Snow in Wallabout?!

Walking up Hall last week, I came across what appeared to be a pile of dirty snow. WTF?

organic fake-out on lexington

in the comments section for the post on the upcoming restaurant on greene + waverly, a reader asked: Have you checked out the new ‘organic market’ that just started to get all dolled up on Lexington btwn Grand and Classon? Crazy conversion… but needed.

and i was all ready to head down there this morning and check it out....until i went on the local parents' listserve. there was a discussion of the market going on there, and the truth came out: it isn't an organic market at all, but a set for a steve martin movie that's being filmed here.

bummer! on the plus side, if you like steve martin, they should be doing more filming this week....

Notes on the BQE

Have you noticed that lately the BQE running over Park seems to be...leaking? Water is ALWAYS pouring off of it and onto Park, even when it's not raining. Where is this water coming from? Maybe it's best not to know. Also, this free parking under the overpass seems weird to me. Obviously people are parking here, and it seems it's allowed. But it seems like parking there screams, "Steal/damage my car!" Anyone park there? The arrangement seems very intriguing.

further developments on greene and waverly

we've ferreted out some more info on the former bodega space at the corner of greene and waverly (posted about here.) riding the bus down greene ave. the other day, i spotted two people standing outside the space and was pretty positive that one of them was josie smith-malave, former season 2 top chef contestant and former clinton hill chef (which we mentioned here.) i hunted her down on the internets, emailed her, and got this reply:

"Yeah, it's something that I'm working on. I'm consulting ..... We're shooting for end of August, early September to open."

an interview is in the works....

Retail Space: Still Empty

Wondering why this retail space on the corner of Washington and Park is still available. You'd think it would be a good locale at this point, with Mohito, Kiki's Pet Hotel and Play Care, RePop and Body by Brooklyn right nearby.

Homes on Lefferts Place

I admit, I had never walked down Lefferts Place until very recently, and it was in search of community gardens. I finally found this yellow house that's been blogged about so much (I had never see it in person! I rarely go south of Fulton.)

Here's some really great info on the history of the house and the neighbors' success in saving it! Here's some coverage on the story as it unfolded.  The house is for sale now, listed through Corcoran.  Anyone have three million lying around? And wtf is up with this HUGE lot for sale next to it???

I also saw this beauty:

Man, what an intriguing block!

More on the Hollenback Toilet

People, the Hollenback Compost Toilet is not yet complete! This Saturday, June 16, volunteers are needed to help install the composting tank into the giant hole that last week's volunteers helped create. I will once again be out of town this wknd, so please go and take notes!

Selective Parking Rules

Received this note last week from a reader: I live on Grand Avenue at Lexington, and for the past nine months or so, I've been parking a car on the street. This has been a headache, of course, but certainly easier than a lot of other Brooklyn neighborhoods, despite the twice weekly street cleaning (why?!). One thing that makes it easier in the mornings for street cleaning: no one seems to mind, including the cops an metermaids, if you double park on the opposite side of the street for an hour and a half to avoid the street sweeper. Its very common to see a row of cars all double parked on Grand on any given morning. At 11:30, the owners park them again. I've seen ticketers ignore these cars while doling out tickets to street cleaning violators. Everyone seems okay with it, the neighbors and the cops.

But this morning I got a $115 ticket for being double parked! What gives? Any ideas about the arbitrariness of this system?

Since I'm at work most days, I had never heard of such a thing. Yet yesterday, when I stayed home in the morning nursing an ear infection (yes, apparently I am a 4-year-old), I noticed the same phenomenon on Waverly Ave!

Personally, I'd guess whoever ticketed said reader needed to fill a quota or was feeling particularly dickish that morning. Does anyone do this regularly, and if so, is there indeed an unspoken guarantee that you'll avoid a ticket if you double park? Also, what if someone parked at the curb gets shut in? Perhaps the cop ticketed that day because someone was inconvenienced?

And as a side note, double-parking seem to be a major problem in the 'hood. Just because you have your flashers on doesn't make it OK to double park up and down Clinton Avenue all the damn time. Now and then, OK, you need to pull over to pick someone up. But if I had a dime for every SUV double-parked on Clinton with flashers on, I could have paid off my mortgage and then some. (This is a separate issue from avoiding street cleaning tickets, and occurs mostly on weekend afternoons.)

Weird New Building

While walking around on a recent weekend, I ran into this building on Fulton at Classon:

Seems odd, as it looks new and yet the doors are boarded up from the inside. Looks like it might be affordable condos?

A 1-br with marble baths for 250k? AND central air? What's the catch?

Ooo...looks like Brownstoner did a post on this place back in January 2006!  And again in August for an open house! (I should know by now to check him first for info on all things new construction in the hood.  Do check out the ridiculous placement of the stove hood in the photos.  WTF?)

So, what ended up happening here?  No one moved in?  Info, anyone?

Big Fine

On Emerson, this building is threatening either a $3,000 fine, or a $3,000,000 fine, depending on which typo was made. (Or else the sign was made by a European company). Run-on sentence... ~shudder~

Either way, don't dump here. "For security reasons."

Steuben Playground

Check out this great green space:

It's in that really weird corner of the neighborhood, near the BQE exit, on Flushing. Looks like there are picnic tables there. Is this a cool hangout?

Greenhouse?

I walked past this strange structure on Clinton between Myrtle and Park over the weekend. For some reason, it looks like an old greenhouse to me. What was this, or what was it going to be?

Henna Tatto(o)?

Has anyone checked out the brow threading place yet? It was open this weekend, and someone kinda fixed the sign...

I'm trying to grow my brows out so I can test them out and report.

The Chocolate Bar

I Googled the mysterious Chocolate Bar and did a walkby:

A peek inside:

How has this place remained on the DL for so long? Any readers hang out there?

Porn Building Reuse

Several readers emailed me last week to find out what's up in the old porn store space on Myrtle, which is being worked on and has received an exterior paint job:

Reader comments in the Italian Restaurant post indicate that the space is slated to become a European-style cafe.  (What does that mean?  "European-style."  Guess we'll see soon enough.)

Chocolaty

I constantly hear reference to two separate buildings in the area being called The Chocolate Factory. Are they both former chocolate factories? The first contender sits on the corner of Washington and Park. I think it's pricey rentals.

OK, yes, it is. Here's the building's website. Looks like large 1br apartments (1k square feet) rent for around $2100, and the building used to be a tootsie roll factory. I've also heard rumors of there being a bar nearby called The Chocolate Bar (Google lists its address as 45 Waverly Ave.), and that it may or may not be a gay bar. Where the hell is this place, and why haven't I ever seen it? It does seem to have a MySpace page. (More on this tomorrow.) Then, we have what I think is the original "Chocolate Factory" residence, on Spencer and Myrtle. This place is condos. Here's more info from Corcoran.

Now that I've lived in the area for awhile, I'd probably live in this place. But if I was checking it out for the first time? Man, this area is desolate and crappy.

So, which is it? Which one is THE Chocolate Factory?

An intensive Google search reveals that our area was once the second biggest chocolate-making area in the country. No wonder I feel right at home here.

Bakery Smells

Reader question: Everyday I ride my bike through the intersection of Washington and Atlantic and wonder where that wonderful bakery smell is coming from? It can't be that storage area and I reckon that it's not the McDonald's on Vanderbilt -- so where's it coming from? I wonder if you know.

Just curious! It's been on my mind forever.

I'm banking on the Hasidic bakery on Waverly near Atlantic. It's right near the brewery. Houseowax and I were going to stop in that day we hit up the brewery, but we were drunk and it was nearing sundown. I don't think it's the kind of place you can just pop into to pick up some cupcakes -- they probably do baking for kosher restaurants, etc.

Fast Food Setup

This house on Grand near Park has an interesting fast food restaurant-esque setup in the front of the building. Wonder where they got it.

Brooklyn Industries HQ in Clinton Hill?

Thanks to Bed-Stuy Blog for finding this article in the NY Times about cool small chain store Brooklyn Industries moving their manufacturing to Wallabout across from the Navy Yard.  I recently tracked them down and paid them a visit. BKI's new headquarters are at 43 Hall Street.  I've definitely been inside before, for last year's SONYA stroll.

The still largely raw space inside hosts almost all of the company's functions - all clothing design, shipping, marketing.  The employees I spoke with love being in the area, surrounded by so many local artists and cool happenings.

BKI's owners, contemporary artists who met upstate, started the company by making heavy-duty messenger bags using recycled materials.  They've expanded to produce a full line of men's and women's clothing, and have begun hosting art installments and parties in their South Williamsburg storefront.

BKI's latest mission is contribution to the community, helping support Brooklyn artists and using sustainable materials in new stores.  They're also employing Pratt students to help construct stores and build out the new Wallabout office space.  They'll also be distributing a new free quarterly publication, Brooklyn Industries Journal, focused on Brooklynites.  The first issue features photo shoots done in Wallabout and Coney Island, as well as profiles of real Brooklyn families.  The magazines will be distributed in stores, at special events and at neighborhood salons.

I caught a glimpse of the fall 07 collection, which is being touted as "more mature." I loved it.

As for the rumored Myrtle Ave. store, the answer is "not yet."  The owners don't feel there's quite enough foot traffic on Myrtle yet to support a shop.  But they hope to in a year or so, and are considering a "lifestyle store" for our neighborhood.

Smoke Joint Expansion?

A reader confirmed the immediate shuttering of Pan/m y Mas today (was it ever even operational?), and sent me this photo from a camera phone of the space being reworked again. He hopes it's a Smoke Joint expansion. I concur- more seating would make the place even more kick-ass.

(Seriously, wtf was up with Pan/m y Mas? Who would only give themselves a few days to try out a new business??)