Leah Dixon of Beverly's
What is your passion?
“Building things”
Name: Leah Dixon
Business: Beverly’s
Where are you from? Cincinnati, Ohio
When did you move to NY? 2004/2005
When did you move to the LES? 2005
What is your first memory of the LES? I remember walking down Orchard Street in very early 2005. It was lightly snowing. At that time it was much emptier - so I remember that so many of the storefronts were just covered in roll-down gates. There was such a particular fashion sense to the young people I was seeing - long hair, cowboy boots, lots of black leather, suuuuper tight jeans. It felt really thrilling to be there. Also - shout out to THE ANNEX, the old club from like 2005/2006 that was on Orchard and Rivington. I pray that one day we'll have another dance/performance club that even come close to THE ANNEX.
What is your history with the LES? Oddly enough, my first apartment in the LES was actually in the same building where Beverly's is now at 21 Essex. I was sharing a teeny-tiny studio with my best friend. We shared a bed, and our shower didn't work - so we splash bathed in the sink. Oh god, I don't even know how to make this story short. I'll nutshell it. I have lived on Essex, Bowery, Ludlow, Forsyth, Stanton, Broome, Rutgers, Henry, and now St. James Place. I managed the dive bar Welcome To the Johnsons for 5 years. I was the head bartender at Sweet Paradise for many years until it closed in 2011. I opened Beverly's in 2013 with my partners. I have shown in many galleries and art spaces in the neighborhood. I basically have lived my entire adult life in the LES. It's my home, and a huge part of who I am. The way that so many different people live so close together, the way that the architecture defines this certain style edgy of behavior and association, the awe-inspiring drive of our neighborhood immigrant community - I mean these things have entirely constructed my worldview.
Outside of your business what is your favorite part of the LES? There are too many favorites to list - but I love when I'm awake and go outside really early, at like 6:30am. I'll see those familiar faces of the other people who go outside really early. I've been seeing some of these familiar faces for 15 years.
What is your passion? Building things
What is your motto? As an artist living and working in cramped Lower Manhattan, I have fought fishbowl syndrome. I refuse to make small things just because I'm always in small spaces. As a response to this, I usually make huge things. My motto has definitely been "go big or go home." However now that we're stuck in our homes, it's probably time to find a new motto.