Night of the Cookers Closing Driven by Lifestyle and Money, Not Gentrification, Says Owner

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    The closing of an African-American-owned eatery on Fulton Street in Fort Greene after over a dozen years in business may look like another example of gentrification rolling through the diverse neighborhood but it’s really a simple lifestyle choice, according to an article today on the NY Times’ Local blog. Night of the Cookers has taken up double-wide storefront at 767 Fulton Street since 1999. Its founder, Phil Myers, was also smart enough to buy the building and now, he says, he’s reached a point where he’s ready to just kick back and collect the rent from Greene Grape Provisions, which will be moving from its smaller current location down the block. “It’s a good time to lease out,” said Myers. “I don’t want the headaches of a really busy bar.” And given how booming the commercial stretch is these days is bound to be high. “Down goes another one the establishments that made Fort Greene distinctive from other gentrified areas of the borough,” said one commenter on The Local. “The neighborhood is changing for the better,” said Mr. Myers. “Greene Grape is more representative of the neighborhood now.”

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