Seven years ago, the burgeoning Bushwick community eagerly awaited the opening of a noteworthy bar. This anticipation was so palpable that someone spray-painted “Please open already” outside the premises of what is now the celebrated Pine Box Rock Shop, a vegan-friendly craft beer bar and music venue. This unique establishment, located at 12 Grattan St, is nestled within the walls of a former coffin factory, adding an intriguing layer to its already compelling character.
Exterior of Pine Box Rock Shop with graffiti "Please open already" referencing the community's anticipation for its opening
After navigating a labyrinth of permits, forms, and inspections, three former bartenders from the Crocodile Lounge, pooling their resources and vision, were finally poised to unveil their own venture. This marked the inception of Pine Box Rock Shop, a name that resonated with the building’s history and the owners’ musical inclinations.
“Originally, I wanted to name it Quatarolla’s, after an old-guy bar from my neighborhood,” owner Jeff Rush recounted to Bushwick Daily. However, his wife Heather interjected, “Luckily, our partner Colin Peer staged an intervention, pointing out that ‘Quatarolla’s’ would be virtually un-google-able.” Heather further elaborated, “Considering the space’s past as a casket factory, and our shared backgrounds as musicians with plans for live music, Pine Box Rock Shop emerged as the perfect, evocative name.” This name not only acknowledged the building’s history but also hinted at the raw, authentic energy they aimed to cultivate, a true rock ‘n’ roll spirit within a repurposed space.
Interior of Pine Box Rock Shop showing the bar area with concert ticket stubs sealed under resin, showcasing the DIY aesthetic
In its early days, Pine Box Rock Shop embraced a resourceful, do-it-yourself ethos. The three owners personally undertook the renovations, painting the walls and crafting the bar counter. They ingeniously sealed concert ticket stubs donated by friends under a layer of resin on the bar top, creating a unique, personalized surface that told countless stories. Heather even repurposed discarded bar stools from the Crocodile Lounge, demonstrating their commitment to making the most of limited resources. “If there was a YouTube tutorial on how to do it, we’d figure it out,” Jeff stated, emphasizing their hands-on approach to building their dream.
Close-up of the bar counter at Pine Box Rock Shop, displaying the resin-sealed concert ticket stubs, emphasizing the bar's musical heart
The soft launch of Pine Box Rock Shop in 2010 serendipitously coincided with Heather’s birthday on October 7th. With a mere $600 in their coffers, they judiciously allocated half of it to procure beer. Fortunately, distributors extended them credit for liquor, a crucial lifeline in their initial days. The following day, despite lingering effects from the previous night’s celebrations, Jeff, Heather, and Colin opened the doors of Pine Box Rock Shop to the public.
Jeff Rush behind the bar at Pine Box Rock Shop, serving customers during a busy night, highlighting the bar's vibrant atmosphere
“I will never forget that night,” Jeff reminisced. “We raised the gate, and a wave of people who had been waiting outside surged in. It was an incredible sight. We’ve since opened another bar, but nothing will ever replicate the magic of that first night at Pine Box Rock Shop.”
Initially, Pine Box Rock Shop was conceived simply as a bar. However, its distinctive name occasionally led to humorous misunderstandings. Prank callers frequently inquired, “Where are the rocks?” prompting Heather to maintain a list of local geology shops near the telephone, ready for the persistent jest. A year later, the back room was inaugurated, and seven years onward, Pine Box Rock Shop continues to host weekly live music events, alongside a consistently popular karaoke night, solidifying its status as a Bushwick entertainment hub.
Live music performance in the back room of Pine Box Rock Shop, showcasing its role as a venue for local artists and entertainment
Jeff also recounted the evolution of the bar’s vegan identity. Brainstorming ways to enhance the bar’s appeal, he proposed, “What if we offered vegan jerky?” This initial idea snowballed into a commitment to become entirely vegan. Heather elaborated on this decision, “You’d be surprised by the amount of animal-derived ingredients in alcoholic beverages, particularly red wine.” She personally contacts vineyards and distributors to ensure that Pine Box Rock Shop exclusively stocks plant-based liquors, demonstrating a deep commitment to their vegan ethos. Furthermore, Pine Box Rock Shop regularly hosts a Vegan Shop Up, a monthly pop-up marketplace showcasing vegan food, crafts, and jewelry, reinforcing its dedication to the vegan community.
Vegan Shop Up event at Pine Box Rock Shop, featuring vendors selling vegan food and products, emphasizing the bar's commitment to veganism
Adding to the bar’s quirky charm is an arcade deer-shooting game. Jeff jokingly clarifies that it is “vegan-friendly hunting, as no animals are harmed in the playing of the game,” adding a layer of playful irony to the bar’s vegan theme. Heather emphasizes that embracing veganism has attracted a dedicated niche community, with patrons traveling from afar to support Pine Box Rock Shop. “Having a theme that people connect with is invaluable. The coffin factory theme is woven into our cocktail menu, and I’ve become known as ‘The Casket Lady’,” she explained, gesturing to a casket charm necklace. “People love gifting me skulls; we have them decorating our home.”
Heather Rush, co-owner of Pine Box Rock Shop, wearing a casket charm necklace and standing inside the bar, highlighting her "Casket Lady" persona and the bar's theme
Despite operating within a former casket factory, Heather dismisses any notion of spookiness. “Nothing supernatural has ever occurred,” she asserted. However, Jeff recounted a more unsettling incident involving a customer. “One Tuesday afternoon, a woman entered with a pet carrier. After a while, she proceeded to remove a deceased cat from the carrier and began petting it at the bar. A dead cat is hardly conducive to a thriving business. Fortunately, she didn’t stay long,” Jeff recalled, illustrating that sometimes the patrons provide more peculiar moments than the building’s history.
Arcade deer-shooting game inside Pine Box Rock Shop, showcasing the bar's quirky and ironic sense of humor
Since its inception seven years prior, Bushwick’s demographics and bar scene have undergone significant transformation. Pine Box Rock Shop now attracts patrons from Manhattan, tourists from Europe and Asia lodging in local Airbnbs, and a diverse mix of locals. “We now see people from the East Village, tourists from France, Germany, and Asia staying in nearby Airbnbs. Our clientele is quite diverse, ranging from New Jersey ‘meatheads’ to tattooed individuals and off-duty construction workers, even football enthusiasts here for games,” Jeff described. Heather added, “Our customer base has become younger and more affluent in recent years.” Jeff noted the shift in drink preferences, “It’s less about beer and shots now, and more of a craft beer crowd.”
Customers enjoying drinks at Pine Box Rock Shop, capturing the bar's lively and social atmosphere
Adding another dimension to their evolving lives, Jeff and Heather became parents eighteen months prior to the original article’s writing. “Late night shifts are no longer on my agenda, at least not at the bar!” Heather joked. Around the same time their son arrived, they expanded their Bushwick presence by opening a second bar, Precious Metal, located in a former chicken slaughterhouse. Jeff wryly commented on this continued macabre theme, “Somehow, we can’t seem to escape the macabre.” However, it is this embrace of the unexpected and unconventional that defines Pine Box Rock Shop and its enduring appeal within the Bushwick landscape.
