[music]

Alison Stewart: This is all of it on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. We are celebrating WNYC centennial this year, and if you walk around the waterfront in Greenpoint, you're guaranteed to come across some rich WNYC history. Before it became a public park for over 50 years, WNYC used the land that is now transmitter park for its broadcast transmission towers and now a restaurant, bar, and cafe. Right off Transmitter Park channels the history of radio. The place is called Radio Star, and owner Sarah Conklin opened it last year at 13 Greenpoint Avenue.

Conklin was inspired by the 1940s golden age of radio when families would gather around and listen to stories, music, or speeches from their elected officials. Radio Star is so inspired by this time period that all the furniture and fixtures in the restaurant are vintage pieces from the 1940s. Since we're celebrating WNYC during this pledge drive, we wanted to invite Sarah Conklin to come to the studio and tell us more about the place. Sarah is the owner of Radio Star, as well as Glasserie, a gorgeous restaurant, and Glasserie events. Sarah, welcome.

Sarah Conklin: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.

Alison Stewart: What was the original vision of Radio Star?

Sarah Conklin: You hit the nail on the head just now.

Alison Stewart: Yes, no, give it to me.

Sarah Conklin: I think when you're opening a restaurant, you really are signing up for something like 1 to 10 years of your life being shaved off.

Alison Stewart: [laughter]

Sarah Conklin: You want to really bond with the idea and the concept and flesh it out fully before you take the plunge. I fell in love with this space, but it was a contemporary, modern space, and it's not my usual style. I was looking for some kind of story to really get me to feel like I could have another child, and the Transmitter Park history came to me. I went through, actually, a lot of your own archives that helped inspire me and went down the rabbit hole with Mayor La Guardia's inaugural address in the park, and also a gentleman named Seymour Siegel, who is responsible for saving radio.

I was just fascinated by this whole time period. It really inspired me to go deeper. The actual broadcasting room is, very interestingly, still sitting in the park and really looking for some love, to be honest. I don't know if a lot of the neighborhood folks who are walking by it on a daily basis understand that that is actually where WNYC was broadcast from 1938 until, I believe, 1995, something like that. There's an amazing group called Friends of Transmitter Park who are volunteer group, who are also really amazing and have spent many hours of gardening and classes with kids and also are working towards preserving this space. Maybe one day you guys can come back and do some broadcasting.

Alison Stewart: I believe we have. Specifically, let's roll back a little bit. You get the idea to focus on radio. You decide to focus on the '40s, is that right?

Sarah Conklin: Yes. This moment really grabbed me, which is pre radio, into radio. That's what conjured this image of the folks sitting around this box, which is so funny in itself, and also pre that being accessible to private homes. It was like a watering hole or a library or these public places where the folks would come and stand and listen. I became so excited by what that meant about information and truth or the concept that you could all of a sudden hear Mary La Guardia's voice in front of you while you're having a beer and talking about your work with your friend. It really gelled with the just general tavern watering whole concept.

This is where we birth the idea of an all-day-for-the-people concept. Radio Star really is an 8 AM to late night location without any interruption. That purpose is for the people, it's available. You come in for a coffee, or you spend all day there. You're supposed to be fostering the dialogue. It hearkens back, I think, to that moment, which I found very exciting.

Alison Stewart: We're talking to Sarah Conklin, owner of Radio Star. She's telling us more about the new restaurant. It sits right at Transmitter Park at 13 Greenpoint Avenue. Perfect for our pledge drive. Where did you find the furniture?

Sarah Conklin: Oh, wow.

Alison Stewart: That's a long story. Is this a passion of yours, finding vintage furniture?

Sarah Conklin: It is, for sure. I've definitely always been drawn to the old buildings, old furniture, old bits and bobs, and enjoyed that, wandering through different cities and finding these things. In this particular case, it was a million hours of just being online, and whether that's eBay or all the other sites, and no jokes. It must have been thousands of hours of pinning things and revisiting them, but eventually, it all came together. Please come by, if you haven't already, and see the fruits of my labor. [laughs]

Alison Stewart: What is your favorite piece that you found that you've incorporated into the decor?

Sarah Conklin: I think the one that is most interesting is one that I just added the other day.

Alison Stewart: Oh, okay.

Sarah Conklin: Which is a very funny clock that has a spiral feature, and it's also original from 1942. It's moving, so it almost looks like it has a trippy thing going on. That was something that I discovered and felt like it belonged there.

Alison Stewart: I'm curious about the mats because you get the mat on your placemats.

Sarah Conklin: Oh, yes.

Alison Stewart: The design team, what did you tell them that you wanted for people who you sit down, and you look down, and you see these placemats with this interesting fonts and this interesting design?

Sarah Conklin: Thanks for asking that. This amazing woman named Anna [unintelligible 00:06:48] designed that. I spoke a lot about just pulling imagery from that period and the diner, all day diners looking at all the '40s, '30s and putting it all together. It's part of the development of the whole concept and creating that subliminal visual of this is the period that we're hearkening back to.

Alison Stewart: It's funny because there's a microphone right in the middle. Are there microphones elsewhere in the restaurant?

Sarah Conklin: There are not, but there are old radios.

Alison Stewart: Okay, tell me about the old radios.

Sarah Conklin: We have, I think four on the wall that are all original. You'll need to come and see them, but they're all bake a light. From again, late '30s, '40s and I think early '50s, they all function, although I have not plugged them in yet. They are a big piece in the back bar, which is in itself a massive old vintage piece from even a little earlier from, I think it's 1910. We shipped that in from Berlin-

Alison Stewart: Oh my Gosh.

Sarah Conklin: -believe it or not. It was originally made in England, so that has worked its way around the world.

Alison Stewart: You mentioned that you listened to WNYC's archives.

Sarah Conklin: Yes.

Alison Stewart: What did you hear that helped inspire you?

Sarah Conklin: I think it was, as I mentioned, this inaugural address of the Transmitter Park. It almost had a comedic element to it. Listening to it today, there was music in the background and a marching band. Clearly, there were maybe hundreds of people there who were excited to have the ribbon cut. It brought this real sense of history to me, again, that really was necessary for the whole bonding process with the concept.

This Seymour Siegel, he was appointed by La Guardia to save radio. Actually, La Guardia had budget cuts, and he was trying to get rid of radio. It was just so interesting to me that there was so much formality around this entire process of this thing that could very easily have disappeared. It really helped solidify the history for me.

Alison Stewart: I went to the restaurant almost exactly a year ago, or when it first opened up, I should say. What's changed in the year as you've worked in the restaurant?

Sarah Conklin: I would say that fleshing out a restaurant concept is only so much in my control. A lot of it is very much about what the people want the place to be, the general public, and also so, so much about those folks who are working in the restaurant and the nature of the business that those people can change. It is so very much a part of the movie, in my head, of the final product. Even though it is alive, I like to say it's like a kombucha. It's constantly in flux. It really is so much about the handful of folks who are making contact with the guests on a day-to-day basis.

Alison Stewart: It's so interesting. You describe it as the movie in your head, your restaurant.

Sarah Conklin: Yes, it is. There's so much visual that has to come into it. Ultimately, it is a set. We're not building a place where we're living. Although it is inhabited, it is, especially in this case, where we're going to a historical time. All the factors matter, like what is the music that is playing at this moment? How does the visual of the food and its plating relate to this concept? We're not saving lives here. We're just serving food. You can only go down this so far. All those details need to be considered.

Alison Stewart: As I mentioned, you run Glasserie, which is a beautiful restaurant and obviously Radio Star. What are some of the keys to opening a successful, you've been successful, restaurateur that people in the business might not realize?

Sarah Conklin: I think two things come to mind. One, I think often people in my position forget to be a guest. I think that is very important, whether that be at your own establishment or at others. That act of patronizing another place and experiencing it, whether you're being critical in the moments that you're going through those motions or not, it's important. There's a lot of value there.

I think it's easy to get wrapped up in your written manuals and training this. At the end of the day, you're looking to create an atmosphere that's warm and inviting. My second part of that answer would be similar, which is making sure that the folks that you're putting in those positions that have contact with the guests have some natural authenticity and warmth that is inviting as well. Again, you can only train so much. We are fallible humans, and we definitely need to rely at the end of the day on our natural essence.

Alison Stewart: I walk into Radio Star for breakfast. What can I have for lunch? What can I have for dinner? Give me three sample menus.

Sarah Conklin: Yes, no problem. For breakfast and lunch, we have a daytime menu. That is with our special griddle bread that people go crazy about. Also, we're making my favorite merguezpastry, which is lamp merguez filled in the pastry. We called it merguez in a blanket for a little bit of hearkening back again. Those are my favorites for the day. At night, we have steak tip skewers, which are exceptional. All day we have a selection of jars, which are dips of various sorts that are available to eat with crudite or house breads and accompany you throughout the meal. Then you can't forget about our pistachio tiramisu dessert.

Alison Stewart: Can't forget that.

Sarah Conklin: All of this is made by our fantastic Asi Maman executive chef.

Alison Stewart: This industry can be exhausting. What keeps you motivated?

Sarah Conklin: That's a good one. Nothing. I'm just kidding. No, I have to say, as cliche as it sounds, the self care part is essential. You're signing up for the 5 to 10 years of shaving off of your life, potentially. There's so much joy and reward going into spaces with your friends and family, having a drink. You see the bustle, and you get to be around it. The fruits of your labor are there. In those in betweens, I'm working out a lot.

Alison Stewart: Radio Star is in Greenpoint. I'm giving you one of our transmitter shirts.

Sarah Conklin: Whoa.

Alison Stewart: It's very exciting to have you here. We're very excited about the radio. My guest has been Sarah Conklin. This is for you.

Sarah Conklin: Beautiful. Thank you so much.