P.J. Hanley's, Brooklyn's oldest bar, goes bottoms up

P.J.'s in happier more cash rich times. via Facebook — P.J.’s in happier more cash rich times. via Facebook

Brooklyn has a long and proud tradition of alcohol. Either as a haven for brewers or with tons of divey bars, some of whom seem to have existed since before time began. But because time marches on, or people mismanage things, occasionally those bars that have existed forever fall on bad times and face existential threats. In the case of P.J. Hanley’s, it was mismanagement that’s causing the existential threat, which is bankruptcy.

According to Crain’s, the Manhattan-based company that owns P.J.’s filed for Chapter 11, citing a tenant-landlord dispute, rising food costs and incompetent management. They’re looking for a new buyer for the bar, someone who knows how to run one, so it can be taken off their hands. The bar has been in Carroll Gardens since 1874, so it’d be a shame to see it go, for historical reasons. Also because it’s actually a cool bar with a nice outdoor area and tasty jalapeno poppers that someone on staff may or may not have thrown up after one too many spinning rides at Coney Island.