Celebrating Black History Month

Prime 39 provides Lynbrook with a ‘Prime’ taste of diversity.

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Bryant Postell, owner of Prime 39 in Lynbrook, overcame several obstacles during the pandemic, which led him to play an instrumental role in starting a coalition of black business owners.

Prime 39, a restaurant and bar that opened  two years ago, has attracted a lot of patrons. But there were tough times. Postell and his partners, Rocky Jenkins, Neil Bailey and Rick Riddick, are glad to be through the thick of it as their business continues to flourish.

“Our greatest accomplishment was opening in the middle of Covid and still being successful,” Postell said. “All the odds were stacked against us.” Not long after he signed the lease in November 2018, he went through a wide range of challenges.

Postell had to acquire the necessary permits and approvals to build out, operate, and convert the kitchen from electric to gas. Also during that time, National Grid reached an impasse with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and New York and New Jersey elected officials over a $1 billion, 24-mile gas supply pipeline.

“We had to wait a few months because National Grid was in a moratorium — we faced difficulties with the fire marshal regarding the fire alarms,” Postell said. “And then we were slated to open in April of 2020, but then we got hit with Covid in March so that created a halt on everything.”

Battered by non-stop issues, Postell said that the Lynbrook community has continued to be supportive of his business. “It is very important to have black-owned businesses in Lynbrook, on Long Island and across America,” he said. “It provides an opportunity to showcase our culture through a dining experience.”

Postell is also the CEO of the Black Restaurant Coalition. “I created this group to provide a resource and network for small black owned businesses that were going through challenges that we faced with Covid,” he said. “And now we’ve kind of developed into this organization that allows us to provide resources, network, and opportunities through training seminars and more.”

Under “Our Mission” on BlackRestaurantCoalition.org, it states, “The BRC is dedicated to lobbying for legislation with elected officials, to improve the conditions for small-business restaurant owners and their staff.”

The coalition also seeks out “partnerships and relationships with organizations committed to providing access to capital for our small business owners, racial equity, and a pathway to a more inclusive economy.”

Prime 39 has five black business owners and Postell is proud of how far his business has come. “In 2021, we won the Long Island Choice Award for best new restaurant and in 2022; we were nominated for best fine dining.”

The dining aspect of the business was an evolution of Postell and his partner’s vision of Prime 39.

“Originally, my partners and I were thinking of opening more of a bar lounge,” Postell said. “But we found this location in Lynbrook and it had a full kitchen so we decided to elevate the concept and kind of see how we can blend them together.”

This blend created a modern look, which gave Postell inspiration on how he wants to develop the business.

“Prime 39 transitions into an adult lounge on the weekend evenings,” Postell said. “This gives people a place to come out and have some classic cocktails.” His goal with the business is to “bring that New York City feel without having to travel so far.”

Postell has some long-term goals for his business. “The plan is to definitely expand,” he said. “We would like to open up additional restaurants to provide some great dining experiences.”