“Paint, Swig, and Sing!”: Black Parakeetz offers relaxation & fun

While few would say Nyack has a shortage of bars, there’s no venue quite like Black Parakeetz. The boutique art-entertainment bar on Main Street offers paint and sip classes, as well as private karaoke rentals. Patrons can choose to partake in one or both activities while enjoying a selection of specialty drinks created in-house with homemade syrups, such as the Lavender Paintbrush or Silk Pajama Bottom.

Opened by Terry and Naomi Clarke in September of 2021, the couple credit a large portion of their success to the unique, all-encompassing nature of their business, as well as their personal passion for all things art and
style.

“When it comes to opening a business, you always ask yourself a critical question,”
said Terry. “You’ve got to do something you’re going to like, because you’ll be doing a lot of it…This is actually very stimulating, very fun.”

To curate the experience for women (the largest portion of Black Parakeetz’ clientele), Terry and Naomi place a large focus on ambiance, dimming the lights to a purple haze and playing a wide selection of music with an emphasis on smooth jazz. While only Thursdays are specifically labeled “Ladies Night,” Naomi emphasizes that they try to make every session a spot where women feel comfortable and relaxed.

“I think (Black Parakeetz) is becoming big because girls are now doing girls’ trips, girls’ night out,” said Naomi, who regularly draws on her 21 years of experience as a product manager for Banana Republic to provide top customer service and curate the aesthetics of the venue. “We’re doing a lot of things where we’re like, ‘Sisters, let’s get together. Let’s just be and vibe off each other.’”

For guests who choose to belt one out for karaoke, a selection of over 10,000 songs in 15 languages is available in a private room, where Naomi or Terry often kick off the night by singing a song of their own.

As for those who wish to paint, each session offers a different set of possibilities. Depending on the night, one of five teaching artists will lead patrons in recreating a previously selected piece of seasonally appropriate art (with the exception of Wine’d Up Wednesdays, where guests work freestyle). All of these paintings—over 300 in number—are created in-house by the Black Parakeetz artist team.

Though children are invited to paint during the daytime on weekends, Terry and Naomi are proud to primarily call Black Parakeetz a respite for adults—an artistic oasis from the rest of the world.

“When we came to Rockland, Nyack was one of the places we always hung out,” Naomi explained. “We always saw that it was just bars. So we thought, ‘What if we brought something that we love to do to the town as well?’…It’s this (place) where women, couples, and men can come where they feel like they’re in a grown up space, but they can also be a kid a little bit. Which is how Black Parakeetz came into play.”