Last night, after an AMP3 Cali meeting w/ Helen & OJ, we stopped by the opening of ELLA, a new piano bar and cocktail lounge, to support Ms. Bob Bland, of Brooklyn Royalty, who designed the flapper-inspired uniforms for the wait staff.

*Brooklyn Royalty Designer, Bob Bland, with friend Brenna Wallace, in her custom uniform designed for the cocktail waitresses at Ella!

The new space is nestled between Library Bar and 2A on Avenue A between Houston and 2nd. After you enter through the dark black doors that isolate the club from the outside world, you immediately escape into a time warp of Hollywood glamor and the roaring 20s. With black & white checkerboard floors, framed vintage portraits, hanging chandeliers, and down in the basement, a piano man pounding away on an upright piano, Ella has a romantic yet laid-back feel.

*Helen & I enjoying the scene

Opened by established nightlife players Joshua & Jordan Boyd and Darren Rubell (brother of Steve Rubell of Studio 54 Fame), Ella becomes part of a thriving (and extremely gentrified) neighborhood now being dubbed The L.E.V. (Lower East Village!). Josh Boyd got his start back in 2004, when he opened his East Village bar Plan B, literally as a Plan B after an unsuccessful attempt at becoming an actor! (A fun little tid bit for me, as Plan B was part of our stomping ground back in the days of Erin & I living @ 4th & B.) The Boyds again teamed up with Rubell, for the opening of Gallery Bar on Orchard Street, a new twist on nightlife that exhibits art from both emerging and established talents while also offering a bi-level lounge.

*Spotted: the bartender / dj from our days @ Plan B manning the DJ booth!

Today, they have Ella. So I guess Boyd can officially call the past four years a VERY successful attempt at nightlife! And I have to say, I love it…

*Atmosphere Shots:

Ella on A, makes me wanna sing: Ella Ella Eh Eh Eh, Under my Um-br-Ella A A….

(Alyson Campbell for Its All Very PR)

Tags: Alyson Campbell, amp3, AMP3 pr, AMP3 Public Relations, It's All Very PR

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 1:07 pm and is filed under blasts from the past, special events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.