One of Last Vestiges of Hippie Era in Brooklyn Plans to Close in Fall
When Nancy Cogen opened a batik store on Atlantic Avenue’s antique row in Boerum Hill 41 years ago, it was a neighborhood of run-down rooming houses and communes, where a brownstone cost $25,000. The Melting Pot will close in September, now that the supplies used to create batik by hand are no longer available, The…
When Nancy Cogen opened a batik store on Atlantic Avenue’s antique row in Boerum Hill 41 years ago, it was a neighborhood of run-down rooming houses and communes, where a brownstone cost $25,000. The Melting Pot will close in September, now that the supplies used to create batik by hand are no longer available, The New York Times reported. According to the paper:
That closing seems to be a coda of sorts to the heady days of hippiedom in Brooklyn’s more raffish quarters and in much of New York. Like Ms. Cogen, the actual hippies and their fellow travelers are of retirement age, worried more about Social Security than social change. The ramshackle brownstones occupied by those communes that four decades ago could be purchased for $25,000 have been renovated and now sell for $4,000,000 to bankers, and actors like Ethan Hawke, not bohemians. Yoga studios are as ubiquitous as Starbucks cafes. Little is left of hippie Brooklyn.
Cogen was a stewardess for Pan Am, not a hippie. A hobby turned into a business, and she sold tshirts, pillows, scarves and baby onesies. Meanwhile, the story related, author Jonathan Lethem grew up in one of those communes and helped Cogen make batik in her backyard. Now it costs thousands to open a store in the area. “There’s nothing left of that era, not when houses sell for $4,000,000,” said Cogen.
Batik Store, a Vestige of the Hippie Era, Will Fade Away [NY Times]
Really sad to see this place close.
I’ve bought so many great things for kids (onsies, t-shirts, PJs) from her. They make wonderful gifts.