Three cheers for Neir’s: Owner set to sign new lease on 191-year-old Woodhaven bar

Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Neir’s owner Loycent Gordon (right) behind the bar to celebrate Neir’s Tavern in January. Eagle file photo by David Brand

By David Brand

Neir’s is here to stay.  

Owner Loycent Gordon will today sign a new lease to continue running the 191-year-old Woodhaven watering hole, which hosted key scenes in the movie Goodfellas and performances by the legendary Mae West.

Gordon and landlords Ken and Henry Shi reached a handshake agreement to keep the bar open in January, after Gordon reached out to Mayor Bill de Blasio during an appearance on WNYC. The city intervened to help broker the lease agreement before COVID-19 through another wrench in the plans.

Despite the pandemic, the property owners stuck to their side of the bargain. Several local leaders will join Gordon for the ceremonial lease signing.

“We’re all a community, whether it’s the landlord, the owner, the politicians,” Gordon told the Eagle in January. “This is the community.” 

De Blasio attended the January party, hopping behind the bar and pulling a Glendale-brewed Finback from the tap.

”There is some good news in the world,” he said. “We can’t lose this bar. We can’t lose this part of our history. We can’t lose this part of our community.”

A family living above the bar weren’t so lucky. The landlords continued to pursue the eviction and reached a settlement that would see the family move out in September. A COVID-19 eviction moratorium has so far allowed the family to remain in place, according to their attorney.