Ricky's for Flatbush (And Then Bergen!)
Not long after our hand-wringing over the number of empty storefronts on Flatbush Avenue, comes this exciting news: In late September Ricky’s will be opening up a pop-up costume shop in time for Halloween at the corner of Flatbush and Bergen. But the local chain store’s plans for the area are more than temporary: We’re…
Not long after our hand-wringing over the number of empty storefronts on Flatbush Avenue, comes this exciting news: In late September Ricky’s will be opening up a pop-up costume shop in time for Halloween at the corner of Flatbush and Bergen. But the local chain store’s plans for the area are more than temporary: We’re told that in the early fall, they will be setting up a permanent location at 478 Bergen Street (pictured), right under the Pintchik sign. GMAP
Ricky’s is great. It’s also a local NYC business – apparently, the family that runs it used to run the Love drugstores that I, um, loved when I was a kid, that were edged out by the big national chains like CVS and RiteAid. Ricky’s has a great house line of makeup that’s much better than anything you’d find in any other drugstore or so-called “real” beauty supply place, especially if you’re a performer of any sort and need stage makeup. They also stock a very wide variety of excellent body care products, and other assorted stuff. They’re also a lot more fun to shop in than a dreary Duane Reade or Walgreens, or, god forbid, again, a “real” beauty supply store. I don’t work for them, I swear – I just really like them.
As for the aforementioned “real beauty supply stores”, those places sell very cruddy cosmetics. I’ve never found stage-worthy makeup there, nor indeed very much that wasn’t made out of nasty chemicals and smelly cheap ingredients, with poor pigments. They’re good for some things, sure. But there’s room for everyone.
And, you know, if you’re not the target market, do you really know what people need from a beauty supply store? If you no play-a da game, you no make-a da rules! 🙂
The family that owns Pintchik owns lots of the empty stores on Flatbush.
They hold out for the big bucks and love crappy chain stores that pay big rents.
“a pop-up costume shop”
Doesn’t sound like a long-term business model for this area, but time will tell.
ya know some guys actually _like_ kinky curls.
perhaps now with this and with how nice bergen is looking, the pintchiks wil do something about the garish signage and the run-down facade of the building that actually has their name on it. i get that there is a certain aesthetic that sometimes is associated with hardware stores, but given that the hardware store is now a tiny slice of that corner, it doesn’t seem necessary. and just detracts from the other stuff they’ve done so well.
11217 – i am VERY curious to know what’s going next to Taro Sushi. update us when you know!!
“i was always amused there was one on montague street in brooklyn heights.”
I didn’t realize there was a Ricky’s in Bklyn Heights. Then again I never considered BH a nabe with cool stores.
Not to mention all over Flatbush Ave in PLG (beauty supply, not porn).
ha, sorry for my last comment, that was kinda rude 🙂 no but seriously, they are everywhere you just have to open your eyes.
*rob*
quote:
*rob* please locate a beauty supply store or porno store within walking distance of PS. I’ll happily check it out.
uh, there’s a bunch of real deal beauty supply shops in downtown brooklyn near the atlantic mall and a bunch all along 5th avenue south of 9th street. for porno shops there’s a whole district on 3rd avenue in the 20’s.
if that’s not walking distance for you, perhaps you should focus less on makeup and more on a gym membership.
*rob*