Bed-Stuy and Shopping on Fulton St.
I was just reading the Brownstoner forum discussion about shopping and amenities (or lack of) in Bed-Stuy from 2009 and wanted to kind of re-open that discussion. Fulton Street is basically all of the regular shopping for the neighborhood, besides some specialty shops along Tompkins, Lewis, and Stuyvesant (and no, I don’t really consider spending…
I was just reading the Brownstoner forum discussion about shopping and amenities (or lack of) in Bed-Stuy from 2009 and wanted to kind of re-open that discussion. Fulton Street is basically all of the regular shopping for the neighborhood, besides some specialty shops along Tompkins, Lewis, and Stuyvesant (and no, I don’t really consider spending $14 after tax and tip for lunch a place I patron regularly). I wanted to see what people would like to have added to the area, especially along Fulton where it makes the most sense for businesses to locate, and see how that has changed from that 2009 forum discussion at all. Any thoughts?
I know I just spent an hour and a half trying to find fresh veggies last night walking home from the Kingston/Throop stop at 8pm. Bodega guys laughing every time I asked. I finally found some frozen brocolli at a newish bodega on Halsey and Throop. I like Foodtown and I like Tony’s Natural Foods, but what else is there? And stuff is not exactly close to south-east Bed-Stuy or open in the evening?
lfmao
*rob*
That was a very unfortunate typo!!!
I agree, brenda. Sadly it looks like Butterbut Market will no have the funds to proceed forward. This is very unfortunate because they already have a leased renovated spce.
If anyone is interested in investing in this venture and helping to see it through, as an owner (not some crazy cockamamy scheme of just asking for money from the community) contact me: DJL135e54@yahoo.com
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bed Stuy is no more a food desert than, say, Carroll Gardens. No matter where I’ve lived I’ve had to go outside the area for groceries.
Right now I think Williamsburg, the West Village, and Park Slope are the best places in the city to buy groceries.
Last weekend, for the first time since I moved to Bed-Stuy in ’07, I had a full-on night out in the neighborhood which started with dinner at Peaches Hothouse. Later that night we met a friend at the Fulton Grand for drinks. It was a great night and it all happened within walking distance of my house! Whatever has been happening in the nabe and surrounding areas is OK in my book, so no complaints whatsoever (loved it before), but a straightforward diner (a la Mikes or something like that) and a proper bakery with normal operating hours that sells a variety of freshly baked, high-quality bread would do very well in the area.
I’d love to see documentary footage of the bodega guys laughing at the idea of fresh produce, after all the blather we’ve heard about incentivizing better availability of green stuff in “food deserts.” Sounds like they’re still not getting it. Sorry to hear folks looking to swing to the other extreme of “organic” this and “free-range” that, which will put decent ingredients out of reach of the poor and working-class. On the gentrification potato-meter, it would be nice if we could stop in the middle at “fresh, cheap bag of spuds” instead of swinging from “McDonald’s Fries” to “Yukon Gold potato salad drizzled with truffle oil for $14/lb.”
There is a green grocer on the corner of Fulton and Thompkins, in addition to the one’s that Montrose mentioned above. I recall at least one other either on Kingston between Herkimer and Fulton or on Fulton between Throop and Thompkins. Actually, having lived in Bed-Stuy for many years, fresh veggies is one of the few things that have been easy to find if you are in the right place (doesn’t anyone remember the battles between Blacks and the Korean grocers of the 80’s?).
My suggestion is that you spend some time wandering down Fulton towards downtown. Going east from Throop is a wasteland because you hit all of the large apartments from Throop up past Utica. Very little in the way of either storefronts or services in that direction.
There are two green grocers on Fulton between Nostrand and Tompkins. Both carry fresh broccoli, as well as the usual fare, and in the last few years, both have greatly improved upon the quality of their produce. One is a couple of doors from the Bravo market, near Nostrand, the other across the street from Foodtown, which also has good produce. It’s not the cornucopia that is Fairway, but between the three, you can get what you need for the most part. In the summer, Weeksville Heritage site has a green market worth supporting, and they plan on being bigger and better this summer. It’s a bit off the beaten path but not a long trip from Stuy Hts on a bike.
Stuyvesant East could use some more amenities. Cafe and more produce. Ralph avenue has some great spots around Halsey st.