The success wasn’t easy. From the start, there were problems with the building and getting banks to offer loans. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” Tim laughed, sitting at the bar. “But the business people would listen to me and not her, so I had to kind of pretend I knew what I was talking about.” Since opening, Tim has taken on a marketing role. He runs Young Ethel’s TikTok and Instagram accounts, creating funny, retro-style video commercials to promote the bar.
Shortly after opening, a Manhattan bar tried to sue. It claimed that the Racines stole the name Ethel. With the help of a lawyer friend, Mary and Tim got the suit dropped, and the other bar has since shut down.
Less than eight months after opening in September 2019, New York shut down due to the Coronavirus. Indoor dining was no longer allowed. But Mary and Tim kept the bar open for takeout orders. “We had a staff to take care of and our bills to pay,” Mary said. “It was scary, but we had to do something.” Their love for the staff and their vision behind Young Ethel’s is the key to their success.
When many New York bars shut their doors for good, Young Ethel’s stayed open. This September, Young Ethel’s will celebrate their second birthday by doing what they do best: serving drinks and a good time.
Young Ethel’s is located at 506 Fifth Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11215.
