THE RICHARDSON
With gold brocade wallpaper and smartly attired bartenders, The Richardson, opened in 2008, resembled few other places in its out-of-the-way corner of North Williamsburg. But owner Joel Lee Kulp didn’t want a feeling of formality. “I didn’t want people to think this was some fancy bar,” he says. “It’s not fancy—but it’s nice. You should feel good coming in. We clean it! We dress properly! We know how to speak to you about cocktails!”
Proper, professional, and knowledgeable—yet approachable, comfortable, and fun—was Kulp’s mantra. He took the leap into bar ownership after more than a decade working in the bar world, while also pursuing work as a filmmaker. He had lived in Williamsburg for years, so the neighborhood was an obvious choice. “I explored other neighborhoods but it didn’t feel right,” says Kulp. “I understand the nuance in this part of town, and how it’s different from one block to the next.”
The beginning was an exciting time, he remembers; nearby drinking options were limited, and the neighborhood welcomed a well-run cocktail bar with open arms. “People would walk in, look left and right, and say: Thank you.” The Richardson soon became a local fixture—over the years, it’s hosted everything from wedding receptions to birthday parties for customers’ children. “We have regulars who have been coming in since Day 1,” says Kulp. Some of these relationships turned professional: The current general manager started out as a regular, as did a longtime senior bartender.
While the cocktail list leans heavily on the classics, bartenders are constantly experimenting. “We talk about ideas, do tastings together, try new products… it’s not about mining the cocktail books to find the most esoteric recipes.”
“We don’t think of the bartenders as the keepers of all these secrets that nobody can know,” says Kulp. “When you’re at the bar, they should make you feel comfortable enough to ask questions: I’ve never had this before, what is this ingredient, what does it taste like? So you come out the other end knowing something you didn’t before.”
