The fireworks are over, but certain Fourth of July parties in New York earn their guests bragging rights for months, even years, to come. One of them is Elaine and Norman Brodsky’s all-American bash on the Williamsburg waterfront, at the headquarters of Mr. Brodsky’s document storage business, Citistorage.

Beginning late in the last century, this party has offered some of the best views of the fireworks, against the backdrop of the majestic East Side skyline.

It’s not just about the 30-minute show, though. This party also offers just the right balance of family diversions, good food, and good beer, courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery.

This year more than 1,100 people came, a mix of company employees, clients, and friends from the neighborhood. Despite the size of the guest list, everyone seemed to feel at home, thanks to the smiles and personal greetings from the Brodskys, who didn’t sit down for a moment.

After checking in, guests walked into an asphalt lot right on the East River, filled with about 100 tables and 10 times as many chairs – nothing fancy, but they got the job done. Music from the 1950s and ’60s, such as “Rockin’ Robin’,” sent people back a few years, as did the dozens of amusement games and rides – from a basketball toss to a moonwalk, a ferris wheel to a test-your-strength striker. All this, plus a cotton candy machine.

Two buffets offered roasted turkey and beef, rolls, and summer sides: corn on the cob, Caesar salad, baked sweet potatoes, and pasta salad. Between these two lines formed one even longer – the line for the hot dogs and hamburgers, made on a grill that could have housed a few dozen file boxes.

Ellen Thompson was the hero at her table. She brought back a dozen hot dogs for her co-workers at Newtown Creek.

Mr. Brodsky founded Citistorage 12 years ago and has held a Fourth of July party on this site for seven years. The site contains two warehouses, with 2,666,712 boxes of documents, all bar coded, randomly placed, and retrievable within minutes. It is also where Mr. and Mrs. Brodsky have their office – she handles the company’s human resources – and their home.

When Mr. Brodsky put his business here, the Williamsburg waterfront was all but forgotten. Now, the city’s plans for the Olympics call for redevelopment of the area – and would take Mr. Brodsky’s land away from him under the law of eminent domain. That’s certainly not a fate Mr. Brodsky or anyone at the party would relish.

Among Mr. Brodsky’s fans is Brian Kelly, who started a paper-shredding business with Mr. Brodsky’s guidance.

“He’s my business mentor. He got me started. I’d been reading his column in Inc. magazine for years, and I finally got the guts to e-mail him, and he emailed me back,” Mr. Kelly, of Belle Harbor, Queens, said.

Folks from the neighborhood have seen the jobs and activity Mr. Brodsky has brought here, people such as the owner of Pop’s Popular Clothing, Steve Rosenberg, whose father opened the business in 1949; and the co-founder of Brooklyn Brewery, Stephen Hindy, whose book, “Beer School” (Wiley), is scheduled to be published in October.

As the sun set, the Brodskys helped set out dessert – piles and piles of chocolate-chip and sugar cookies. They also walked around to make sure everyone would have a seat for the fireworks. Anticipation built. Men lit cigars, and children’s hands and faces turned pink devouring cotton candy.

Karaoke passed the time for Sheila Williams, daughters Gina and Genese Dobson, and granddaughter Cyniah Gonzalez. Together they sang “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” by En Vogue.

The waterfront at night was a patriotic place. It was also a romantic place. Couples wrapped their arms around each other, and mothers and fathers bounced their children in their laps.

Odellia and Richard Fischer doted over their 4-month-old daughter, Gabriella, who was experiencing her first Fourth of July.

Other guests included Mr. Brodsky’s co-author on the Inc. magazine column, Bo Burlingham; Ivonne Waldron and her children, from Canarsie; Edward and Tonilyn Rodriguez of Staten Island; Marisa and Dominick Passafiume of the Bronx, and Blake and Donna Taylor, who have lived in Carroll Gardens for 20 years but were watching the fireworks from Brooklyn for the first time.