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December 4, 2008

What's the Oldest Business in Park Slope?

neergard-1208.jpgIf your answer was prostitution, you're not the only one. This Brooklynian thread tries to chart out the nabe's oldest retail spot. The contenders: Pinchik Hardware on Flatbush, rumored to have been here since the 40s; Smiling Pizza (since the 70s, maybe?); and Neergard Pharmacy's 5th Avenue locale, which seems to have opened in the late 1800s. Jackie's 5th Amendment? Aunt Suzie's? Tarzian? Other ideas?
Photo by jeremoss.




Posted by lisa at 10:45 AM | Comments (42)
Categories: Park Slope, Retail

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Comments

I vote for Jackie's. Most of the original clientele are still there.

Posted by: SnarkSlope at December 4, 2008 10:48 AM


It's PINTCHIK. Where the service staff makes the Post Office seem friendly and efficient.

Posted by: East New York at December 4, 2008 10:55 AM

Aunt Suzie's was owned by Irene Lo Re who is a former chair of CB6. I think it was opened in the 90s so that would take it out of the running.

Posted by: gowanusdog at December 4, 2008 11:01 AM

Caffe Florian on St. Mark's Plaza in Venice opened in 1720. Kinda puts things into perpective. Americans are so ridiculous when it comes to these historic comparisons.

Best

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 11:08 AM

"If your answer was prostitution, you're not the only one."

Love Lane, Brooklyn Heights.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 4, 2008 11:11 AM

pintchik is ok. there are a couple of surly guys, but i always get whatever help i need.

Posted by: z at December 4, 2008 11:12 AM

Oh come on, for pete's sake, DIBS, we all know you are so much wealthier, so much smarter, better educated and so much more worldly-wise than the rest of us mere mortals on this board. Do you ever give it a rest?

Neergaard is my vote.

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 11:12 AM

There isn't even a question, I don't think...it's Neergaard.

Posted by: 11217 at December 4, 2008 11:16 AM

cobblehiller...If I gave it a rest then you wouldn't have much to post about :)

What's the oldest bar???

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 11:18 AM

"Do you ever give it a rest?"

Better yet, what on EARTH did he do before Brownstoner came along?

Posted by: East New York at December 4, 2008 11:34 AM

I led a normal sane life just like the rest of the world that is not on brownstoner.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 11:41 AM

"I led a normal sane life"

Past tense.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 4, 2008 11:47 AM

WOW...Look who is pointing out verb conjugation. Why it's BRG!!! Conjugation has nothing to do with an overnight stay while you're in the HOD.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 11:55 AM

"I led a normal sane life just like the rest of the world that is not on brownstoner."

http://www.irwincorey.org/images/aut_sm.jpg

Posted by: East New York at December 4, 2008 12:06 PM

I guess we aren't extending the boundaries west to include Monte's. The dry cleaners on 9th St./6th Ave have been in business continuously since at least the early 60s, I believe. Viejo Yayo on north end of 5th Ave looked old when I moved here in '85. Also, Leopoldi's is a bit of an institution.

Posted by: slopefarm at December 4, 2008 12:12 PM

I guess we aren't extending the boundaries west to include Monte's. The dry cleaners on 9th St./6th Ave have been in business continuously since at least the early 60s, I believe. Viejo Yayo on north end of 5th Ave looked old when I moved here in '85. Also, Leopoldi's is a bit of an institution.

Posted by: slopefarm at December 4, 2008 12:12 PM

Slope...

I guess not.
I guess not.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 4, 2008 12:18 PM

Monte's opened in 1906.

And this from the Neergaard website: The 5th Avenue location was established in 1888

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 12:26 PM

I was just telling my husband that Smiley's has been around as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, I can't remember anything before 1980.

Posted by: rh at December 4, 2008 12:42 PM

Sorry, who is Smiley? I meant Smiling.

Posted by: rh at December 4, 2008 12:43 PM

Sorry, BRG, I am new to the site and still trying to get the hang of it.

Posted by: slopefarm at December 4, 2008 12:45 PM

"If your answer was prostitution, you're not the only one."...what, me a prostitute?

"If your answer was prostitution, yours is not the only one."

Posted by: cmu at December 4, 2008 12:48 PM

Manhattan Special Coffee Soda since 1895.
Brooklyn Casket Company Date unknown.

Posted by: ou812 at December 4, 2008 12:48 PM

Simply put, DIBS prolly is under the common misnomer here that his ttl equity value is a function how much time loitered on Brownstoner site.

Posted by: newbie12222 at December 4, 2008 12:54 PM

"Sorry, BRG, I am new to the site and still trying to get the hang of it."

me too!

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 4, 2008 12:55 PM

i posted but it never showed up....

theres a barber shop on 6th street and 7th ave that says "est 1901" on the sign. not sure if its true tho.

also O'Connor's

Posted by: Santa at December 4, 2008 12:56 PM

South Brooklyn Casket Company - 1931

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 12:56 PM

Still Neergaard at 1888.

Posted by: 11217 at December 4, 2008 12:59 PM

Purity Diner has been around since the '50s. They did a lousy renovation in the late '80s.

Posted by: buttermilk channel at December 4, 2008 12:59 PM

"Conjugation has nothing to do with an overnight stay while you're in the HOD."

Wow...look who's pointing out about overnight stays. I realize that you can be done in a HOD within minutes.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 4, 2008 1:03 PM

It's certainly not Aunt Suzie's, which wasn't open in 1986 when I moved here.

Posted by: mscrochety at December 4, 2008 1:47 PM

cmu, dear, Were you an english teacher or a writer, or is this just a fetish of yours?

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 1:48 PM

Just a fetish, dear. I usually only comment on the its/it's screwup. But this one tickled my fancy.

Posted by: cmu at December 4, 2008 1:58 PM

Thank you, that's what I thought! ; )

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 1:59 PM

I have a bigger probelem with the there/they're/their screwups. And then there is the What.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 2:06 PM

And a prblem with probelem :)

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 2:12 PM

Problem, problem problem...I'm writing it on the board 100 x now.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 4, 2008 2:12 PM

Ah, thank you, you beat me to it...

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 2:16 PM

DIBS....um, their's a problem.

Posted by: bayridgegirl at December 4, 2008 2:32 PM

Established in 1861, BAM is America's oldest performing arts center in continuous operation.

Posted by: ou812 at December 4, 2008 4:07 PM

Good one ou812!

Posted by: cobblehiller at December 4, 2008 4:18 PM

I will stick to Seventh Avenue.
When I moved to Seventh avenue, the vegetable store on 7th between 7th and 8th had been in operation since the 1900s. This closaed and became a comics store. Forgot what is there now. The Coach Inn has been there a long time.
There used to be a bar on almost every corner on Seventh Avenue.
Bryan P Gay Realty has been there for ages and ages. It has a new co owner now. The pizza place nearby is very old too. But I hate that place.The dry cleaner on 7th Ave btn. 2nd and 3rd St. is very old too. So us Tarzian's original store.
Purity Diner moved but it was locaated on the corner of Union St. for years and years.
The Clover Barber shop on ?13th St. and 7th Ave is there for a really long time. It is only open occasionally now.

A lot of businesses opened on 7th Ave during the early to mid 70s and some are still there in some way shape or form. Little Things is one. It ewas a tiny store on Lincoln Place off 7th then moved to a store on 7th btn. Garfield & Carroll (there is a hairdresser there noe I think, you have to go up a few steps), then to a larger store across the street (where Starbucks is now). They closed that but kept their toy store across the street, open and it is still there. The original store waas great and I miss it a lot. City Casuals used to sell hippie clothes, changed its name and became a shoe place. It has been there from the early to mid 70s. The Clay Pot has been there in the same store since the early 70s. Cousin John's has gone thru a series of owners and name changes but it opened as One Smart Cookie in the 70s. The Szechuan restaurant near Key Food has been there even longer than Back to the Land which took over several store fronts next to it. Both from the early 70s.

Posted by: windsorpalace at July 8, 2009 4:44 PM

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