The sign is finally up at the new Choice Market venture, just around the corner from the original. Located on Greene near Grand, the new location will be more of an actual market, selling meats, cheeses, breads and even flowers (per the original news more than a year ago).
Looking good!
I heard about the potential plans to open a bookstore in the 'hood months ago. Now, a local advocacy group is working with BK Library Power Up winner Jennifer Stockton Bagnulo to make this happen here!
FORT GREENE INDIE BOOKSTORE INITIATIVE
Press Contact: Steve Sachs, fortgreeneshopping@gmail.com
Bookstore Entrepreneur Plans a Store in Fort Greene; Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative to host Bookstore Kickoff Event on September 16
Last year the Fort Greene Association's retail committee surveyed 380 locals about their shopping preferences. 75 percent of respondents (281) cited bookstores as a category in which they wanted more choices.
To meet this need, the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative (FGIBI) embarked on a campaign to find an independent bookstore. After months of talking with Brooklyn-based bookstores, the group met Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, a Brooklyn entrepreneur who won the 2007 Brooklyn Public Library PowerUp! Competition for her business plan to open a bookstore in Fort Greene.
To raise community awareness and rally support for Jessica's independent bookstore, FGIBI is hosting an event in Fort Greene at the Cumberland Greene (237 Cumberland Ave) on September 16, 2008 from 7pm to 9pm. The event will feature local Brooklyn authors. Complimentary beer, wine and hors d'oeuvres from local businesses will also be served. RSVP required; email rsvp_fortgreeneindie@hotmail.com to be added to the guest list.
About the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative
The Fort Green Indie Bookstore Initiative (FGIBI) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that seeks to attract small business owners to Fort Greene to open a bookstore and other stores in response to the community's needs. The group also encourages current retailers to open new businesses locally and seeks to help local residents open their own businesses.
To contact the Fort Greene Indie Bookstore Initiative, e-mail fortgreeneshopping@gmail.com.
About Jessica Stockton Bagnulo
Jessica has worked in New York City independent bookstores for the past eight years, and is currently the events and publicity coordinator at McNally Jackson Books in Manhattan. She is active in numerous book industry organizations and is often called upon to speak and write about independent bookselling. Her business plan for an independent bookstore in Brooklyn won the grand prize in the 2007 Brooklyn Public Library PowerUp! business plan competition in January 2008. She lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and blogs at www.abookstoreinbrooklyn.blogspot.com.
To contact Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, e-mail booknerdnyc@earthlink.net.
On a long neighborhood walk, I attempted to visit 1001 Affairs -- the florist on Fulton near Cambridge) to pick up a small bouquet for the apartment. When I arrived the gates were down!
Their website says that they close at 3pm on Sunday, and I may have been there after 3. But I can't remember. Anyone know if they're still open?
Frank White is, hands down, one of the most beautiful establishments in the neighborhood. They have a huge back patio area, and are now open later (7pm!) for people who want to swing in after work.
They also have a greatly expanded menu!!! This is happy news:
Sandwiches, smoothies, waffles (which they've had for awhile and which are a-m-a-z-i-n-g). We must patronize our Atlantic Ave pioneers!
(Frank White is located on Atlantic Ave at St. James Pl.)
I noticed this nicely-designed sign on Fulton and Putnam over the weekend, and I hadn't noticed it before:
This is a shockingly pretty sign coming from the city. Additional irony is earned from the crappiness of Fulton Street and the ridiculousness of the street renovations that have been going on now for, oh, two or three years.
I have high hopes, now that we've been afforded a city B.I.D.
Thanks to the Pratt Area Community Council for their hard work on making this happen!
Used kids' clothing and toy store Still Hip Brooklyn recently celebrated their first birthday! Due to a crazy series of events, I was unable to attend, which is a shame, since they had one of the shin-digs in the new Choice Market offshoot space!
When I walked past today, it sure looked nice to see them thriving and colorful.
(Grand Ave bt Lafayette and Clifton)
A few days ago, a reader sent me this intriguing email: as bizarre as it is, i just noticed that a fresh fruit and vegetable market is opening on atlantic avenue right around grand (towards classon on the prospect heights/crown heights side of the street). it's the produce equivalent of frank white -- meaning, they're putting a lot of work into the space and it's going to be really nice, but it will probably ultimately suffer from its atlantic ave location (zero foot traffic).
i can't understand why they wouldn't choose fulton for this very necessary place, i guess the rents are a lot cheaper on atlantic.
Readers, this is why I love you. Because I would probably never, ever be walking around in that particular area and this is a very exciting tip!
It was not easy to find. I walked down a very desolate section of Atlantic, populated only by auto repair and restaurant equipment retailers, all completely shuttered on a Sunday afternoon. But then, I saw it: two gorgeous wooden planters with green fern spilling over at a storefront on the south side of the street.
The beauty of the fruit (both standard and exotic), as well as the interior renovation was shockingly gorgeous. Where on earth did this place come from?!
The owner (whose name escapes me, since I didn't write it down), said he expects to be fully operational within the next few days. He is also open to suggestions on what people would like to see him carry!
People, check it out, NOW.
Atlantic Tropics Atlantic Ave. nr. Grand
Move With Grace Studio469 Myrtle Avenue (next door to Kum Kau)
Between Washington & Hall St.
info: 718 230 0013
http://www.movewithgracestudio.com
Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have been selected to have their very own Big Onion Walking Tour! And it starts this weekend!! There has long been a BK Heights-Fort Greene tour run by a local resident, but it was very BK Heights-centric. I'm really psyched to try this new tour out and see what I learn. Here is the press release: Fort Greene Neighborhood Groups Win Big Onion Walking Tour BEDC Announces Winner of the Brooklyn Neighborhood Tourism Initiative - First Tour held on Saturday, June 21st
Brooklyn, NY, May {16}, 2008 ─ The Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) announced the winning neighborhood for the first ever Brooklyn Neighborhood Tourism Initiative. And the winner is… Fort Greene/Clinton Hill! This heterogeneous community, just east of downtown Brooklyn, boasts majestic brownstones, pre-Civil War frame houses, lively shopping areas, historical churches and world-renowned cultural institutions, and will now feature a series of walking tours to present these treasures to visitors.
Joan Bartolomeo, President of BEDC, announced, “Fort Greene is a community that is both unique and quintessentially New York. We are excited to partner with Big Onion Walking Tours to make this vibrant Brooklyn community a primary destination for tourists and New York residents alike.”
Big Onion Walking Tours, in business for over fifteen years, is among New York City’s leading tour groups. Big Onion Walking Tours President, Seth Kamil said, “Fort Greene lends itself perfectly to the breed of tours we offer. Our guides specialize in peeling back the many layers of history that make up the fabric of our city. Fort Greene is rich with cultural, literary and architectural record, as well as unknown treasures we plan to reveal. I look forward to working with the winning community organizations to create a tour that is thought-provoking and exciting.”
The Brooklyn Neighborhood Tourism Initiative Contest was open to more than 100 community organizations served by BEDC’s Re-NEW Brooklyn Program, which works to promote strong and vibrant commercial corridors as the backbone of Brooklyn’s neighborhoods. Applicants were asked to demonstrate that their community is of historic and architectural interest and has a vibrant commercial corridor that would benefit from the additional foot traffic drawn in by walking tours.
From the applications, BEDC and Big Onion Walking Tours selected three local organizations they will cooperate with to design a tour: The Fort Greene Association, the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, and (jointly) the Pratt Area Community Council and Fulton Area Business Association. BEDC will fund the research and development of the 90-minute walking tour, while the local organizations will assist in tour development and growth.
“We are very pleased to launch our Tourism Initiative in Fort Greene/Clinton HIll,” said Matthew Rao, BEDC’s Director of Commercial Revitalization. “It has a plethora of high-quality historic and contemporary attractions as well as three flourishing main business corridors: Fulton/Lafayette Streets, Dekalb Avenue and Myrtle Avenue.”
Dale Charles, Economic Development Program Manager at the Pratt Area Community Council, said, “Fort Greene has some of the oldest houses in the borough, as well as historic Fort Greene Park, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and revolutionary and civil war era historic sites. The active commercial corridors of Fort Greene/Clinton Hill feature minority and women-owned businesses and a famous Afro-centric fashion industry that help make our neighborhood special.”
M. Blaise Backer, Executive Director of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, said, “Myrtle Avenue was once the Main Street of the Fort Greene/Clinton Hill community, but it went into decline during the 1970’s. Today, Myrtle Avenue is regaining its role as a bustling commercial corridor.” Backer adds that the neighborhood is so rich in history that “any number of tours could be designed here, based on everything from the area’s military history to the emergence of Fort Greene as a stronghold for African American culture and community.”
An architecture critic once wrote of Fort Greene, “Better than this it does not get.” BEDC and Big Onion Tours hope that this series of walking tours will reveal the beauty, history and vitality of the neighborhood to a wider audience.
The Historic Fort Greene Walking Tour will be held regularly, with the first tour held on Saturday, June 21st, at 1pm. The tour will meet at the southeast corner of Flatbush Avenue & Hanson Place, under the large red BAM sign. Admission to the tour is $15 for adults and $12 for seniors, students, and NYHS members. For more information and tour schedules, please see www.bigonion.com or www.bedc.org.
BEDC, a private, non-profit, organization, was established in 1979 to stimulate Brooklyn’s economy and create job opportunities for Brooklyn residents. More information on BEDC’s programs and services can be found at www.bedc.org.
A blog called Did You Ever Notice has recently posted some photos of what appears to be a brand new mural on Hall Street between Park and Flushing:
Just a day or so after receiving this tip, the answer found its way into my inbox. The mural, newly painted on the side of Hall Street Storage, announces the company's new green renovations and services!
Here's their press release (it's long, but it has a lot of good info and history!):
Brooklyn’s Hall Street Storage is Designated the Country’s First Green Storage Space
The only storage facility in the country to qualify for the Green-e logo*-- the leading symbol for renewable energy excellence--opens self-storage rooms for every New Yorker
NY, NY (May 8, 2008)—Today Hall Street Storage offers New Yorkers the opportunity to store green for the first time. By introducing several ground-breaking green initiatives and opening self-storage rooms in its 1918 warehouse space, the company gives everyday New Yorkers the only green alternative for storage in the city, or the nation. The company is systemically green, with sustainable actions throughout—from renewable energy sources for 100% of its electricity use to biodegradable packing peanuts made of cornstarch.
Hall Street Storage has joined Brooklyn’s burgeoning green business movement with a number of forthright green actions. Its purchase of renewable energy (including wind and solar power) for 100% of its annual electricity needs qualifies it to use the Green-e logo, the leading symbol for renewable energy excellence because of its strict environmental and consumer protection standards. “By investing in clean, renewable energy, Hall Street Storage has given their customers the opportunity to support a company that raises awareness and inspires action by taking significant steps to reduce the negative impacts of a fossil-fuel energy generation,” says Aleka Seville, manager of Green-e Marketplace.
Within the company, green efficiencies and a remodel have resulted in the addition of 80,000 square feet of floor space. This newly available space has allowed the company to add self-storage units for individuals and small businesses. Many materials taken out during the remodel are being repurposed rather than trashed. Just one example is the antique wood taken from the company’s 1918 building, which is sought-after today by furniture makers and carpenters for laying floors, and will be used by area craftspeople.
Hall Street Storage has made an art out of finding every possible reuse for discarded materials, making its on-site center for packing supplies full of green materials such as repurposed shipping cartons and bags of paper from the office’s paper shredder to be used as an alternative to bubble wrap. Even the beams removed during the remodel of the building have become wood shavings to be used for packing. Also available are options like biodegradable packing peanuts made of cornstarch. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of recycled packing materials will be donated to the newly formed Wallabout/Clinton Hill Green Awareness Foundation, an organization founded by Hall Street Storage devoted to fostering sustainable lifestyle practices within the Downtown Brooklyn community.
Everyday actions that make an environmental difference within the company include initiatives like using eco-friendly cleaning products. These are echoed in an employee awareness program to elevate knowledge and use of green practices in employees’ own lives, which include the option of buying such items as natural cleaning products and low-energy light bulbs at cost.
Hall Street Storage even wants to encourage its customers to be green at home. New self-storage customers will receive an eco-tote bag filled with environmental helpers like a CFL bulb, a natural house cleaner, and a book with tips on how to be green. And if being green isn’t incentive enough, the company is offering a free year’s rent on self-storage to a winner drawn from those who register on the company’s web site. Soon the rest of the Northeast will have a chance to store green as well, as Hall Street aims to open fifteen green self-storage sites over the next five years.
"Our commitment to having the lowest impact on the environment is more than one of policy; it's become our primary passion," says Jeffrey E. Sitt, President of Hall Street Storage. He hopes the company’s commitment to the green business movement will inspire other area businesses. “It’s like dropping a pebble into a pond,” he says. “One little ripple will always reverberate into wider circles.”
About Hall Street Storage
Hall Street Storage has been serving the Tri-State area since 1931. It is a multi-building warehouse complex encompassing almost an entire city block in the Wallabout/Clinton Hill area of downtown Brooklyn, located opposite Steiner Studios and the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and about a mile from DUMBO. The facility encompasses everything from individual rooms to entire floors. With the recent addition of self-storage units, individuals and small businesses will now have access to a range of services like professional packing, shipping, mailbox rentals, and third-party licensed and insured local and long-distance moving.
12 Hall Street, Brooklyn, NY 718-855-3636 www.hallstreetstorage.com
For more on Green-e and Hall Street Storage, see “Corporate Responsibility News."
The original 1918 Hall Street Storage building at Brooklyn’s Wallabout Market; this picture circa 1927:
Did anyone go to the Tamboril event last night? I didn't have time to post, but they screened episodes of Sex and the City and offered fun, reduced-price drinks. Today, the Polish Bar of Brooklyn is offering a ton of fun in the shop:
Why is the movie so important to Clinton Hill? Because Steve and Miranda live here!!!
A co-worker of mine recently needed to order sandwiches for a training class near Fort Greene Park. I suggested Pillow Cafe on Myrtle and she was extremely pleased. The folks at Pillow packed up a variety of gourmet sandwiches, snacks and fun sodas into easy-to-carry crates and I'm told they were super nice and reasonably priced. A good thing to keep in mind if you're having a party or large event!
Pillow Cafe 505 Myrtle Avenue
The lovely new flower shop finally opened on Myrtle mid-month. I stopped in last weekend to pick up a bouquet.
The shop boasts a select but impressive selection of fresh flowers, as well as vases, gardening tools and even cute candles.
Kerry, the other half of the Root Stock & Quade tea, was on-hand to make up a custom bouquet for me. She asked what kind of vessel I'd be putting the flowers in, my price range and the style I liked. For $40, she put this enormous, gorgeous selection of purple lilacs and white peonies together for me:
Not cheap for sure, but not unreasonable for a huge bouquet. These will make impressive gifts for friends' birthdays for sure.
The back garden should be open by now -- check it out!
[previous coverage here]
Root Stock & Quade 471 Myrtle bt Washington and Hall
I noticed this occupied storefront on Myrtle between Washington and Hall recently:
I might dismiss a random storefront like this, but there was something about the pile of books in the window that I really liked.
No official signage, but they did have a xerox taped to the door that lists a website.
Looks like they're offering a plethora of services, including light moving, tile work and painting, in addition to refinishing and custom cabinetry.
After painting my own bedroom recently (and having it take three exhausting days), you can bet I'm giving them a call when my living room needs a fresh coat.
They earn a minus for the fact that their website kept freezing up my computer (and for the bad music).
Several readers emailed me worried that Move With Grace had closed, as the entrance was covered in scaffolding. Thankfully, they were just redoing their storefront!
Looks like I might be teaching a tap class for adults here soon. Stay tuned...
(Before I started grad school, I thought maybe I'd like to open a supercute flower shop in the 'nabe. But, not having a business plan or any experience running my own store, I decided to wait for an expert to take care of it. And here they are!)
On Friday -- one of those gorgeous spring days we've had recently -- I met up with John Rattigan, co-owner of Park Slope's Root Stock & Quade along with Kerry Quade. As I reported earlier, the duo are opening a branch of their flower-gardening business on Myrtle Avenue.
As it turns out, Rattigan is actually a two-time resident of the Hill (he lived in the 'nabe twenty years ago and currently lives on Washington Avenue). He and Quade originally came upon the Myrtle Avenue space while trying to find a vase for a job they were working on. At the time, the storefront hosted a one-hour photo and chair rental service (along with other random rigmarole), and the two marveled at what poor shape the storefront was in. Soon after, Rattigan noticed a For Rent sign in the window. The landlord happened to be inside, and Rattigan signed the lease soon after. "It was the easiest thing ever," he says, in comparison to negotiating his lease for the Park Slope outpost. "A snap!"
The lease was signed on February 13, and they plan on being open by May 1.
The shop will be offering garden design, full service floral design for weddings and events, retail, indoor and outdoor plants (herbs, perennials, shrubs, etc) and flowers by the bunch and the stem. Come fall, they hope to offer the occasional class on window boxes and basic houseplant care (note: can I sign up now for the latter?).
The storefront, an ice cream parlor in the 1940s, will incorporate as many traditional elements as possible. "I really want to make the space correct for the building and the neighborhood, and fill it with cool, modern stuff," Rattigan explains. He was able to salvage the old tile flooring and hopes to frame some old photos of the building, along with some of the vintage wallpaper he came across during renovations. He tells me that the new store will be a "vibey" place with cool music.
Rattigan is a huge fan of the energy in Clinton Hill. "I love the mixed vibe," he says. "There's no malaise. People here are always doing something or fixing something. And MARP is so 'together!'
"I love Maggie Brown -- I'm always there! -- and my favorite is A Bistro. I love everything about it," he gushes. "And Castro's! I've heard people come from New Jersey to eat there!"
Rattigan is prepared for the inevitable backlash on pricepoints at the store, but stresses that high quality plants and flowers (ie non-refrigerated!) aren't inexpensive. They're also extending a 10% discount on all plant purchases to Brooklyn Botanic Gardens members. RS&Q won't be the go-to place for every day things, at least for me, but I know I'll welcome the opportunity to swing by for a small bouquet after a pedi at PBB.
Root Stock & Quade 471 Myrtle Ave (bt Washington and Hall) http://rootstockquade.com/
On a walk yesterday, I happened by the liquor store on Greene and Grand. I had remembered someone telling me several months ago that the place had really improved and was offering some good stuff. I stopped in to look around. I'm no wine connoisseur but I did find one bottle of this tasty white wine that I've been buying at Gnarly Vines:
I'm not even sure this place has a name and it's definitely not of the breed of new yuppie wine shops. But if you live nearby, service is friendly and selection seems decent.
Since moving into my apartment four years ago, I've had a difficult time finding a good arrangement for my bedroom. When I mentioned it to the RePop guys, they told me they'd be starting a room design service for just this reason. In addition to curating their amazing shop, they're expanding to help clients create and arrange rooms in their homes. They're fixing to help clients curate their homes, based on what kind of vibe customers are looking for. They'll not only rearrange furniture, but search for the perfect vintage pieces. Realizing it was probably time to upgrade my mismatched bedroom set, I agreed to give them a try.
I told them I wanted a more midcentury, warm vibe, but had no idea where to start.
A few weeks later (after I had painted), they sent me off for the day and styled all of the new pieces they had picked out for me (many of which I didn't see ahead of time).
Before:
After:
They also installed some vintage wallpaper in my entryway.
Before:
After:
Fees for installation are pretty reasonable, and after spending DAYS painting the bedroom by myself, it was pretty sweet to leave the house for the day and come back later to a brand new apartment!
RePop 68 Washington Ave (bt Park and Flushing) 718-260-8032
Someone asked me recently about neighborhood gyms, and as it turns out, it looks like I may be joining one of them soon (I currently belong to a gym near my office, but I'm starting a new job next week!). I hope to visit them both this weekend, but in the meantime, here are my general thoughts on each: Crunch Fort Greene 691 Fulton St.
YMCA Bed-Stuy 1121 Bedford Ave.
These are my vague impressions thus far. The affordability of the Y is a big factor, but so is the convenience of extra locations with Crunch for working out near both work and home.
Have a particularly good or bad experience with either?
(Sorry for my delay this morning!) One of CHB's readers is looking into opening a food shop on Fulton, and she'd love to know what you all think. If you have a few minutes, please answer her survey.
This is an opportunity to express your opinions and share thoughts and ideas for the Fulton area to an entrepreneur who's willing to listen. Please help her out!
Clinton Hill Blog published from 2006 - 2010. Please enjoy these archives - a love letter to the neighborhood.
