It's hard to imagine Sydney without small bars. Today, they're entrenched in the city's nightlife, but barely over a decade ago, a night out revolved around mega clubs and mega pubs. That all changed when NSW's liquor laws were reformed in 2007. Slowly, small bars accommodating no more than 60 people began to pop up, organically concentrating in pockets around Darlinghurst and in the under-utilised industrial spaces dotting the streets behind Town Hall. [caption id="attachment_805685" align="alignnone" width="1920"] SILY[/caption] Many of the pioneers of the Sydney small bar scene started in these backstreets and continue to operate the very venues that kickstarted this era of transformation. As Sydney's nightlife changed, so too did the area where the city's small bar vanguard set up shop. More small bars, independent eateries and hotels were established in the nooks and crannies tucked between York, Clarence and Kent Streets, culminating in the formal establishment of a new nightlife and entertainment district known as YCK Laneways. In partnership with YCK Laneways, we sat down with three trailblazers who've been at the coalface of Sydney's small bar renaissance and still run venues in the area all these years later: Karl Schlothauer, owner of Stitch Bar and Kasippu, VP of YCK Laneways and CEO of House of Pocket; Nick White, owner of Since I Left You (SILY) and President of YCK Laneways; and Mikey Enright, owner of The Duke of Clarence and The Barber Shop and CEO of Barrelhouse Group. Between them, the owners have a combined thirty or so years of experience in the Sydney bar scene. [caption id="attachment_976968" align="alignnone" width="1920"] SILY owner, Nick White[/caption] "There were only pubs, nightclubs and RSLs at the time. They were the three places you could go to have a drink," says White. "You know what you're getting in for when you go to a pub, or any of those places. So, small bars provided an alternative, which was much needed in Sydney." Almost as soon as they emerged, Sydney's small bars have been quiet overachievers, creating options in the liminal space between a night in and a huge night out. Not that the bars have necessarily been quiet by choice. On Fridays and Saturdays especially, the YCK Laneways district is reliably soundtracked by the buzz of people chatting and having a good time, with music escaping from doorways that welcome in and release customers from basements and obscured spaces. But making noise once proved to be one of the precinct's more pressing challenges to overcome. "When [SILY] first opened, we didn't have use of our courtyard," says White. That might come as a surprise to anyone with even a passing familiarity of SILY. The small bar's heritage-listed courtyard is, as White acknowledges, "one of [its] big drawcards." Nowadays, SILY is known in part for its live music program, as well as one-off events that welcome local artists like Milan Ring and Becca Hatch, an offering SILY has cultivated since its inception. "Live music has always been something we've done. We've always been a supporter of the local arts scene and that's taken various forms over the years. We've got a regular Thursday music night, which has always been in place. We've now got a Tuesday jazz night [and] DJs on Friday nights." [caption id="attachment_987818" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Barber Shop and The Duke of Clarence owner, Mikey Enright[/caption] Enright and Schlothauer's venues also all have regular live music nights and both call out music as essential to cultivating memorable spaces. At The Barber Shop, hip hop tunes accompany the bar's spirits, while the Duke of Clarence stays on theme by playing predominantly English tunes by the likes of The Beatles as it serves up one of Sydney's best Sunday roasts. Meanwhile, Stitch is also home to live music one night each week. Each venue's custom music offering reflects the secret sauce that makes small bars such a draw for customers: unique experiences that feel innately human. "I think Sydney's small bars have just made nightlife more approachable and more appealing to a wider range of people," says Schlothauer. [caption id="attachment_991187" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kasippu and Stitch owner, Karl Schlothauer, Image: Tim Pascoe[/caption] The smaller scale of these venues translates to an entirely different experience for customers. It's a feature of small bars that all three owners call out. Independence lets the owners follow their own natural curiosities and interests, as well as experiment with menus and concepts more freely. This autonomy is what creates memorable experiences for patrons too, allowing customers to give direct feedback to owner-operators. "There's a lot more personal interaction between the staff and customers," says White. "A lot of small bars out there are trying to create different experiences for guests to appreciate," agrees Schlothauer. "Behind every small bar is an individual, an independent operator in the small business space." In particular in YCK Laneways, where there are so many bars in a relatively compact area, venues are increasingly focused on doing one or a few things well. "Instead of trying to be everything to everyone, the small bars — because of their size and the passion behind them — [are] becoming a lot more niche in terms of their product offering," says Schlothauer. [caption id="attachment_958206" align="alignnone" width="1920"] The Barber Shop[/caption] "They have their own character [and] personality. A lot of them are run by former bartenders, so there's a lot of passion in it as well. I think that's what makes the small bar category more diverse and different," says Enright, a former bartender himself. Enright shares that his venue The Barber Shop, a gin bar with over 700 gins and has been operating in YCK since 2013, was born out of his personal interest in gin at a time when the spirit was still relatively niche and not the mainstay it is today. Not only has the bar stood the test of time, Enright has established his own distillery. The gins it produces are, of course, stocked in The Barber Shop. "I really love the subject of gin, as well as what it tastes like. We wanted to go all in on the gin side of it. Not many places — I think there weren't any — were doing it back then." The concentration of distinctive venues in close proximity to one another has another advantage that adds to the precinct's allure. "You can bounce between [YCK's venues]. You can have a drink here, a bite to eat there, a nightcap there, you can make it a night out. You can make it quite different, so I think that's one of the appealing things for people who visit here," says Enright. [caption id="attachment_981453" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Kasippu[/caption] Kasippu, Schlothauer's latest venture, is a day-to-night venue that's part-cocktail bar and part-authentic Sri Lankan eatery, and perfectly embodies what Enright describes. Anyone heading out in YCK could stop by Kasippu at any point in their travels. The venue focuses on plating up authentic curries during the day, before transforming into a cocktail bar come nightfall. And once the night is well underway? There's self-service karaoke, curry kebabs and free Hydralyte slushies. And as much as the food, drink and feel of YCK Laneways' small bars invite people in, White makes the broader point that small bars are safer too. "In thirteen and a half years, we've never had a violent incident. And most small bars would say the same thing. [There have been] none or very, very low incidences of alcohol related violence or anything like that." It's little wonder that, in the face of Sydney's ever-evolving nightlife, small bars are here to stay. Explore the stories, sights and sounds of Sydney's bustling laneway nightlife. Between the lanes of York, Clarence and King Streets you'll find YCK Laneways, offering a plethora of hidden laneway and basement bars and restaurants waiting to be discovered. Check them out here.