving the city," said the club's broker, Alex Picken of Picken Real Estate & Nightlife Brokerage.

The MTA late last year condemned the club, which was cater-cornered from the Javits Center, to make way for a new No. 7 line station. Since then, owner John Juliano has been actively seeking a new locale, but has been stymied by climbing rents and neighborhood resistance.

"No one wants a nightclub in their backyards," he bemoaned. "The city that never sleeps wants to sleep."

Juliano has acknowledged that he probably can't replicate the 50,000 square feet that his 34th Street venue had, and said he would now be happy with 20,000 to 25,000 square feet. "Half would be fine," Juliano said.

In the meantime, he'll be running some events at his Columbus 72, a smaller club that holds 800 partygoers.

There is also the possibility of a bifurcation of operations, something that many office tenants are also now considering in the face of climbing rents. That would involve keeping a private catering operation in Manhattan and a public party club in an outer borough - possibly the Bronx.

Daily News

April 20, 2007

THE CLOSER- New York nightlife must be good. Alex Picken's Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage, which specializes in the sale and lease of nightclubs, restaurants, bars and lounges, just opened up another office. Party on, folks.

BIG APPLE BYTES

By Alex Picken March 2007 Issue

Plenty of evidence is showing that 2007 will be a special year, including the opening of several new mid-size and huge live music venues (many thought were gone forever); the open air trend, which has beenÊfueling city dweller demand for dining and dancing in lush rooftop settings with extraordinary views; innovative ideas; sexy unique promotions; offbeat neighborhoods as prime targets for glamorous makeovers; and much more.

The Road Less Taken Investigating off-the-beaten-track neighborhoods - that can get hot in the blink of an eye by initial gentrification taking place through nightlife establishments moving in first - historically is a proven formula for any large cityÊon the upswing. A classic case is the awesome development of New York's meatpacking district (MPD). Once a bleak outback for the butcher trade, it nowÊshows no signs of slowing down. With headlines labeling it " Manhattan's trendiest neighborhood," it is the new home to some of the city's most celebrated clubs and restaurants. The lesson learned is to look under the radar for potential new growth areas as the key to finding low cost start-up sites with character appeal. Club owners, restaurateurs, investors and savvy realtors can learn from the trends of this now fashionable tourist Mecca. Interested readers can track MPD study findings from a statistical analysis of the area, commissioned by my nightlife brokerage for the period between 2000 and 2005, at www.pickenrealestate.com.

Historic Ethnic Neighborhoods Ethnic neighborhoods hold on to time-honored traditions, but, as families move on, change is inevitable. LITA is the best current example. LITA stands for Little Italy, a tiny strand of four or five blocks, just North of the Italian community which attracted generations to its colorful unique stores and Italian cuisine. New LITA stores, restaurants and shops are serving the overflow of Little Italy tourists and wealthy new residents who bought apartments on its borders. Club and restaurant owners have started calling me to check out available new sites, auguring a new trend within the borders of lower Manhattan.

Reinventing Manhattan A sure-fire development, bound to happen in other major cities as the word gets out, is installation of newly designed live music venues, once a Big Apple staple. The new live venue facilities are being built on a grander scale than ever before, with modern improvements, lavish dancing space and expansive views from every table.Ê The new ultra-size clubs will captivate with all-glass elevators, hi-tech acoustics and lighting systems, three-story high ceilings, multi-tiered dance floors, TV/video and digital computer screens, the latest sounds in live music and/or provided by world acclaimed DJs ratcheting up lively rhythms.

Rooftops One trend that keeps going is rooftop dining/dancing and lounging. These dramatic views can be duplicated somewhat in most metropolitan cities. Outdoor spaces revive older buildings and make for memorable moments under the stars. I advise searching for hidden jewels with outdoor potential.

Making Your Bed Another trend that has stuck around is the concept of patrons relaxing on beds, but a number of club owners are entertaining thoughts about out-bedding the competition - by creating new lifestyle venues in the NYC metropolitan area and perhaps other cities, including Las Vegas. The live grown-up playground entertainment idea is booming, while revenues reportedly are down in all other adult style entertainment mediums, such as DVDs, video, Internet and magazines. Perhaps no better sign of this movement exists than the Palms Hotel's multi-million dollar Playboy Club in Las Vegas.

Opulent Libations Something fascinating today's club-goers are outlandishly priced cocktails. Though but a few might actually buy one, the buzz brings the rest. One example is a Drink Recipe Night, inviting bar customers to come up with their own, original Rich Cocktail Recipe for a new $10,000 drink. Celebrity judges declare the winner, who gets an all-expenses-paid week for two at a 5-star vacation resort.

WEST SIDE MUSIC STORY

By Lois Weiss March 7, 2007

THE family that owns BB King Blues Club & Grill and the Blue Note New York has cut a deal for a live-music venue in the Meatpacking District. "It will be called the Highline Ballroom," said Steve Bensusan, who declined to provide other details, as did his brother Tsion. A Web search, however, revealed that singer Jonatha Brooke is booked for the grand opening on May 1. The nightclub will take over the 10,000-foot spot formerly occupied by Glo and Powder. "It's a terrific domed space with no columns and great sightlines," said Alex Picken of Picken Real Estate & Nightlife Brokerage who negotiated the deal. The transaction was actually set back a few months by last year's state moratorium on new liquor licenses, which has now been lifted. Western Beef owns 431 W. 16th St. and occupies the first floor. It moved there after its previous location on West 14th Street was sold as a development site. "The owners were not so concerned with bottom-line dollars," Picken explained. "We had offers of over $100,000 more but they felt these would be hassle-free tenants and would bring in fine dining." The rent for the 15-year deal starts around $30 a foot. "The face of Meatpacking is changing and now there are more components to it beyond the fine dining and high fashion," said Picken. "This adds appeal to a wider range of age groups."

COPA ON THE MOVE

By Lois Weiss December 15, 2006

The storied Copacabana nightclub, which Barry Manilow turned into a household name with his 1978 hit song, is being condemned to make way for an extension of the No. 7 subway line to stop at the Javits Center. But the planned closure at the end of June won't mean the end of the line for the Copa. The Post has learned that club owner John Juliano is seeking a new location and is also preparing to license the name for products such as clothing and lingerie. "We'll be moving to a new location, which we can't disclose yet," said Juliano. He is negotiating with a few building owners, including one being handled by Alex Picken of Picken Real Estate & Nightlife Brokerage. Picken helped the Copa find its current location at West 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue. At 50,000 square feet, the club, which has featured acts from Bette Midler to Peter Allen, is the largest in the city, hosting events for up to 3,000 people and making it a popular venue for large corporate events and major dance acts. "The new space would be slightly downsizing on multiple levels and more centrally located," said Picken. Even if he signs a lease soon, Juliano is prepared to "go dark" for a few months until the next site is up and running. He is also working to place the Copa name on everything from perfumes to T-shirts to sexy lingerie. The Copa dates back to the 1940s, when the original club on East 60th Street featured performers like Frank Sinatra and was frequented by a who's who of night lifers from society types to mobsters. It was also where songwriters Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman sat at the bar and co-wrote a song about the club and a showgirl named Lola. When its lease was up, the Copa moved to West 57th Street before settling at its current location four years ago.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/12152006/business/copa_on_the_move_business_lois_weiss.htm

A Nightclub Queen Gets Ready to Sell Her Chilly Hotspot Bungalow 8’s Sacco Says, “I’m Gonna Do What’s Necessary.”

By Spencer Morgan

And it appears the message has been clear to other club owners on the block. Home, Guest House, Spirit and Pink Elephant also call 27th Street home.

“Two other owners on that block have approached me wanting to sell in the last couple months,” said Alex Picken, the city’s biggest nightclub broker. Mr. Picken was involved in the sale of one of Ms. Sacco’s other hangouts, Lot 61. “It’s like a Mardi Gras over there, and a lot of the high-end patrons—some of whom are models and actors and whoever—they’re leaving the clubs at 3 a.m., and they’re getting harassed on the streets by the other people as well as by the cops. And they’re deciding to take their business elsewhere.”

Mr. Rabin and Ms. Sacco see the police presence in the area as a shortsighted overreaction to a problem that, in the words of Mr. Rabin, “never existed.”

This column ran on page 1 in the 12/11/2006 edition of The New York Observer.

http://observer.com/20061211/20061211_Spencer_Morgan_thecity_thetransom.asp

Up on the roof

By Lois Weiss October 25th, 2006

Great views and oasis atmospheres mean rooftop bars are on the rise DESPITE the chillier weather, rooftop bars are still popular spots for chillin', even if propane heaters are needed. Nightlifers simply enjoy being outside in the city with the neighboring buildings and occasional moonlight and star shine providing a twinkling and romantic backstop. "I've been getting a lot of calls for rooftop venues," said nightlife broker Alex Picken, president of Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage. "The Gansevoort [Hotel] rolled out its rooftop right into the sights of the trendy crowd and that kicked it off in a big way." To be sure, rooftop bars are old staples. The Beekman Towers has beautiful views of Queensboro Bridge and the United Nations and comes complete with a dining option. "It's a romantic spot," said Picken. The largest rooftop bar at 230 Fifth Avenue, for instance, recalls South Beach with its palm trees and quiet music. "It's more an after work crowd," Picken said. Picken believes the upcoming High Line Park that will straddle streets from the Meatpacking District through Chelsea will be "incredible" if the various new and older buildings create their own patios and venues looking out over it or opening onto it. "There's a real future for it, no doubt," said Picken.

http://www.print2webcorp.com/news/nypost/Commercialre/20061025/p56.asp

Featured Speaker, Alex Picken: Be A Good Neighbor

Convention and Trade Show -East Coast- October 9-11, 2006 at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City.

Community awareness is an issue in every major city. Join Alex Picken to learn how New York City is handling the issue in concern with aggressive legislation efforts against the industry by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

Picken, founder of Picken Real Estate, is implementing his ideas and efforts working with the NYNA (New York Nightlife Association), REBNY (Real Estate Board of New York) and the NYSRA (New York State Restaurant Association) to create positive legislation, public relations and creative approaches to community concerns around New York City nightlife. Spear heading major annual charity events, held gratis in clubs around the city, Picken is a leader in showcasing the social and philanthropic power of the nightlife industry.

www.nightclub.com/conventions/ac06/brochure/full_wed.htm

Are City Slickers Cheating Tim Love?

Is Tim Love getting screwed? According to a Fort Worth Star-Telegram profile, the cowboy-hatted celebrity chef, who recently moved from Texas to New York, signed a ten-year, $10.2 million lease on the space for his new Lonesome Dove Western Bistro on West 21st Street. The reviews aren't in yet on the food (though Rob and Robin did publish a glossary of his exotically named dishes), but we'll vouch that the room is nothing to write home to Fort Worth about: It's fairly narrow, not much to look at, and facing a Flatiron side street without a precedent for restaurant success or even much pedestrian traffic. We asked Picken Real Estate founder Alexander Picken, who specializes in nightlife and restaurant realty, to tell us what he thought: "Based on what I saw, that figure is outrageous - at least three to four times what he should be paying." We dearly hope Love succeeds, but it sounds like he would have done better playing three-card monte in Times Square than signing that lease.

Published October 3, 2006 in New York Magazine- Restaurants

http://nymag.com/daily/food/2006/10/are_city_slickers_cheating_tim.html

Liquor unit shuts door

ASLA heeds city's community boards, rejects many new applications.

Community activist Susan Stetzer has a new fondness for the New York State Liquor Authority- and that does not bode well for bars and restaurants in her neighborhood. "The SLA is extremely responsive in many ways to the community's needs," says Ms. Stetzer, district manager of Community Board 3, which includes trendy streets on Manhattan's Lower East Side... ...The new attitude at the SLA and the power it is allowing community boards is likely to deter bar, restaurant and nightclub entrepreneurs from expanding- stifling the industry's growth.

"We are concerned that the SLA is ceding its authority to a system that is designed to be anti-business," says Robert Bookman of law firm Pesetsky and Bookman, which represents the New York Nightlife Association.

One sign of the climate is increasingly tense negotiations over new leases. Nonrefundable security deposits are now being placed in escrow, and sometimes a portion is returned if the tenant can't get a liquor license, according to Alex Picken, owner of Picken (Real Estate and) Nightlife Brokerage. Other leases aren't finalized until the community board gives a green light...

Published September 4, 2006 in Crain's New York Business - Lisa Fickenscher

www.nymag.com/nightlife/barbuzz/20262/index.html

Fall Nightlife Preview

Also on the HorizonÉ Scott Sartiano, who was set to open a club in Plaid's old space, has relocated his plans to West 17th Street. The unnamed nightclub, which should be bigger than his other spots, Butter and G Spa, may open in the winter at the earliest ... Top nightlife realtor Alex Picken has just closed a deal with international investors that will bring a live-music-and-dinner venue catering to a 25-plus crowd to the Meatpacking vicinity ... Steve Ballinger, who just opened the Village Pourhouse next to his club Webster Hall, will soon reopen the 11,000-square-foot midtown space formerly known as Downtime as an 800-seat concert venue called the Rebel ... Starting Fashion Week, Pacha's second floor, soon-to-be-dubbed the Funky Room, will be enclosed in retractable glass and given an Ibiza-style makeover so that D.J.'s can spin hip-hop and rock amid plants and near curtained cabanas ...

Published August 30, 2006 as a web exclusive - Daniel Maurer

www.nymag.com/nightlife/barbuzz/20262/index.html

Labor Day Weekend

Address- 251 West 30th Street
Premise Size- 11,000 sq. ft.
Tenant- SCB Entertainment
Tenant Rep.- Alex Picken, Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage

Notes- The live entertainment venue, which will feature three dance floors, a concert hall and a capacity of 800, signed a 10-year lease at an asking rent of $24 per square foot. The venue is scheduled to open on Labor Day weekend.

Published August 2006, in The Real Deal

Post Focus on Commercial Real Estate

Club Light has gone out at 125 E. 54th Street but will reopen in September with a new name, new look and new owners: Matt Wagman and partners. Wagman, who operates Tribe and the Park Avenue South restaurant, PS 450, got a 10-year lease for 4,300 feet.

Alex Picken, president, David Hantman and Anna Rhein of Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage handled the marketing for Light's former owners, Mitch Pollak and his attorney/partner Ronald Fishman, who walked away from the deal with about $250,000.

Published August 16, 2006 in the New York Post - Lois Weiss

www.nypost.com/realestate/comm/value_makeover_comm_lois_weiss.htm

Star Nightclub Sold

Former Copacabana owner John Juliano and Marc Glazer of Branch and El Morocco fame have teamed up to buy Star nightclub, which turns out to be the only spot left on the Upper West Side with a cabaret license.

The 8,000-foot dance club and private-party venue at 246 Columbus Ave. at 72nd St. is being dubbed Columbus72 and will open in the fall. Brokers Alex Picken of Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage worked for the buyers and Rafe Evans of Walker Malloy represented the building owner in-house.

Published June 1, 2006 in the New York Post

New club ready to party in Chelsea

The real estate boom and rising rents in recent years have forced owners of live-music venues around Manhattan to shut their doors. Steven Ballinger, an owner of dance club Webster Hall, is singing a different tune: He is opening one of the few new live-music clubs in Manhattan. The 11,000-square-foot SCB Entertainment, at 251 W. 30th St. between Seventh and Eighth avenues, is set to open Labor Day weekend. It will offer three dance floors, a state-of-the-art concert hall and enough room to accommodate 800 revelers.

"The closing of signature live-music venues like the Bottom Line, Wetlands and Tramps, all within the last three years, left a giant void," says Alex Picken, president of Picken Real Estate and Nightlife Brokerage, which negotiated the new club's 10-year lease. The Chelsea building has an asking rent of $24 a square foot. Located one block from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden, it was the site of Downtime, where musicians such as Clarence Clemons and members of Fleetwood Mac performed. Downtime closed in 2004.

Published June 19, 2006 in Crain's New York Business - Real Estate Deals Section - Julie Satow

Good News Broadcast

We are pleased to announce that our very own Alex Picken was interviewed by and is featured on Good News Broadcast! The article may be viewed, by clicking on the following link: Good News Broadcast with Alex Picken.

Hear Emmy Award winning host, Paul Sladkus, interview Alex Picken about our company's exciting new charity program; working with top NYC nightclubs to help charitable organizations find the perfect venue on a no-cost basis, for their annual fundraising events. Good News Broadcast announcements are heard / viewed by over 5 million people per month. Click here to go straight to the audio segment: Audio Segment

To learn more about how to get involved with the Charity Program, please visit our Charity Section.

New York Post

More recently the New York Post uncovered a transaction that Mr. Picken co-brokered which will enable the tenants in the deal to open the largest new nightclub in Manhattan for 2005. The name of the new nightclub is Pacha NY.



BIGGER IS BETTER -- February 25, 2005 -- IS the era of the super-sized nightclub coming back? Giant venues haven't fared well since the days of the Palladium, Mars, Tunnel and Limelight. But sources say Alex Picken and Rafe Evans, the super-brokers who have handled the leases of 33 Manhattan nightclubs, have done a deal at the former Sound Factory on West 48th Street that will add a huge roof deck overlooking the Intrepid to the existing 30,000 square feet of interior space. The club, as yet unnamed (as are its owners), will open in the spring.

http://www.nypost.com/gossip/22159.htm

New York Metro

"...Had Marvisi* needed a new location, he would most likely have called Alex Picken, a commercial-real-estate agent and former DJ at Red Zone who systematically scouts for possibilities. New establishments generally open only on the site of previous ones, since existing dance clubs already have a cabaret license, the hard-to-qualify-for permit that the city insists upon for every premise with dancing. "In recent years, the only new cabaret license to be granted in midtown that I can think of was for the China Club," says Picken. That's why he keeps a list of all the existing cabaret licenses in the city (there are currently 142 in Manhattan and 697 citywide, as compiled by the Department of Consumer Affairs."

"David Marvisi currently owns the largest Nightclub in Manhattan, known as "Club Exit/Black". Mr. Marvisi also owns "Capitale" in Chinatown, NYC."

www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/nightlife/barsclubs