Eco-friendly Littlefield revitalizes Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood

Old warehouses and shut-down factories pepper the streets of Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood. They are the ghosts of the waterfront’s rich — and, at times, tragic — industrial history.

The Gowanus Canal is both the area’s biggest landmark and one of the most heavily-polluted bodies of water in the United States. For more than a century, businesses dumped industrial waste like coal, tar and heavy metals into the canal, creating an ongoing environmental nightmare for the city and diminishing the area’s appeal as a cool and thriving place to live and work for Brooklynites.

Enter Lyte partner Littlefield. It’s a Gowanus venue located less than three miles from the canal that’s working to help the environment and the area’s image. Open since 2009, Littlefield is an eco-friendly performance and art space where fans can check out great comedy, live music, art, film, food, drinks and theatre.

“We wanted to be part of the community,” said Littlefield co-owner Julie Kim. “We saw potential in the neighborhood and a way to be a part of a new vision for the community.”

Kim, a former environmental engineer, teamed up with chef and former college classmate Scott Koshnoodi to convert an old warehouse into a venue for performers, musicians, visual artists, and, of course, fans. Kim used her background to make the building environmentally-friendly, using only recycled materials that enhanced its look, feel and sound.

She made a bar out of old bowling alley lanes and used repurposed windshield glass as bathroom tiles. Salvaged materials make up the entire venue design and every appliance conserves energy.

“It has to be functional as well as pretty,” Kim said. “We wanted to create a destination for people who might otherwise come to the neighborhood and be like, ‘oh this is just a bunch of warehouses.’ It’s not something they would expect.”

The 350-cap Littlefield began hosting weekly comedy shows that helped launch the careers of several comedians; the Butterboy comedy troupe draws a crowd every time. Live music also is a staple; singer-songwriter Neko Case recently performed an intimate show that aired on National Public Radio.

“It was amazing to see such an established performer at a small venue like this,” Kim said.

Littlefield partnered with Lyte last year to offer its patrons fan-to-fan ticket exchanges. The paring made perfect sense for Kim and Koshnoodi and has helped introduce the venue to new fans, she said.

“Lyte drives a lot of traffic to our website,” Kim said. “Folks will be interested in a show and then go online and see that it’s sold out, but with Lyte they still have a chance to see it. It makes it easier for fans to see a show they really like.”

Kim said Lyte has increased event attendance, too.

“Lyte is an easy format if you want fans to be there to attend your shows,” she said.

Littlefield moved to an adjacent building last year and opened a sister bar and restaurant called Parklife. Both are next to a vacant lot that Kim and Koshnoodi made a green space, with a patio for free community and private events.

What’s next for Littlefield?

“We’re going to continue to do what we do best: book fun events that incorporate music and comedy and promote the neighborhood, too,” Kim said. “It’s a really great area.”

Check out the official Lyte and Littlefield ticket exchange program at https://lyte.com/littlefield/.

For more information on Littlefield, visit littlefieldnyc.com.