The natural wine bar with a nightly dance party that took the Mission by storm in the last couple years is expanding in the neighborhood with a second venue, which will be a nightclub with food and cocktails. Bar Part Time, which started as a pandemic pop-up and has become a popular fixture on 14th Street, was part of a natural wine wave that has drawn in a bevy of young Millenial and Gen Z drinkers in recent years.
Set inside a standalone 19th-century industrial complex between East Williamsburg and Bushwick, the 3,200 square-foot, 500-capacity club is built around a meticulously crafted high-definition soundsystem that serves as Refuge's literal and figurative beating heart. The system was designed by Bernabeu, who's been building such soundsystems for more than 20 years, most notably at New York clubs including Nowadays and Analog BKNY and the legendary Stereo Montreal. Dimatteo, meanwhile, is a longtime New York promoter and event producer.
