On Lorimer Street in Brooklyn, near Metropolitan Avenue, there’s a dumpster next to a staircase. Walk by too fast, and you would not even notice the staircase. A closer look, though, would reveal the steeply descending concrete stairs with the word Sweatshop neatly written on the building just above. A cold, metallic door sits tightly shut, surrounded by vibrant artwork masking the outer stonewall. The bright yellow and red can barely be seen from the street.

Just behind the door is a long, concrete hallway; the main passageway and backbone of the Sweatshop. No, this is not that kind of sweatshop. This Sweatshop is one of Williamsburg’s most coveted secrets, considering the growing music scene in the neighborhood. This Sweatshop is a music practice space. For nearly seven years, the Sweatshop has provided the musical communities of New York with a cheaper, more convenient practice alternative. And you cannot have music if you do not have space to practice, making the Sweatshop one of the vital organs in New York music.

“Run by musicians, for musicians,” said Rob Alfonso, one of the three owners and managers of the Sweatshop. “That’s our motto.” Alfonso and co-owner Z Jadwick initially played in a local band together, but the band broke up in 2001. Consequently, that was how the Sweatshop started.

The space was originally a monthly room rental and was primarily filled with bands looking for private practice space. Whenever a band moved out, Alfonso and Jadwick would try to help the landlord by taking the space and renting it out to friends’ bands. “It wasn’t originally a business model,” said Jadwick. “But it was a basement. What else were we going to do besides play music down here?”

“It kept growing on its own,” said Alfonso. Once they had access to all of the rooms, opening it as a business seemed like the next logical step. As for the name, the musicians shared the building with an industrial clothing factory until early in the business’ inception.

The band has long been broken up, but Alfonso and Jadwick have remained behind with the space. Although, not too far behind. Alfonso and his wife, Vanessa Dobre, also co-owner and manager, now live in Rockaway, and Jadwick currently lives in New Jersey. “He’s actually closer to here by driving,” said Alfonso, following with a deep laugh.

The business is no longer about providing a practice space for their friends. Since 2003, the owners have focused on providing their customers with a place they can appreciate. Looking at the Sweatshop’s busy evening and weekend schedules, literally a half dozen giant calendars on the office wall, it seems like they have accomplished their goal.

“The equipment is good quality, and that’s key,” said Mark Kirby, a drummer from just a few blocks away who has been using the Sweatshop since it opened. “They always change the drum heads, which a lot of places don’t do.”

The Sweatshop’s most intriguing quality for its customers might be the great range in price. The cheapest room costs only $15 an hour and fits a four-piece band comfortably, while still providing two guitar amps, a bass amp, a drum set, and a PA. Most of the rooms cost $20 an hour and are a little larger. The owners even let individual drummers practice at the discounted price of $12 an hour.

The main attraction, though, is the $35 showcase room. Atop a small, lit stage sits a Yamaha drum set, decorated by the Sweatshop logo on the bass drum, with three guitar amps and a four-foot tall bass amp. At the foot of the stage is a small lounge area with two broken-in couches. “We throw some parties in hear,” said Alfonso, casually reclined next to Jadwick on one of the couches. “This couch comes out and the bar comes in.”

“The showcase room is the coolest room,” said Melissa Labbadia, a singer for her band L2. “It’s big and it has the stage setup.” Melissa and her sister Jessica Labbadia, also a lead singer, practice at the Sweatshop with their band at least three times before every gig. “It’s kind of gritty, which gets you in the rock mood,” said Melissa.

“The walls are covered with bands’ advertising and you can hear the other bands practicing,” said Jessica. “It gets your ready to practice.”

“And the name is very appropriate,” added Rich Labbadia, the sisters’ father and manager. “There’s no air conditioning or anything.” Alfonso has even lent his guitar playing to L2 as a member of the band, who describe their sound as pop-rock with an edge. “It’s a very comfortable setting,” said Rich.

“The couches are really comfy,” added AJ Javier, another guitar player, sporting a baby blue fender strat, who has played with L2 in the past. “The half stacks for guitar are top of the line, but it does take some fiddling to get your settings.”

“This place has open and warm owners,” said Tom Gehlhaus, who has worked for the Sweatshop for two-and-a-half years. Gehlhaus, who is also a drummer, was born in Queens but grew up in Florida. Now he lives in Flatbush in the Bronx. “It’s really great because there’s practice time available,” said Gehlhaus, who met his current band while they were practicing in the Sweatshop.

“We support their careers as drummers,” said Alfonso. The other two regular employees also play drums and frequently take breaks to go on tour. “We want to give them freedom to be a musician.”

The impact of the Sweatshop is starting to be felt outside of the Williamsburg community. Popular bands that frequently practice there include I Am the Avalanche, The Queen V, Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Smashup. Jason Bittner, drummer of Shadows Fall, even filmed an instructional drum video in one of the Sweatshop’s practice rooms.

As the Sweatshop’s influence grows, the neighborhood remains unaware of the musical community brimming literally underneath their feet. “I live upstairs, and there’s no noise,” said the manager of San Marco Pizzeria, who would only give his name as Sal Pizza. The pizzeria sits just around the corner, and the employees appreciate the business the musicians bring. “They come in all the time. They even hosted a show this past summer for the neighborhood. It was great.”

A music practice space would seemingly by trouble with the neighbors, but the Sweatshop has received almost no noise complaints. “Most people in the neighborhood don’t even know we’re here,” said Jadwick.

As the Sweatshop gains notoriety, the owners look to start supporting the local music scene in other ways. Dobre listed numerous concerts and music programs that the Sweatshop sponsors, including Gotham Rocks and BEA Rock Camp, a Brooklyn camp for young musicians.

The owners all hope to adapt the Sweatshop to provide for the changing world of music. “We’re always trying to implement new ideas,” said Alfonso. “We want to add an audio-visual aspect. We want you to be able to shoot a video and get it edited right here.”

For now, they remain happy with providing their clients with a quality experience. “We rock the block,” said Dobre.

Now is an especially good time to check out the Sweatshop. They’re giving a ten percent discount to anyone with a valid NYU ID for the month of February. You can learn more about the place by checking out their website, thesweatshopnyc.com.