Boxers NYC Opening
Jock Support
Benjamin Solomon
Rookies Of The Year - Rob Hynds and Bob Fleut outside their new bar; (inset) a rendering of the inside.
The way gay sports leagues have changed the social landscape in New York is nothing short of a phenomenon. Sure, you can blame the Internet for killing the mega dance party, but with so many men choosing football cleats over dancing shoes at 10pm, it is clear where many contemporary gay men want to bond. So naturally the gay bar scene has adapted, evidenced first by the popular Gym Sportsbar and now Boxers, a new two-floor 3000-square-foot bar with a back patio, pool tables, darts and even pizza. Owners Bob Fleut, 46 and Rob Hynds, 47, a contractor and a real estate broker who met on a gay softball team 15 years ago, thought opening a bar where gay teams could congregate was just what the community needed. We sat down with the motivated owners to get the lowdown on their exciting new addition to Chelsea.
First thing I noticed it that the space is huge! Tell us about it.
Bob Fleut: 14 feet [high ceilings]
Rob Hynds: It’s tremendous in the city. It gives you an open feeling. We wanted an outside smoking area. Being a sportsbar [owner] I’m a passionate pool player, so we had to get our pool tables in. I mean how many spaces can you get two pool tables in? We also have the brick oven [for pizza].
BF: The plan is for some dartboards and the more lounge-y space downstairs to get groups in if they want to watch a rugby or soccer game.
Tell us more about this [downstairs] space.
RH: We hope to keep that very flexible, a sort of quieter area. You can have a formal sit-down meeting or a private showing...maybe a charity event.
BF: We can give [the gay sports leagues] a meeting room.
So you are offering both a sports “club house” and a nightlife establishment?
RH: Our plan is to be open so that the sports teams [can] have some pizza, have a beer and talk about games.
BF: We want to be a hub for all the gay sports leagues. We’re reaching out and we’re saying, “What do you need? Do you need a place to meet at or to watch a special event? Whatever you need we want to help you.”
We want to know more about this pizza.
RH: We hope to get people to come here after work, have a couple drinks, hang out a bit and have a snack.
BF: We didn’t want to have to serve buffalo wings or French fries like every other place does. So we got a custom wood-burning oven [for] high-quality pizzas.
RH: It’s all about promotions. We intend, when the different leagues come in, to give it to them.
It all sounds fantastic, but isn’t Gym Sportsbar already doing the gay sportsbar thing?
RH: They are actually a big reason we were approved by the community board.
BF: Gym is a great place, but it’s tiny. It was a nice idea for them when they first started but they are not what we’re looking to create. Gym has sports on TV but you can’t hear it. We’ve zoned our sound so you can hear the games if you want.
RH: Plus, they don’t have food.
Hanes? Ali? Dogs? Who is the Boxer?
RH: [It came] out of our passion for guys in boxers.
BF: Check out our bartenders when we open. Everybody will wanna come back! N
Boxers is located at 37 W 20th St and will start throwing punches April 29. VisitBoxersNYC.com for more info.
The way gay sports leagues have changed the social landscape in New York is nothing short of a phenomenon. Sure, you can blame the Internet for killing the mega dance party, but with so many men choosing football cleats over dancing shoes at 10pm, it is clear where many contemporary gay men want to bond. So naturally the gay bar scene has adapted, evidenced first by the popular Gym Sportsbar and now Boxers, a new two-floor 3000-square-foot bar with a back patio, pool tables, darts and even pizza. Owners Bob Fleut, 46 and Rob Hynds, 47, a contractor and a real estate broker who met on a gay softball team 15 years ago, thought opening a bar where gay teams could congregate was just what the community needed. We sat down with the motivated owners to get the lowdown on their exciting new addition to Chelsea.
First thing I noticed it that the space is huge! Tell us about it.
Bob Fleut: 14 feet [high ceilings]
Rob Hynds: It’s tremendous in the city. It gives you an open feeling. We wanted an outside smoking area. Being a sportsbar [owner] I’m a passionate pool player, so we had to get our pool tables in. I mean how many spaces can you get two pool tables in? We also have the brick oven [for pizza].
BF: The plan is for some dartboards and the more lounge-y space downstairs to get groups in if they want to watch a rugby or soccer game.
Tell us more about this [downstairs] space.
RH: We hope to keep that very flexible, a sort of quieter area. You can have a formal sit-down meeting or a private showing...maybe a charity event.
BF: We can give [the gay sports leagues] a meeting room.
So you are offering both a sports “club house” and a nightlife establishment?
RH: Our plan is to be open so that the sports teams [can] have some pizza, have a beer and talk about games.
BF: We want to be a hub for all the gay sports leagues. We’re reaching out and we’re saying, “What do you need? Do you need a place to meet at or to watch a special event? Whatever you need we want to help you.”
We want to know more about this pizza.
RH: We hope to get people to come here after work, have a couple drinks, hang out a bit and have a snack.
BF: We didn’t want to have to serve buffalo wings or French fries like every other place does. So we got a custom wood-burning oven [for] high-quality pizzas.
RH: It’s all about promotions. We intend, when the different leagues come in, to give it to them.
It all sounds fantastic, but isn’t Gym Sportsbar already doing the gay sportsbar thing?
RH: They are actually a big reason we were approved by the community board.
BF: Gym is a great place, but it’s tiny. It was a nice idea for them when they first started but they are not what we’re looking to create. Gym has sports on TV but you can’t hear it. We’ve zoned our sound so you can hear the games if you want.
RH: Plus, they don’t have food.
Hanes? Ali? Dogs? Who is the Boxer?
RH: [It came] out of our passion for guys in boxers.
BF: Check out our bartenders when we open. Everybody will wanna come back! N
Boxers is located at 37 W 20th St and will start throwing punches April 29. VisitBoxersNYC.com for more info.
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