By Gus Saltonstall
Signage for a new bar went up in recent days at the former home of Jacob’s Pickles’ Upper West Side location.
The Velvet Cowboy is slated to open at 509 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 84th and 85th streets, on September 29, according to a person outside the storefront on Monday morning who identified himself as its “bar director,” but did not provide his name.
He explained there would actually be two bars inside the space, one on a top floor called the Velvet Cowboy, and another on the ground floor. He did not provide the name of the lower-level bar.
As West Side Rag reported in January of last year, Velvet Cowboy will be operated by the same ownership group behind Jacob’s Pickles. Jacob’s Pickles moved from 509 Amsterdam Avenue to 680 Columbus Avenue, between West 93rd and 94th streets, in October 2025. The new space farther uptown is nearly twice the size of the Amsterdam Avenue storefront.
The Rag will continue to work to get more details about the incoming bar operation at 509 Amsterdam Avenue.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
That sign is making me a little dizzy before I’ve even had a drink.
Give BEOTY a chance!
Don’t you mean CEOLWVBEOTY?
Its true fans use the nickname.
E’s bar right next door must be thrilled at the news.
Oh and wow, that’s some sign!😵💫
E’s bar loves their location. They get all of the overflow traffic.
The lower level will hopefully be the new Continental Baths.
This has my vote. Just what this neighborhood needs!
It needs to be 2 words, 6 letters each, and the name can be painted on the bottom of the sign.
Based on the name of this new bar, you’re probably right.
Since they’re opening on Michaelmas, I assume they’ll be serving goose. The old custom is that, if you eat goose on Michaelmas, you’ll be financially secure for the whole year ahead.
I’m glad to see Jacob making good use of this space again. But your description is really strange. How can there be a top floor, a ground floor and a lower level? I’ve been there many times and there’s only a ground floor space and a basement space. And I agree, the sign is an eyeful!
Agreed. Second floor is residential. (and must be a true joy to live in)
I guess they had some peace and quiet for a few months.
I know E’s bar is shaking in their boots lol Getting sandwiched between Tiki and now this … YIKES!
Grouping like this can actually help bars by making it a destination zone. You get natural overflow.
E’s bar is fabulous in it’s own way and I do not see the huge crossover between customers…Entirely different setting & vibe. E’s is great
I’m actually diggin’ the sign. And I hope the clock remains!
I hope they don’t ILLEGALLY take over the sidewalk space like Jacob’s Pickle did.
It was such a blatant disregard for the law and no one did anything.
It was deeply annoying to navigate. They basically pirated the whole sidewalk because their oblivious customers couldn’t be bothered to let pedestrians pass and staff didn’t do their job to keep a clear way for pedestrians just trying to pass. Instead what they would do is prop open their door to take up even more space and create even less room for people walking on the sidewalk. It was a huge disregard for their neighbors and anyone else who just trying to get from one place to another by foot. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when they moved. I have nothing against them, they clearly create establishments that people like and enjoy. I just wish they’d give more thought to their neighbors and pedestrians.
How are you so sure it was illegal?
I like to ASK myself the SAME thing about CARS that DOUBLE park in the BIKE lane.
Amsterdam has a protexted bike lane. To park in it the car driver would have to decide at the intersection to drive up the bike lane. I have never seen this happen.
Everything isn’t about bikes.
I have seen this happen a lot. Constantly. But drivers more frequently block the bike lane by parking in it at the beginning of the mixing zones approaching the intersection.
Everything should be about bikes.
If it was ILLEGAL – how was the sidewalk space a functioning part of the restaurant for YEARS?
Restaurants were only allowed to legally use the space directly in front of their side walk space. Not expand all the way down the block in front of a public garden.
Can you share a link to a law or do we just have to believe you?
From ChatGPT (original 2020 rules)
A restaurant could use only the length of roadway equal to its storefront frontage, and only the width of the curb lane (typically 8 feet). They could not expand beyond their frontage or into travel lanes.
Are you satisfied that the space used by Jacob’s Pickle was illegal?
If you don’t believe Sam, why don’t you look it up for yourself instead of asking for the information to be spoon fed. It’s easy these days, thanks to Google. It is smart to question facts that other present, but besides it being lazy, it is stupid to expect others to provide you with the proof. When you make others provide the proof, what’s going to stop them from giving you bogus information from questionable sources? Check the information yourself, from sources YOU vet yourself.
It’s reasonable to ask someone who makes a claim to provide some evidence. For example, I could write “vaccines cause autism” and you would reasonably respond with a request for evidence. It’s absurd to expect others to research evidence for a claim I make.
So happy to see another bar in the neighborhood. After all we really needed another one since there aren’t enough. Add that to new coffee places which we were in drastic need of. Phew! Give me a break. No wonder there were no UWS restaurants listed in Bon Appetit’s list of best NYC restaurants. There is now a bar of coffeehouse on every street and corner
Plus the new nail salons and “Pot” high end bars and dispensaries, let’s not forget those prolific pop-ups!
I literally can’t sit anywhere on the weekend to sit at a table and drink coffee. We need more coffee shops. Also bars are fun. You, not so much
Yes — COZY coffee shops, frankly. Everything we have is hard surfaces and angles, nothing inviting with equally inviting outside space.
This place has a sign and it’s not even open but across the street Celeste open 20 years never a sign (if you don’t count the printer paper in the window)
The huge menus covering the glass and ruining the ability to look out and see people or look in to see the charm I just can’t stand.
Sidewalk, for rent. Cheap. Send check c/o Gale Brewer.
Does anyone know if these will be gay bars?
Absolutely not.
With names like “Jacob’s Pickles” and “Velvet Cowboy”, it’s all straight all the time.
Yes, in fact they are planning to reopen the Continental Baths in the basement.
I’m much more interested to know when Trader Joe’s reopens.
Odds are the street will be taken over again by the ‘pickle’ people. I am always amazed at the excitement about another bar/coffee place etc. aren’t there enough of these places already. Do people actually still cook and eat at home.
Definitely an odd sign.
Isn’t that building an HDFC?
I heard a rumor that this was going to be a gay bar, anyone know if that’s true? Would love that!