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Closing Bell: Sweetheart’s Flea
This weekend, shop the Brooklyn Flea for your sweetheart! Here’s a list of romantic gift ideas and a larger list of all our vendors. This Flea runs Saturday + Sunday at Skylight One Hanson, right across the street from Atlantic Terminal. Then on Sundays we host SmorgasbBrewery, a mini Smorgasburg with rotating food vendors selling at the Brooklyn Brewery’s tasting room. That’s at 79 North 11th Street in Williamsburg. A map and directions to both spots live here. The Flea runs from 10am to 5pm, SmorgasBrewery from noon to 5pm.
Photo by xbettyx
02/10/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Sh!t Park Slope Parents Say
Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the end. — Sid Caesar
02/09/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Is Park Slope Dead?
Yesterday the New Yorker published a short piece on the death of Slope music venue Southpaw, titled “Park Slope is Dead.” The venue will be replaced by a “children’s enrichment center.” Co-owner of Southpaw Matt Roff called the closing a part of “the nature of the beast,” saying, “This is just how it goes.” On a related note, the Park Slope Civic Council compiled a retail roundup for 2011, and it turns out more than 50 small businesses closed in the neighborhood over the last 12 months, including old-timers like Aunt Suzie’s and Leaf and Bean. The vacancy rate on Flatbush Avenue also grew to 12% as rents rose in anticipation of the Barclays Center, although the Flatbush Avenue BID is working with property owners to fill vacancies and hopes to have a 6% vacancy rate or less by the end of 2012.
Park Slope is Dead [New Yorker]
The State of Shopping Local [PSCC]
Photo of Southpaw by ekonon
02/07/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Pretty in PLG
Inspired, perhaps, by the topic of affordable nabes, The Wall Street Journal this weekend served up a heaping plate of love for Prospect Lefferts Gardens. The area’s incredible architecture is unlikely to come as news to regular Brownstoner readers but it’s always fun to get the demographic analysis. “It’s drawing a big segment of younger people priced out of other locations,” said BHS broker and 24-year-resident Bill Sheppard. “It’s your classic New York melting pot.” And with houses ranging from $900,000 to $1,500,000, “People are just blown away by the space that they can afford over there,” says Lee Solomon, another Brown Harris Stevens broker who recently had one of the pricy Midwood Street listings (all of which are referenced in this post).
Secret Is Out in Prospect Lefferts Gardens [WSJ]
Photo by nrv lowdown
02/06/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Super SmorgasBrewery
This Sunday, come pre-game (and pre-nosh) at SmorgasBrewery, the mini Smorg featuring a rotating cast of food vendors in the Brooklyn Brewery tasting room. This week you’ll find Commerce Bakery, Danny Macaroons, Noshi and Solber Pupusas at 79 North 11th St., between Wythe and Berry, from noon to 5pm. Then both Saturday and Sunday we’re at our regular One Hanson location for the Brooklyn Flea, here’s a sneak peak of the kinds of stuff waiting to be found at the Flea! And here’s a full vendor list. Map and directions to both locations live here. The Flea runs from 10am to 5pm and is always free.
Photo by J’adore Lava Fat
02/03/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Reading the Brooklyn Nabe Reports
Just about a week ago the Center for the Study of Brooklyn at Brooklyn College launched the first-ever “Brooklyn Neighborhood Reports,” more than 600 pages in 19 reports for each of Brooklyn’s 18 Community Districts, plus a report for all of Brooklyn. The reports compile data on demographics, youth and education, economy, housing, environment, health, public safety, arts and culture, and civic engagement. The info’s all very comprehensive, outlining issues as general as race/gender/age makeup and as specific as the level of binge drinking and cigarette smoking in each Community District. Here are some interesting facts from the report of the entire borough: there are 134.5 miles of bike lanes in Brooklyn compared to 1,844.1 miles of street; in 2011, 2.1 pounds of garbage and recyclables were collected per person per day; and since 1990 there has been a 24.8% increase in median gross rent. For all the reports, go here. Pretty interesting stuff.
Brooklyn Neighborhood Reports [Center for the Study of Brooklyn]
02/01/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: desigNYC Pairs Projects with Professionals
Today the NYC-based non-profit desigNYC announced 16 winners for its “Recharging Communities” projects, which pairs nonprofits serving the public good with civic-minded design professionals who share their expertise on a pro bono basis. The design professionals are from a mix of architecture, landscape, interiors, communication, interactive and service design disciplines and will work with the nonprofits throughout the year. Winners from Brooklyn include Compost for Brooklyn, Fort Greene Strategic Neighborhood Action (SNAP), Gowanus Canal Conservancy and Fulton Area Business Alliance. The FAB Alliance (their work on the Triangle parks is pictured) is working on a a master plan for public spaces on Fulton Street to develop vacant lots and create attractive public spaces for retailers and shoppers. You can read about all the winners here.
01/31/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Another Flea Weekend
The Brooklyn Flea returns this weekend to Skylight One Hanson with clothing, antiques, food, jewelry, and more. (Here’s a list of all our vendors.) Then on Sunday check out SmorgasBrewery, a mini-Smorgasburg held at the Brooklyn Brewery, 79 North 11th Street. A map and direction to both places live here. The Flea runs Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm and SmorgasBrewery runs Sunday from noon to 5pm.
Photo by side1track2
01/27/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Scouting NY Goes to Floyd Bennet Field
A couple days ago Scouting New York posted a fantastic photo essay exploring the Floyd Bennett Field, NYC’s first-ever airport on the southern end of Brooklyn. The essay is full of historical photographs, arial views, and shots of the many abandoned buildings still on site. There’s also a great shot inside Hanger B, a building home to a volunteer aircraft restoration program and often open to the public. His suggestion: “As soon as the days start getting warmer, pick a Saturday, pack a lunch, get a bike, and head out to Floyd Bennett. BUT DON’T PLAN A ROUTE!! Instead, feel your way to FBF. Starting from, say, the Brooklyn Bridge, your goal should simply be to head South and East. Try to resist checking your map as much as possible.” Sounds good to us!
Exploring New York City’s Ghost Airport – A Trip To Floyd Bennet Field [Scouting NY]
01/26/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Exhibit Opens for Church Ave Mural Contest
Last week an exhibit opened for the Church Avenue BID’s Uncover Church Avenue program. The program will culminate with the installation of murals on commercial gates along Church between Argyle Road and Coney Island Avenue this spring. The exhibit, which is on display at the Flatbush branch of the Brooklyn Public Library through February 24th, showcases design proposals for the gates. The proposals are being voted on by community members. The BID says the goal of the program is to “encourage the development of vibrant commercial activity along a stretch of Church Avenue with the most abundant vacancies.”
Uncover Church Ave [Official Site]
A Mural Contest to Beautify Church Avenue [Brownstoner]
Photos courtesy of the Church Avenue BID
01/23/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: The Winter Flea
This weekend the Brooklyn Flea is back at Skylight One Hanson. Inside the warm and impressive interior there are tons of art, clothing, antique, food and jewelry vendors. Here’s an idea of what you’ll find. Then, on Sunday in Williamsburg, check out SmorgasBrewery, a mini-Smorgasburg featuring a rotating cast of five Flea/Smorg food vendors serving inside the Brooklyn Brewery’s Tasting Room on North 11th St. That runs from noon to 5pm, while the Flea runs from 10am to 5pm. A map and directions to both One Hanson and the Brooklyn Brewery are here.
Photo by greenelent
01/20/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Nominate Your Brooklyn Buildings
The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the 2012 Building Brooklyn Awards and will hold a ceremony for the winners this July. Buildings will be judged on “design excellence and innovation, economic impact, sustainability, urban context/design, contribution to neighborhood, and the most important but least definable quality, ‘Brooklyn-ness.’” So if you know a building that screams “Brooklyn,” nomiate it here. Nominations will be accepted until Thursday, March 8th, 2012. Here are last year’s winners; Newtown Creek (pictured) won as a civic and institutional building.
01/19/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Waterfront Park Planned for Columbia Street
Tomorrow night the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and Regional Plan Association are having a meeting about the public park planned for Columbia Street between Degraw and Kane streets. Preliminary renderings are going to be released, and judging from the one above, a dog run might be in the mix. Work can begin on the park once the Van Brunt Street reconstruction and the Gowanus Flushing Tunnel construction are complete, which is probably still a couple of years away. The meeting is taking place tomorrow night at the Union Street Star Theater, 101 Union Street, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. More info and how to RSVP here.
Columbia Waterfront Park Report-Back Meeting [BGI]
Columbia Waterfront Park Meeting 1/18 [Cobble Hill Association via McBrooklyn]
01/17/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Sound Off on 7th Avenue
The Park Slope Chamber of Commerce is running an online survey about 7th Avenue to gather opinions from residents about what is and isn’t working on the commercial strip. You can fill one out here.
7th Avenue Survey [PSCC]
01/16/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Cozy Up At the Brooklyn Flea
The weather’s getting colder so come visit the very warm, very beautiful indoor location of the Brooklyn Flea Saturday and Sunday. We’re at Skylight One Hanson with classic records, chocolate fig croissants and waffels. (Not to mention all our regular vendors.) Then on Sunday there’s SmorgasBrewery, a mini-Smorgasburg with five food vendors selling at the Brooklyn Brewery’s tasting room. That’s from 12pm to 5pm at 79 N. 11th Street. The Flea runs from 10am to 5pm. A map and directions to both spots is here.
Photo by JsynX
01/13/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Celebrating Bay Ridge, Victorian Flatbush
The Historic Districts Council has released its list of “6 to Celebrate” for 2012, the preservation group’s annual program that identifies six neighborhoods “that merit preservation as priorities for HDC’s advocacy and consultation over a yearlong period.” Last year’s list included Gowanus and Bedford-Stuyvesant. Here’s the HDC’s writeup about Bay Ridge: “Elegant rowhouses, Victorian-era mansions and pre-war apartment buildings combine with parks, vibrant commercial streets and impressive institutional buildings to make Bay Ridge a quintessential New York City neighborhood. For more than 30 years, the Bay Ridge Conservancy has been working to preserve and enhance the built environment of this architecturally and ethnically diverse area.” And this is what the organization has to say about Victorian Flatbush: “Located in the heart of Brooklyn, Victorian Flatbush is known for being the largest concentration of Victorian-era homes in the country. The area presently has five New York City Historic Districts, but the blocks in between them remain undesignated and unprotected despite architecture of the same vintage and style. Six local groups representing Beverly Square East, Beverly Square West, Caton Park, Ditmas Park West, South Midwood and West Midwood have joined together with the Flatbush Development Corporation to “complete the quilt” of city designation of their neighborhoods.”
6 to Celebrate 2012 [HDC]
Historic Districts Council Releases List of “Six to Celebrate” [Curbed]
01/12/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Safe in This Place
Tomorrow the Crow Hill Community Association is kicking off a theater and dialog project called “Safe in This Place.” The theater-based workshop series will last ten weeks and engage residents of northern Crown Heights, specifically around Franklin Avenue, in exploring the question: “What does it mean to be safe in this neighborhood?” There will be a final, public event in March “designed by participants to share what we’ve discovered and extend the dialogue to more people in our neighborhood.” The workshop is free and will be held Thursdays at Georgia’s Place, 691 Prospect Place. No theater experience is necessary! Email Julia at safeinthisplace@gmail.com for more info or visit the website.
01/11/2012 4:02 PM
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Closing Bell: Make Lafayette Avenue Safer
The Fort Greene Association is promoting the Make Lafayette Avenue Safer campaign in order to convince Community Board 2 to install traffic calming and bike lanes along Lafayette Avenue. The goals are to combat speeding, increase pedestrian safety and add an on-street bike lane. Other suggestions include a traffic light or stop sign at Willoughby and Washington Park, stopping the double parking at Lafayette and Fulton and shortening several of the crossing distances across the avenue. Go here to help out the campaign or sign the petition. The proposal will also be discussed at Community Board 2′s Transportation Committee meeting in January or February.
01/10/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Book Chronicles Bay Ridge History
A new book called “Bay Ridge, Etc.” looks at Bay Ridge’s history, largely through photographs. The book was written by journalist Ted General, Bay Ridge Historical Society President Jack LaTorre and Bay Ridge Historical Society President Emeritus Peter Scarpa. Here’s a description of the work: “In addition to historical notes about Bay Ridge, there are vintage and contemporary photos of this Southwest Brooklyn community which has often been described as, ‘One of the best small towns in America.’ The book also includes photos of area schools, houses of worship, restaurants, taverns, little known Bay Ridge mini-streets, Fort Hamilton, a small American Revolutionary Cemetery, community leaders and officials.” There’s going to be a book launch party on Thursday; info on the launch is here, and the Bay Ridge Historical Society’s site has contact information for ordering the book.
01/09/2012 4:00 PM
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Closing Bell: Flea’s Back from Winter Break
The Brooklyn Flea is back from its short holiday hiatus. Saturday and Sunday we’re at Skylight One Hanson with all your favorite vendors. And then Sunday, Smorgasbrewery resumes at the Brooklyn Brewery. From 12pm to 5pm, stop by 79 N. 11th Street to drink beer and eat pork, pies, candy and more. Admission to the brewery is free; the food and beer are not. The Flea is always free. A map and directions to both places live here.
Photo by JsynX
01/06/2012 4:00 PM
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montrosemorris
Feb 09, 2012 | 11:02 AM