SakeBrooklyn has signed a lease for 6,500 square feet at 500 Degraw Street in Gowanus, marking the brewery's expansion into a prime waterfront location along the Gowanus Canal. The space sits on the northern corner of Society Brooklyn, a 605,000-square-foot mixed-use development by Property Markets Group featuring two residential towers.
The sake brewery and taproom will anchor a ground-floor retail position in a development that blends residential density with experiential retail. Cushman & Wakefield's Patrick O'Rourke handled the transaction, though lease terms remain undisclosed.
This deal reflects Gowanus' evolution. The neighborhood has shifted from industrial past to mixed-use destination, with new multifamily projects driving retail recruitment. Society Brooklyn's scale and market positioning attract tenants betting on foot traffic from residents and canal-adjacent visitors.
For SakeBrooklyn, the location offers visibility and accessibility. The brewery gains a flagship space in a residential building where proximate tenants become built-in customers. For Property Markets Group, landing a brewery operator validates their retail strategy and differentiates Society Brooklyn from competing developments. The pairing of sake production and consumption in one location creates an amenity that appeals to younger, affluent residents the developer targets.
Gowanus rents have climbed as waterfront projects multiply. The Gowanus Canal rezoning in 2018 unlocked development potential, triggering projects like Society Brooklyn and others now under construction. Ground-floor retail has become premium, with operators seeking emerging neighborhoods offering both foot traffic and brand positioning.
For tenants in Society Brooklyn, the brewery adds neighborhood character and gathering space. For landlords, experiential retail like breweries outperform traditional shops in mixed-use developments because they generate repeat visits and longer dwell times. The sake focus