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City’s Biggest Flea Market Coming to Coney?
Today The Daily News reports that a flea market is planned for Coney Island this year that’s claiming it will be New York’s biggest such market. While details about the venture are scant—its organizers wouldn’t answer a reporter’s questions, so it’s unclear, for example, where in Coney it would be set up—the event is being organized by management from the former Aqueduct Flea Market in South Ozone Park, which has been displaced from the Aqueduct’s parking lot. The flea market is going by the name “BK Festival,” and a teaser website for it says it will have a “festival style” and have a “free shuttle bus” for tourists. In other Coney Island news, The Eagle notes that the Wonder Wheel will open in mid-April.
Aqueduct Flea Vendors Eying Move to Coney Island [NY Daily News]
BK Festival [Official Site]
03/31/2011 9:30 AM
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Closing Bell: Country Living Hits Brooklyn
The map above is part of a Country Living feature called “Brooklyn’s Small-Town Charms.” Here’s part of the piece’s intro: “Today, Brooklyn still feels more heartland than Big Apple, with ribbon-worthy pie cafés hanging out shingles next to soda shops and general stores. To make navigating this supersized Mayberry manageable, we planned day trips around three of our favorite areas — Greenpoint and Williamsburg; Atlantic Avenue, Carroll Gardens, and Red Hook; and Prospect Park and Park Slope (highlighted on map) — then homed in on the best spots to shop, eat, and explore.” Brooklyn as a “supersized Mayberry”? OK.
Brooklyn’s Small-Town Charms [Country Living]
02/24/2011 4:00 PM
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Park Slope Food Co-Op Kicking Ass
Fresh off the news that the Greene Hill Food Co-Op signed its lease at 18-24 Putnam Avenue, Fortune takes a look at “the rise of the grocery co-op,” focusing specifically on the Park Slope location. The PSFC is the largest consumer-owned co-op by sales in the United States, raking in $39.4 million dollars (or $6,500 per square foot) last year. The reason for success and the big savings? Inventory based on customer demand, requiring all members to work at the store and only allowing members to shop, and a limited selection of items within a small store footprint. And while the article says competing grocery stores have brushed off the PSFC as a one-time success story, it also notes that 200 co-ops are currently in start-up mode. That’s the largest number since the 70s!
The Rise of the Grocery Store Co-Op [Fortune]
Photo by nancyscola
09/20/2010 10:01 AM
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StreetLevel: Yona Lee Vintage on 5th Ave is Open
Yona Lee, the latest vintage shop on 5th Avenue, is open for business. The owner of the store used to have an outpost in the East Village that she sold off a few years ago. According to a salesperson, the store primarily specializes in threads from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, with prices starting at around $25 for shirts. It’s between Sackett and Degraw.
5th Ave Transforming Into Vintage Row [Brownstoner] GMAP
01/08/2010 2:00 PM
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Tool of the Day: The Wovel
As if on cue, today’s snow is a perfect illustration for the use of the Snow Wovel. This ergonomic snow removal device is designed to eliminate stress of the back, and make snow removal easy and dare I say fun! Having one of these babies in Brooklyn will make you either the envy, or the laughingstock of your block, but have we ever cared what other people think? It is easy to assemble, folds up small for off-season storage, and the $120 price is cheaper than a doctor’s visit for throwing your back out. You could probably make the money back renting it to the neighbors, but you might want to Lojack it first. Watch the video on their website. I want one.
Wovel: World’s Safest Snow Shovel
12/31/2009 12:00 PM
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If I Had a Hammer, or a Soldering Iron…
When I was in high school, they wouldn’t let girls take Shop, or boys take Home Ecch. I blame the gender biased teaching of the 1970′s for my inability to successfully tinker with electronic and electrical doodads. Because if I could, I would have built one of these babies a long time ago. What better accoutrement for a Victorian home and office could one have? And don’t forget the keyboard. Steampunk is an interesting phenomenon, with some amazingly inventive people working in the genre. The possibilities for inventive transformations of modern technology are only as limited as the imagination. The site’s creator, Jake Von Slatt, shows how to build one of these, so get out those tools!
Photo: Jake Von Slatt/steampunkworkshop.com.
12/28/2009 2:30 PM
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5th Ave Transforming Into Vintage Row
An awning has gone up on the old Celine clothing store space on 5th Avenue between Sackett and Degraw saying a vintage shop named Yona Lee is going to fill the storefront. Per a reader, the vintage store will be the fourth such business on this stretch of 5th Avenue: “This strip is becoming quite the vintage row…Beacon’s Closet up on Warren and 5th, Odd Twin on Lincoln and 5th…Monkeys’ Whistles & Motorbikes is also on this block between Lincoln and Berkeley.” GMAP
12/23/2009 10:00 AM
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StreetLevel: New Shoe Store Opening on Smith
A sign has gone up announcing that a storefront on Smith between Bergen and Dean will be the future home of DNA Shoes. The store might be familiar to Park Slope denizens: There’s a branch of it on 5th Avenue near the corner of President Street that opened about a year ago. GMAP
12/02/2009 2:00 PM
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So Long, Slope Socksmith
A construction fence recently went up in the gutted building on 5th Avenue between Degraw and Sackett that’s hosted the Socksmith—that guy who sold socks, belt buckles and other stuff—for some time now. (Here is Park Slope had an interesting writeup about him a few months back.) We’re not likely to see the Socksmith in that location again because DOB permits show the space is being renovated, and a person working in the vintage shop next door, which is called Monkey Whistles and Motor Bikes, said they’d be moving into the fixed-up digs when construction’s complete. GMAP DOB
10/09/2009 10:01 AM
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Brooklyn, the Frugal City?
According to online finance site Mint.com, residents of Brooklyn cut back on spending in 2009 in the first half of the year more than any other city in the United States. Compared to 2008, the average Brooklynite has spent 28 percent less this year, whereas the national average for spending per person dropped only 13 percent. One caveat: Mint.com collects data from its users; thus the sample pool for the spending data is self-selecting and most likely an inaccurate representation of the U.S. Even with Mint.com’s particular demographic in mind, it’s an interesting observation. Also, if you take a look at the graphic, you’ll see that the greatest decreases in spending for which Mint.com has data were in New York and California—states with cities that rank highest for cost of living in the U.S.
The Most Frugal Cities in America [Mint.com]
09/21/2009 10:45 AM
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Savings in Fort Greene
Looking to stretch your penny in Fort Greene? Gianna Palmer of the Daily News not only created an extremely handy list of wallet-friendly shops in Fort Greene, but she also broke it down into particular deals you can find in the neighborhood, like the five-dollar pizza at Black Iris, the three-dollar dry-cleaning at Chinese Laundry and Dry Cleaners, or the two-dollar dozen of extra large eggs at Fort Greene Food Market. It’s a handy list, albeit geographically limited to a small stretch of DeKalb and a couple spots on Myrtle. Brownstoner readers, feel free to use the comments section to weigh in and make the list more robust!
Savings in Fort Greene [NY Daily News]
Photo by Jim
08/12/2009 11:15 AM
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L Mag’s Best and Worst Store Openings
Brooklyn makes a strong showing in L Magazine’s annual list of noteworthy store openings. Writer Laurel Pinson also, appropriately, includes an R.I.P. section for those noble shops lost to these tough economic times. The Brooklyn retailers who made the cut were Smith + Butler at 225 Smith Street in Cobble Hill; The Brooklyn Bridge Flea, at the intersection of Water and New Dock Streets in DUMBO; and Dossier at 244 DeKalb Avenue in Fort Greene. Brooklyn Flea represent!
08/07/2009 11:15 AM
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StreetLevel: Shoe Store, Hair Salon Opening on Van Brunt
Add two more to the growing list of new Red Hook retail offerings: According to a sign in the window, a “hair boutique” called Suite 352 is going to open on the corner of Van Brunt and Sullivan, and across the street a shoe store is opening. The owner of the shoe store said it should be open within a week and that the shop’s name is still up in the air. GMAP
07/20/2009 2:01 PM
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StreetLevel: New Market Opens in the Can Factory
A few weeks ago marked the first run of a bimonthly market in the garage of the Old American Can Factory on 3rd Street and 3rd Avenue. The market, which runs on the second and fourth Sundays of every month (next one is this weekend), is described as “a curated makers’ market of art and design products and services. The market is a new place to find art and wares designed and crafted by a broad community of creative makers and organizations, including many based at the Can Factory.” A list of some of the vendors involved—which include jewelry designers, chocolate makers, and textile artists—is here.
Can Factory Market [Official Site] GMAP (more…)
07/07/2009 2:00 PM
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Whole Foods Rumor Bites the Dust
The Local dispels the rumor started by the developer of the 365-unit rental at 470 Vanderbilt Avenue that Whole Foods was under consideration for the site: “‘There’s nothing in the works here right now,’ said Mara Engel Wedeck, contact for the Northeast region for the behemoth healthy foods chain.” Oh well.
05/28/2009 10:45 AM
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Closing Bell: FIPS Goes Undercover
FIPS goes undercover for a four-part series to expose the Target in the Atlantic Center Mall (or also known as “The Seventh Level of Hell”). What is your experience with the store?
01/06/2009 4:00 PM
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No Recession at Target
On a lighter note…check out the wide selection of toys and clothing left at Target in the Atlantic Center on December 23. Recession? What Recession!
More photos on the jump… (more…)
12/26/2008 9:26 AM
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Closing Bell: Nine Days Left for Shop Brooklyn
Yesterday at lunchtime the Dumbo BID hosted a cheerleading event for the Shop Brooklyn campaign in the Pearl Street Triangle. Front Street Pizza was handing out free hot chocolate and coffee and various paraphernalia was on display in front of Halcyon, one of the many participating merchants in Brooklyn.
12/16/2008 4:00 PM
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Brownstoner on Etsy.com. Help!
Handmade mecca Etsy.com is putting together a video-streaming series of guest shopping picks next week and on Wednesday we’ll be in the hot seat, highlighting some of our favorite finds. We’ve already got some ideas (Flea regular Reclaimed Home, for example, has been “upcycling” some of her vintage items for sale on Etsy), but we could use your input. Have any favorites? Chances are we’ll be focusing on gifts that have some kind of salvaged or recycled element.
12/05/2008 9:45 AM
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Retail Doings on the Slope-P. Heights Border
Although High Stakes Cheese Steaks bit the dust a few months ago and plenty of large storefronts nearby are sitting empty, there’s a cluster of new openings on or near this busy stretch Flatbush. On the corner of Dean and Flatbush, New York Chess and Game Shop recently opened. The store is advertising group classes for kids and adults, and it sells all manner of chess gear. A block away, on Bergen between Flatbush and 6th Ave., an Aveda salon is opening in the storefront of a rental building that was extensively renovated. Meanwhile, on the southwest corner of Flatbush and Bergen, the space next to Pintchik Hardware is once again transforming into a Halloween costume emporium c/o Ricky’s. Far as we know, Ricky’s will, like last year, only take over the storefront for the season.
09/11/2008 10:01 AM
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needles
Feb 09, 2012 | 11:02 AM