Buskers Closes, to Reopen as Social Club

Buskers, the bar conveniently located a block from Hoboken City Hall on the corner of Bloomfield and First Streets, closed on Friday night.

A social club will opened in the location by the same owners. 

The latest in a lineage of bars at the 94 Bloomfield St. location, Buskers opened in 2003. Current owner Nick Giello, who bought the bar with two partners in February, said that sagging revenue and difficulty retaining a unique identity in an area saturated with similar bars contributed to the decision to close.

“We saw great potential here,” Giello said, “but we knew the place wasn't working.”

Giello said that even after renovating the bar's kitchen, many patrons still didn't know that Buskers served food.

The plan is to redesign the interior and reopen in the fall as more of a social club, a place that Giello described as more diverse, where people could come for lunch, dinner, drinks, dancing or to watch sports.

“We feel like we can give people a little bit of everything,” Giello said.

Once it reopens—the name of the new establishment remains a secret—Giello said he hopes the Buskers regulars will come back. Giello and his partners have worked in a number of bars throughout Hoboken and want to combine that experience with their own ideas.

“We want to close out Buskers in a graceful way," he said, "and put our own vision on the place."

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