Closing Bell: 5th Ave. Botanica Torching Still a Mystery

PArk Slope is unsafe. And the slumlords make it worse. Why would anyone want to live there?

Posted by: guest at January 14, 2008 9:30 PM

Nice try, 9:30.

Posted by: guest at January 14, 2008 9:39 PM

I hope this creates a dramatic drop in property values, as it should. Park Slope is dirty, unsafe, dangerous, arson-prone. Property values should definitely plummet soon--then, I'll swoop in and finally buy myself one of those brownstones.

Posted by: guest at January 14, 2008 11:48 PM

The other building that burned down (if you want to see pictures of the 20-foot flames that were shooting out of the roof, the hardware store next to the insanely-snobby bike shop across 5th has them taped to the front counter) is on the northeast corner of Park Place and 5th Ave. It was a Chinese restaurant, but didn't seem to be doing a lot of business. Yeah, insurance seems to be a good bet. As well as getting rid of rent-stabilized/controlled tenants upstairs. Especially since that particular fire was at 3 a.m.

The neighborhood gossip on the Botanica fire was that someone tried to hold the storeowner up (for what? his spare change?) and when they didn't get what they wanted, they came back and threw a molotov cocktail in the store. I can't really think of a less likely scenario. If you wanted to hold a store up, wouldn't you choose one that didn't feature crinkled aluminium foil as a main feature of its window display?

And that's coming from someone who really enjoyed their window display. I mean, how many places are there on earth where you can see 9-inch plaster statues of the Virgin Mary, Quetzlcoatl, the Buddha and Sitting Bull all in the same place, all in the same defiant, shaking-their-fist-at-the-heavens pose? It was a cool place.

Posted by: guest at January 15, 2008 12:01 AM

Yeah, 12:01 what IS the deal with that bike shop? Went in there to pay READY MONEY to buy my kid a bike helmet and basically had to ask fifteen times to get someone to help me out. I guess if you're not one of those ridiculous costume wearing "serious" bikers, who needs you?

Must be all the testosterone they inject.

Posted by: guest at January 15, 2008 9:40 AM

"insanely-snobby bike shop across 5th"

Isn't it though? The biggest bunch of jerks ever. They have a great shop full of good merchandise but I refuse to go in there anyomore because their attitude sucks.

Posted by: guest at January 15, 2008 10:41 AM

I used to live above Los Pollitos II on Douglas and 5th and that place (Botanica, not the bike shop) did zero business. I don't think this was a robbery. Sounds insurance-related.

Posted by: guest at January 15, 2008 11:01 AM

Is my compass wrong or were both the chinese food place and the botanica on the West side of 5th?

Posted by: guest at January 15, 2008 12:47 PM

Um duh, this was clearly an insurance fire with the owner now MIA. Get real people.

Posted by: guest at January 15, 2008 1:51 PM

A Brownstown owned by a long time resident in clinton hill also burned at 384 vanderbilt, I heard it was arson.

Posted by: guest at January 15, 2008 3:35 PM

Has anyone seen the owners yet?

Posted by: guest at January 28, 2008 9:26 PM

Has the store re-opened. Really miss them. 10-30-65

Posted by: guest at April 5, 2008 9:05 PM