Community mourns loss of Buffalo icon, The Old Pink

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Old Pink was known to music legends from KISS to the Goo Goo Dolls, but Buffalonians were its lifeblood. It was a ubiquitous fixture in the city’s nightlife and a dive bar that welcomed everyone to the heart of Allentown.

Whether you liked the 4 a.m. closing time, the dark but desirable atmosphere, or the steak sandwiches, The Old Pink was home to many.

These aspects and more are what employees and regulars say they will miss most after a devastating fire forced the iconic dive bar to close for good on Monday.

The purple-painted brick building was an anchor in the neighborhood and countless people came to pay respects and reminisce, sharing with 2 On Your Side what The Old Pink meant to them.

“When you think of Allentown, you think The Pink has been there forever. My dad’s first wife was a bartender there, you know, my dad went there, there were generations of Buffalo families that went there and they all had crazy memories,” said Olivia Abbate, a Pink regular. .

“The night didn’t usually start at the Pink, but it was the best place to end and they had the best music in Buffalo for any bar 100%. It was just fun, always an interesting crowd, and we played pool and darts there, it was fun, it was just a great place,” Connor Baetzhold said.

Although it was difficult for regulars to contemplate the loss, the employees and owner of the dive bar had it harder.

Longtime DJ Eric Van Rysdam and co-manager Nicholas Stilb gathered along Allen Street in the hours after the fire to console their colleagues and form a team under difficult circumstances.

Van Rysdam told 2 On Your Side he expected to be back at the bar this weekend, not knowing that when he left The Old Pink Saturday night it would be his last time.

“It was a place for everyone. It was a place, I saw someone post this, it’s the place you didn’t plan to go but ended up. I used to tell people we were the drain of Buffalo nightlife, everyone goes everywhere, but at 2 a.m. they’re there because they’re not ready yet. to go home and we’re still humming,” Van Rysdam said.

“In a perfect world this place would be rebuilt and we could all go back to work and mingle with all the people in this town again but I don’t know, I don’t know what’s going to happen, it’s not either It’s up to me to make the decision but we’ll see what happens,” said co-manager Nicholas Stilb.

In an Instagram post, The Old Pink called Monday a “devastating day” for its staff, the community and the Brinkworth family. They encouraged customers to come to the bar and pay their respects; hundreds of people have done it.

Colleen Evans, the daughter of Pink’s owner Molly Brinkworth, has created a GoFundMe and is asking for donations to help her family. She also asked for patience for the future.

“We don’t know what’s next, but we want to thank everyone who reached out,” Evans wrote on the fundraising page.

As of 8 p.m. Monday, the GoFundMe had already exceeded the $10,000 goal.

The Old Pink was as much about memories shared as it was about memories kept or as many memories recalled from Monday forgotten.

“What happens at the Pink, stays at the Pink, it’s just one of those magical places,” Tiffany Turner said.

By 3 p.m., the largest crowd of the day had gathered to watch the emergency demolition of the bar. The building at 223 Allen Street was a total loss. People cheered as the metal Buffalo that adorned the front of the bar was pulled from the rubble.

A moment of lightness followed by another.

Once the demolition was complete, people began salvaging the Old Pink’s iconic purple and green bricks and taking a piece of the bar home.