The Polish Bar of Brooklyn is once again raising money for Breast Cancer awareness, research and treatment! Stop in for a mani/pedi, pick up the latest O.P.I. color and purchase a card in honor of someone you've lost to the disease.
The Polish Bar of Brooklyn 470 Myrtle ave. @ Washington (718) 622-5363 www.polishbarbrooklyn.com
EVERY TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY FROM 12-5pm$30.00 MANI/PEDI ($10.00 off the Reg.) 'Cure Beauty Bar 921 Fulton St. (at Clinton) Brooklyn, NY 11238 718-622-7100 www.curebk.com More info on 'Cure here. Local biz owners - having a sale or special? Email me and I'll post it :)
Wow. WOW. I stopped into Frank White last Friday and I have to say, I was blown away! The space inside is completely gorgeous. I'd kinda like the decorator to renovate my apartment. There's a lot of open space, gorgeous chandeliers, cool magazines to read. The space thing may prove awkward once they become busier, as there's not a whole lot of seating (right now, a table and chairs, plus the two chairs near the window and a window seat). They do have a large back garden area, however, that will tide them over until cold weather season.
As readers have commented, the name IS a throwback to the Notorious B.I.G., and they'll soon have a permanent photo of him hung inside. Pretty awesome, seeing as he grew up just up the street. They plan on doing various art installations as well. I suspect the space would be amazing for private parties as well.
When I stopped in, I met the managers as well as another woman on staff. They were all super excited and very nice. The service was great! Props to them for opening such a gorgeous space. Be sure to stop by and check it out - we need to make sure they get enough foot traffic to stick around.
More:
Frank White cafe/gallery/social 936 Atlantic Ave. at St. James Pl. www.frankwhitenyc.com
Hours are currently 7am to 3pm, so it looks to be a coffee/pastry/hangout place for the time being.
Many of you have commented on the photo of the cake from the RePop/CHB Anniversary party. It was a custom design by Shannon Pridgen of Heavenly Crumbs! The cake was shaped like a computer screen and was sitting on a Clinton Hill Monopoly board. It was chocolate, with raspberry and vanilla filling. If you haven't been over to Franklin to sample their sweets, you MUST go now.
'Cure Beauty Bar is in search of a top-notch nail tech to add to their staff. If you help them find one, you'll be rewarded with a FREE mani/pedi. ‘Cure Beauty Bar 921 Fulton St. (at Clinton) Brooklyn, NY 11238 718-622-7100 www.curebk.com
Reader Ashley sent me some juicy gossip on some Grand area developments... So, I was passing by an empty storefront on Greene today, the one next door to the next incarnation from the neighborhood tastemakers at Choice Market. This empty space used to be a salon. Anyhoo, I asked the guy working on the space what was going in there. He said a yoga studio! Happy freakin' day! Oh, and Namaste.
ALSO, I was passing by the ever mysterious "Mirrors on Grand" space on Labor Day. It appeared that someone (presumably the owners) were hosting a private holiday party inside the not yet finished, but very promising space. There was a bar, and lovely exposed brick walls It looked nice even though there's clearly more work to be done before they can open anything.
This neighborhood is hoppin'!
Wow -- maybe Mirror's on Grand might actually be decent (someday).
Myrtle Minutes reports today that Walgreens will be coming to Fort Greene, at the corner of Myrtle and Clermont. This is wonderful news, as Walgreens is generally cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than Duane Reade. Swoon - a place to buy toothpaste, cleaning supplies, a greeting card, prescriptions and probably a cheap lawn chair, all in one glorious locale.
The "Save the G Train" movement now has a blog, and they promise to update it regularly with G-related news and rider polls regarding service. Check it out here, and let's hope we can work towards making improvements. My latest gripe is service around 8pm. Mornings are just fine by me, but if I do something after work, forget it. I feel like every night I find myself waiting...and waiting... and waiting at Hoyt-Schermerhorn.
'Cure is open on Fulton at Clinton! All I can say is: WOW. The interior is lovely -- very West Elm-ish -- and the setup unique. Manicures are done at a long, tall table instead of the usual low desk setup, and pedis take place on plush chairs near the back, utilizing huge blue glass bowls instead of the standard vibrating salon chairs. They sell candles and jewelry (the latter displayed artfully in a fish tank) and also do massages, waxing and threading.
So far, I've been twice. Hey, I need to check out the services so I can tell you about them, right? On my first visit, a friendly, warm woman named Honey gave me a wonderfully indulgent pedicure. She was even extra careful scrubbing my very ticklish feet. Yesterday, I swung in at lunchtime to try the brow lady. Thumbs up.
Owner LaShunda has definitely incorporated the neighborhood into the spa's services -- the list of special pedicures includes a "Carol's Daughter" pedi using all products produced by the famous Fort Greene shop.
The only drawback? Manhattan prices. Still, worth it for the upscale facilities, friendly staff and high-end services on a relaxing afternoon now and then. I love that Fulton has such a pretty new storefront!
'Cure Beauty Bar 921 Fulton St. (at Clinton) Brooklyn, NY 11238 718-622-7100 www.curebk.com
It's hard to keep up with all the stuff about to open in the 'hood, along with the stuff that's newly opened. Here's a recap: Recently-ish Opened:
1001 Affairs 1001 Fulton St. 718-398-2211 Teleflora vendor, potentially great selection of greeting cards, promising selection of fresh flowers, friendly staff
Bidonville 47 Willoughby Ave. 718-855-4515 Coffee and pastries from Choice Market, cozy space, friendly staff
Bittersweets 180 DeKalb Ave. 718-852-2556 Balthazar pastries and tasty coffee
Il Torchio 458 Myrtle Ave. 718-422-1122 JUST opened Monday! Italian tapas, large wine selection.
LOX 15 Putnam Ave. 718-622-5349 Large bar/event space with gorgeous back yard. Soon to be home to a second event space downstairs. Good for large groups.
Paws-n-Claws 448 Grand Ave. 718-622-0060 Mostly grooming services, but carries small selection of leashes, clothing and toys for dogs
Still Hip Brooklyn 283 Grand Ave. 718-398-0008 Gorgeous renovation of old Karrot space, gently used kids' clothing and toys, plus maternity; classes and activities for kids
Threading Place 262 Vanderbilt Ave. 718-662-0883 History of grammatically incorrect signage, but are good for well-priced brow threading and also offer facials and other treatments. May have already closed?
Little Piggy (Market) 64 Lafayette Ave. 718-797-1011 Soulful sides and desserts, to stay and to go Coming VERY Soon:
'Cure 921 Fulton 718-622-3100 Beauty treatments, natural products. Opens FRIDAY and looks gorgeous.
Manee Thai 372 Myrtle Ave. 718-222-9992 Third Thai restaurant on Myrtle in our area. Confusing sign. Owned by the guys who run Myrtle Thai.
Tamboril 527 Myrtle Ave. 718-622-5130 Nuevo Latino cuisine and lounge, bar, live performances
Upcoming:
Telos Apothecary Natural treatments
New Place by Choice Market Flowers, meats, cheeses
This morning, I was working on a little Fulton Street photo session when I came across 923 Fulton (bt Clinton and Waverly), open and being renovated! Many of you have asked WTF is going on, so I ran over and talked to the owner who was sweeping the sidewalk. The answer? Nothing, yet. For now, the space is just being generally renovated and a realtor is working on finding an interested business tenant for the storefront. The owner was really friendly, and asked me what I thought neighbors might want. I, of course, mentioned a bakery and a book store. Krumbs will be coming soon to CH North, but how nice would it be to have a bakery on Fulton?! She wants to avoid a business that'll be doing "heavy cooking," but anything else is fair game.
So? What do you want? Leave comments and I'll report back to her.
Noticed the awning above Threading Place (Vanderbilt just north of DeKalb) has been taken down, and I haven't seen them open in the last few days. Either they're on vacation, having the sign replaced with one that features correct spelling, or they've thrown in the towel already. I have had my brows done there a few times, and I was never alone in the shop. There was always a (reasonable) wait for services. Anyone know what's up?
A week or so ago, I noticed that Frosted Moon Emporium on Vanderbilt just south of Myrtle looked closed. That made me sad, since despite the bad font on their awning, they often had some really cute things in there. However, a reader tipped me off to a new sign taped in the window:
You guys! A bakery! It's in Fort Greene, but it's just one block from Clinton Hill. I just tried the number and got a generic voicemail, so I don't have any more info yet. I think the space will be just perfect for a bakery.
Noticed this funny little truck ringing an old-fashioned bell on Greene Ave recently. I was with a neighbor who informed me that this old guy drives around Brooklyn sharpening knives. You simply flag him down and bring your knives. Apparently he's a real institution, but this was the first I'd heard or seen of him.
Is there any rhyme or reason to his schedule? Anyone ever flagged him down and asked him to sharpen stuff?
Did Curves gym ever open on Myrtle? WTF? It's not listed on the Curves website as a Brooklyn location.
Looks like a new round of pioneers are setting out to jump-start the scene on Fulton. I caught a glimpse of this new awning over the weekend:
A Google search provided this posting from craigslist:
'CURE BEAUTY BAR A Ultra Hip New Natural Nail Spa and Boutique seeking motivated, friendly, outgoing professionals, who take great pride in nail and skin care to join our team!
Manicurist/Pedicurist (waxing skills a plus) - Full time Massage Therapists Estheticians Waxer
Must be licensed. MUST BE RESPONSIBLE. Please send resumes to info@curebk.com
Looking forward to hearing from you!!
I just gave them a call and the owner, Lashunda, informed me that they'll be opening on August 22 24 and are really excited to be a part of the neighborhood. Wishing them luck! So far so good with the well-designed awning...
Located between Clinton and Waverly.
Last week, I mentioned that the florist on Fulton had closed. Commentors were correct about a NEW florist taking over -- they're already open! Called 1001 Affairs, they already have a case stocked with fresh flowers (though there are some fake flowers in the front windows...eh).
They participate with Teleflora, which means they should be stocked with all the essentials, plus be able to turn out some pretty nice arrangements.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a small, but nice selection of greeting cards as well. They have plenty of granny-style traditional cards, but have one section dedicated to cool, artsy cards. I picked up two of these:
The store owner's brother picked these up for him -- they're handmade, and I took the last ones (sorry!). But he's set to get more. Hopefully if enough of us shop there for cool cards, he'll keep a huge supply in stock.
1001 Affairs 1001 Fulton At. (at Cambridge) Brooklyn, NY 11238 718-398-2211 www.1001affairs.com
Looks like the "looks-from-the-outside-but-not-on-the-inside" florist/garden shop on Fulton near St. James Place has closed. It always looked so cute from the street, but the inside simply had a few plants and a selection of mylar balloons. I'll keep an eye on what might be happening. Maybe a good florist will open there? (please?????)
Noticed this intriguing storefront on Vanderbilt...south of Atlantic. The website says that one owner lives in Clinton Hill -- maybe that's why he named the business after the nabe? The projects featured online look pretty nice.
Anyone used them for anything?
FYI, the Laundra-Mutt idea came from Fort Greene PUPS founder Kath Hansen. So witty, that Kath!
Anyway, here's the new sign for Who's Your Doggy's grooming They'll also be offering a do-it-yourself dog wash, which will be a great thing. I've seen countless large dogs rolling in the mud at Ft. Greene Park by that old plugged fountain. Now owners can stop in for a wash on the way home.
Clinton Hill Blog published from 2006 - 2010. Please enjoy these archives - a love letter to the neighborhood.
