Two Local Craft Markets: Shop for Xmas This Wknd!

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More holiday fun this weekend in Clinton Hill!  Check out these two local gift markets that just happen to be at two of my most favorite neighborhood buildings: 1. SALON DE ARTISTS, 313 CLINTON AVE

photo by Elizabeth Waugh

This is the last weekend for Janna Hyten's Salon de Artists, held at her home at 313 Clinton Avenue (aka the Halloween House).

This weekend's artists will be:

Wendy Krabbe    Collage Art and Poloroid Art
Janna Kennedy Handcrafted Nests as broaches, christmas ornaments, decor
Meg Prata  Sterling, brass jewelry with semi precious stones
Bob Bongard  Architectual pen drawings
Harvey Wilson  Water colors
Elizabeth Waugh Photography

Hours: Sat: 1-8 Sun: 10-6

2. HOLIDAY MARKET AT THE CANDY FACTORY

Holiday Flyer

This building is my most favorite stop yearly on the SONYA stroll.  It's an intriguing labyrinth filled with artist studios and lots of great talent.  I had no idea the space had a name, so stay tuned in the New Year for more information.

Info: 124 Washington Ave between Myrtle and Park

Update: Hours are 12-7

There will be handmade goods including, jewelry, hand knits, bags, clothing, lighting, art, glass ornaments, and more. There will also be great holiday food and an art auction.

Five+ Local Gift Suggestions

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It's been a crazed December in the CHB household, so I didn't have the time I would have liked to spend a day or two browsing all sorts of neighborhood shops to look for local stocking stuffers.  (Last year's guide is probably still relevant, if you want to check it out.) Here are a few quick picks for this year's shopping.  It is by no means complete or comprehensive.

1. Root Stock & Quade Aunt Sadie's Candles (one potential scent: Pine Tree in a Can): $23 Birdhouses (wooden or ceramic, various sizes): $32-52

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2. Outpost Lounge A pound of coffee beans (specifically the RING OF FIRE house blend)for the holidays: $10/lb

And while you're there picking up some coffee beans, Outpost is offering $1 off all regular priced glasses of wine each day after 5pm as part of Shop Brooklyn! (until Dec 24)

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3. Green in Brooklyn SodaStream Soda Makers: Jet Starter Kit: $110 / Penguin Starter Kit: $250 (This one's a bank-breaker, but how cool would it be to make your own soda!  They have plenty of inexpensive items, too, plus a killer selection of greeting cards.) sodastream seltzer starter kit

4. RePop Assorted vintage elf ornaments: $10-$12 (These make a wonderful tree trimming gift, and will remind people, hopefully fondly, of childhood Xmases.)

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5.  Gnarley Vines Gnarly 2009 Everyday Super Value Six-Pack: $45.90 (That's less than $10 a bottle, folks!  Give them all to one loved one, or create six separate gifts!)

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Bad with the wrapping?  Let the brand new Gradys Collective Market wrap it for you. Make an appointment (gradysbk@gmail.com). Pricing is as follows:

$5.00 - per present General examples: CD’s, Novel Books, Jewelry, Box of Chocolates, iPod, Desktop Calendar, Watch, etc. For small presents, we offer custom designed & printed wrapping paper for an additional $2 per gift.. $7.00 - per present General examples: Shirt Size Boxes, Journals, Medium Sized Hard Bound Books, Small Board Games, Wall Calendars etc. +2.00 All odd shaped items (small, medium, and large), will incur an additional $2 fee per item. $9.00 - per present General examples: Large Clothes Boxes, Shoe Boxes, Medium Kitchen Appliances (blender, coffee maker, and so forth), Tabloid Calendars - 11X17, etc.

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I really wanted to focus on Fulton this year to celebrate FAB, but with back to back holiday events this week I couldn't make it.  Look for a special Fulton shopping feature in 2010!

Coat Drive for Kids

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This just in from Tish James' office.  A great program, and major props to Bridge Cleaners & Tailors who cleans all donations free of charge!  That's what I call holiday spirit. ***

Bridge Cleaners and Council Member Letitia James partner to collect coats for the needy - this holiday season and into the winter of 2010

(Brooklyn, Dec. 7, 2009) - This week, Bridge Cleaners & Tailors will kick off the National Cleaners Association’s annual “Coats for Kids” drive.  The mission of Coats for Kids is simple - anyone in need of a coat will have one.  Bridge Cleaners & Tailors, a premiere dry cleaner located in downtown Brooklyn is accepting gently used kid, adult and baby sized winter coats from December 7, 2009 – January 31, 2010.  This will start Coats for Kids 25th year of service.  Coats collected will be donated to the Brooklyn Bureau of Community Services.

“I collect coats for kids year-round and clean and repair them before they’re donated to agencies and schools for distribution.  I will also clean the garments of anyone who’s going on a job interview as part of a National Cleaners Association program,” said Victoria Aviles, owner of Bridge Cleaners & Tailors.

Donations will be accepted at Bridge Cleaners & Tailors located at 204 Livingston Street, along with other locations around Brooklyn, including the office of Council Member Letitia James - located at 67 Hanson Place at the corner of South Elliott Place.

Since the program began in 1984, Bridge Cleaners & Tailor’s has collected, cleaned free of charge, and distributed thousands of winter coats to men, women and children who would otherwise be without one.  This program receives invaluable support from collection, promotional, supporting and distribution partners, as well as individuals.

“The Coats for Kids drive is a program that I am honored to be involved with this winter.  I plan to clean out my own closet and donate coats, as well as to encourage the community to do the same as we start a brand new year.  Let’s keep one another warm during the cold weather season through our generosity,” said Council Member James.

For additional information, please call Richard Aviles at Bridge Cleaners & Tailors - (718) 625-1438, or visit www.bridgecleaners.com.

When:  December 7, 2009 through January 31, 2010 What:  “Coats for Kids” Drive with Bridge Cleaners Where:  District Office of Council Member Letitia James, 67 Hanson Place, ground floor (corner of South Elliott Place)

It's "FAB" to Shop on Fulton

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And yet another reason to shop locally!  The new Fulton BID (known as the FAB Alliance) just sent me some very convincing reasons to shop on Fulton this month. The new FAB Alliance is giving away 4 FREE TICKETS to a performance of the "Christmas Spectacular" at Radio City Music Hall - featuring the Rockettes! All people have to do is to go into a participating SHOP BROOKLYN businesses along Fulton Street (and parts of Lafayette, Greene and Putnam Avenues) in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, fill out an entry form and drop it in the box. You can enter to win at as many businesses that have the raffle box as you want (but you can only complete one entry per person at each business). No purchase necessary and all that stuff. Complete rules are on the entry forms. Tickets donated by the local branch of Capital One Bank, 858 Fulton Street (@ Clinton Avenue). The drawing will be December 17, 2009, and the tickets are for the 8:00pm performance on December 23, 2009. You can enter to win at the local Capital One branch and at any of the participating Fulton Street SHOP BROOKLYN businesses (see flyer attached) - there are nearly 50! Shop Brooklyn is a program of Borough President Marty Markowitz designed to encourage people to shop locally during the holiday season (and all year long!). Each of the businesses is offering a special "Brooklyn Bonus" through Christmas… Free desserts with dinner... drink deals.... discounts on clothing... gift cards... drawings for free books... spa upgrades... eye exams... and even discounted therapy sessions. The variety of businesses on Fulton Street is amazing, and if you haven't explored the entire strip in a while, you have a lot to discover. Check out the list of businesses attached and what they are offering... and enter to win those free tickets to Radio City.

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Help PACC Win $25,000

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Pratt Area Community Council, working in the neighborhood for 45 years, needs our help in voting for them in the Chase Community Giving Challenge! Chase Community Giving is awarding $25,000 to the 100 nonprofits receiving the most votes from their supporters on Facebook. And, if PACC is in the top 100 when voting closes on December 11th, they will then compete for a $1 million award. Help PACC make the top 100! Take these three simple steps at Chase Community Giving:

1. Sign-up 2. Vote for PACC by TOMORROW, Dec. 11th 3. Share with your friends! Yep, It's that simple!

Want to see what PACC has been up to this year?  Check out the PACC 2009 Documentary on YouTube!

The PACC 2009 movie gives you a rundown of what we've done in the past two years. Click here to view it on PACC11205, our Community, Diversity, Development  YouTube Channel.

In the Blogs

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Let's take a look at what the other local blogs are chatting about:

  • Diamante's cigar bar is open on South Portland, and it's pretty cool [The Real Fort Greene] (a coworker confirms the coolness and described it as "chill" and the crowd "diverse")
  • Where do local vendors' Xmas trees come from? [The Local]
  • 75 Grand Ave hits the market [Brownstoner]
  • Are the Smoke Joint owners looking to expand their empire? [The Real Fort Greene]

A Gym on Myrtle?

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464_E The retail space on the ground floor of the Absolute on Myrtle is mighty large.  A source told me that a gym might be interested in the space.

Thoughts?  Do you want a chain gym, or a local gym?

Personally, I'm cool with the Bed-Stuy Y, although it's become about 100xs more crowded this year.  And I'm not surprised, given the affordable pricing and the nice facilities (although I do wish they would separate the cardio machines from the weight machines, which are cramped in so tightly that it's hard to move around when people are using the machines!).

I hope it's not a NYSC, which I found to be way overpriced (at least last time I was a member).  It would be nice to have an option closer than the Y or the Crunch (which I hear is also super crowded).

Lunchtime With Tillie: Black Iris

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lwtblackiris-tillie Hello out there, neighborhood. It’s Van, and I just want to say this about Tillie: She sure is a saucy kind of gal!

I mean, really – ketchup, marinara, spicy mayo, you name it. Now, I can add tahini sauce to the list as I discovered when we went to Middle Eastern restaurant Black Iris on Dekalb and Clermont for our latest lunch date. And it’s a good thing the tahini sauce was there or I don’t know what she would’ve eaten!

Our day had gone like any other dad-and-daughter day: a little playground action, some block stacking, we even made it out to the library for story time.

When we got home, I put her down for a nap and around when I expected her to wake up, I started packing up a bib, towel, little spoon and some food for her to take with us. A couple of times recently, I’ve gone out without any backup food, but having never been to Black Iris, I didn’t know what to expect for myself, much less her. Tillie’s mom and I make dishes for her that we pack up and freeze into little containers, and on the menu this time was some mashed potatoes with a little ground-up hamburger patty and carrots all mixed together. She didn’t eat it the day before, but I thought I’d give it another shot.

So after her nap, we got down to Black Iris and it was a pretty tight fit going in, as they had the tiniest outer door entrances I’ve ever seen. Then when we got in, we were hit by this blast of hot air – like really, really hot. Two tough things to handle and we just walked in the place!

The restaurant had a crowd for a late afternoon, but we were able to get a seat at a table by the window. I set Tillie up in her high chair and the waiter came with a glass of water for me and a cup with a straw for her. Water is still an old Tillie fave, so I took the straw and gave her some sips. Also, she seemed to be in a cheerful mood, which was indicated by her dancing to the music pumping out of the speakers!

As I was looking at the menu, I had the notion of getting a couple of falafels for her to try. To me, it seemed like it would be right up her alley. Who doesn’t like fried ground-up chickpeas? I was torn between the chicken kebab and merguez platters, but decided to go with the merguez.

While we were waiting, I decided to try to feed Tillie the little meal I packed up. Upon opening it, I was a little taken aback by the smell of it, which, just so we’re under no illusions, was not particularly appetizing. I took a bite of it and it tasted fine to me, despite the scent, and tried to sell Tillie on it with a big smile on my face and a “Yum!” thrown in for added measure. I gave her a tiny bite and just like the day before, it came right back out. I guess we can call that dish of mine a failure!

The falafels came out soon and I took a little pinch just to make sure there wasn’t any crazy spicy seasoning going on. It was good to me, so I gave her a little piece dipped in the tahini sauce as I know she’s big on the condiments. She licked the sauce off, but didn’t try the falafel at all. And when I tried to give her the falafel again, it was no dice. Uh-oh, what do I do now? That’s two of my meal options for her already rejected, and my food hadn’t even arrived yet!

Good thing I’ve learned to be a little quick on my feet over the course of our LWT excursions. The falafels came with a little lettuce and tomato, and as she’s usually a fan of tomatoes, I gave her a piece. She ate it, but then I decided to jazz it up for her with the next piece dipped in tahini sauce. And ladies and gentlemen, we had a winner! That woke up her taste buds and she was clamoring for more.

My food arrived in the midst of the feeding frenzy: a huge plate of rice topped with the merguez and a big salad on the side. I took a bite of the sausage and it was very flavorful, with a nice spiciness to it. I was going to keep it away from Tillie, but I gave her some of the rice that was underneath it. She had a bite, but wasn’t that into it. However, when I took some rice and put it on a little plate, then mixed up some tahini sauce in it … ding, ding, ding! Another winner! Man, I was racking up the “awesome dad” points!

As she was in an eating groove, I wanted to see if I could keep the good times rolling. This time, I gave her some of my pita – dipped in tahini sauce, of course. It wasn’t as successful as the tomatoes and rice, but she still ate some of it. I was so focused on feeding her that I barely paid attention to my own meal. I finished most of it, and it was tasty, but as far as savoring every bite goes, I didn’t get to do that. No biggie at all, though: I’ve had plenty of meals in my lifetime compared to Tillie!

So after all the eating was said and done, I got the check, which was really reasonable at $13, considering I had a huge platter of food and the extra falafels at the start. I would go back there again, for sure, especially with the staff being so nice and the place so accommodating – once you made it in the tight squeeze at the door and walked past the hot kitchen area, that is! As a matter of fact, we went there to pick up a couple of falafel sandwiches the next day – and Tillie ate the falafels this time. I had to douse them in tahini sauce, but hey! Whatever works!