Good golly miss Molly there's been a drought of posts here. Sorry you 30 readers of this miniscule blog!
Dekalb Market, somehow sandwiched along Flatbush between Willoughby and Fulton, will be opening July 23rd. What is it you ask? Shipping containers. It's full-sized Legos. With stuff inside.
As City Point is starting to finally move along and Willoughby Park at Albee Square shows signs of life with blinding colors and labor protests that have died down since a few weeks ago - Dekalb Market is looking to bring a stable of food, retail, and more to the area. Just in a really odd way. From the minds of Urban Space - it's another market that Brooklyn seems to be really enamored with these days. At least they'll have pickles right?
In other news, Brownstoner reports that a Gap....outlet will be coming to the Fulton Mall. The only Gap I like is a Gap outlet. You know why? Wanna guess? The gap in prices that's what. I wonder if the Gap was like, "Fulton Mall, let's go there and start small...with an outlet".
Shake Shack is finally getting started - the gut renovation of the pizza joint on the corner visibly began this week - and if it's anything like the Times Square one - this thing is going to be nasty flashy. I wonder if Wendy's and Burger King are going to fall on tough times. Not that I think Shake Shack is that great....
All the ellipses are due to it being the morning...random thoughts float by...
Walking to Atomic Wings on Smith was a bitter cold experience today but drenched in hot sauce not 25 minutes later I could call it a success. I know I haven't been writing so frequently as of late, but I have brand spankin' new employment and I'm putting as much effort as I can into setting up this year for even more greatness.
My better half did a run to Ikea with cohorts from the neighborhood and we built a cabinet together to house equal parts beach towels, extra sheets, and assorted papers (I can never bring myself to throw away my favorite college papers or studies). I realized that we live close enough to Ikea that it's not as much a chore to go there, although it's puzzling how tired I get after walking through the assortment of questionable wood and showrooms (the best has to be the 275 foot studio space, it's so awesome and incorporates the loft bed I bought used to provide my college roommate somewhere to sleep while we were living in Manhattan).
Jimmy Jazz is having a huge clearance sale and I may need to do a quick run; it looks so tempting.
Over the weekend a nightcap in Williamsburg at Hotel Dumond(?) was par for the course as was a donation run to the Salvation Army, where a group of young ladies who looked like the two older daughters in Dan in Real Life were giggling and doing a more serious shop there. Lots of good stuff and a long line for sure.
Brooklyn Fare's expansion is starting to show and it's really going to be sizable and comparable to the larger markets in the area; definitely a big deal as the one thing they could use is a little more variety of both produce and brands. Very exciting stuff though.
I also noticed that Dismemberment Plan is playing on January 30th at Webster Hall, and opening is Jukebox the Ghost. To round out the musical experience this weekend was some Lil Wayne on the radio.
Shopping in Downtown Brooklyn is down and dirty (at least for now). One would never think that there would be enough to warrant a nice sheen when it comes to a little press and marketing; the charm is that it's a microcosm that isn't neatly packaged.
However, surprisingly the Metrotech BID, who is trying to champion the neighborhood that alternately is the hottest neighborhood in Brooklyn and one of those areas where nobody knows really where/what it is, has fashioned a sort of organized flow chart for the holiday season. So if you know you can get your family something at Macy's or Jimmy Jazz, or any sneakers to speak of, maybe you'll take a look and enter the Holidays in the Heart of Brooklyn sweepstakes. This includes 2 nights in the Sheraton awkwardly situated among scaffolding currently; dinner at Morton's (which is the kicker for me), and a nice discount at the TKTS.
So the microsite is nice and the Facebook page is really well done considering it just started and they invested into a little creative work and some decent messaging/copy even with only 92 likes. You enter the sweepstakes on Facebook (although Wildfire's application can be used on the microsite as well but they chose to funnel traffic I'm guessing) and take a look at their shopping guide.
Two things about this guide: one, it's nice that all the local businesses I see are getting holiday cheery with small discounts across the board, whether dining, apparel, etc.
The other thing is though; how do we ask for the discount? Do we just print out the section where they are listed? Do half of these businesses know they are doing discounts? It's not like Tanger outlets or Woodbury Commons where everything is name brand and part of a larger real estate structure. I know that's what this shopping guide is supposed to do, organize into a bigger marketing picture, but I'm just a little skeptical that I'm actually going to get "10%" at Jack's Barber Shop down the street. 10% of what? 10% of a haircut? 10% of the barber's mind?
Exciting stuff but not quite there yet. Although I did 'like' the Facebook page and would love to see it develop from a good digital strategy. Until then, there's always the scrappy Downtown Brooklyn Facebook page...
Downtown Ale House has taken over the former spot of Taino Soleil and this is good news for DoBrah folks who still feel like they need just a little extra something to get their options flowing. I see a new nabe spot although Taino Soleil had a spirit all its own.
So here we go, there's a slightly full range of scrumptious food including 3o cent Sunday wings and reasonably priced apps and burgers. An ale house should mean some selection which it does have currently listed on the site. There is plenty of space and some TVs leftover from the previous incarnation so I see a bright future ahead with sports involved maybe. Anywho, the space is needed to help build some sort of nightlife surrounding the Fulton Mall. This plus the Shake Shack, although miles away in terms of hype, constitutes some place for people to go and eat or drink after hours and should draw some attention due to the proximity to an important piece of real estate in the area. The actual block this is on isn't the best but it's a good space and from the photos it seems like they were able to put a lot of materials from Taino to use.
I will definitely stop by at some point! Oh did I mention Tuesday Karaoke? Tuesdays are always the new Thursdays...
Conan is better than ever by the way, or if you want SEO-optimized I guess I should say Conan is the funniest late night show on TV.
Nope that dog run for Downtown Brooklyn might not get going until there's a little more oomph in the petitions, however, ever since the Metrotech here in Downtown Brooklyn decided to open up to vehicles (if there was a hospital in there and your wife was going into labor they STILL probably wouldn't let you in) I'm curious to see how traffic patterns will change.
The B54 bus that bobs and shakes to Ridgewood in Queens but also travels down Myrtle will be cutting across the Metrotech Center, part of a diversion and also part of a future revamped Jay Street-Borough Hall subway station. You know, because the areas a changin'.
What's awesome is that there is so much good stuff happening on Dekalb and Myrtle in general. I could cross over Flatbush in about 3 minutes but it's pretty awesome to add yet another transportation arm; it's what makes this area really fantastic, given we have all the subway lines except 3 (not including shuttles) and a gazillion buses at Fulton.
In more news, Filene's Basement is coming to the Fulton Mall, as well as a long-awaited Shake Shack. All that hubbub over the changes is definitely starting to come to pass. CityPoint is setting up shop online with a new One Dekalb retail center (in the old Albee Square about two blocks away), which actually will be close enough to the point where the quiet blocks of the Metrotech are probably going away over the next couple of years.
That was the most interesting thing about the B54, starting to see more traffic through the Metrotech, I gotta make sure I look both ways again. It was nice to have a super quiet block, serene next to the mall. It's still quiet for sure, but I definitely want to not only see the changes, but feel them as well.
There have been a couple of well meaningarticles on The Fulton Mall lately, with the stiff-as-morning-wood Wall Street Journal and the less dreamy New York Observer putting for their respective thoughts on how the strip will come about in the next few years. WSJ says, well big chains and big money are signalling a "rebirth" happening next to the religious squawking by Hoyt and the NYO says, well if you look at your facts, the Other Kings Plaza is already cream of the crop in terms of sales and general foot traffic (although the Arby's shutting down in a matter of months is kind of a shame).
What bothers me is that everything is seen from a perspective of upscale is better. Big developers are better. Gentrification is better. Shifting the overall "populace" in the area is better. "Catering" to the new residents literally a block or two away is a better, brighter future. Who comes up with that bullshit? I'm not saying an H&M is a bad thing; functionally they provide affordable clothing with a little style to boot. Although Aeropostale is totally lame. As the NYO points out though, there's nothing actually wrong with the Fulton Mall, and what's more frustrating, it's actually comparable to the best shopping the city has to offer. Living a block from the mall actually reminds me of Fulton Street in the city where I lived around the corner from 3 million dollar bonuses in suits as well as low end clothing/fast food with a heavy immigrant population.
Brownstoner's reader comments on the article are spot on and probably articulate what I want to say better. What the WSJ is missing (and what I was hoping the NYO was more fiercely vocal about, although hey, this isn't blogging right, it's journalism?) is a sense that The Fulton Mall serves a much greater purpose that they failed to realize. They also treat the strip as if it needs a total overhaul because well, it's not gentrified enough. As the NYO pointed out, whatever dirtbag wrote the WSJ piece is not writing it from the perspective that the mall is a viable, competitive, and highly sustainable economy for working class and middle class folks (with a decidedly disheveled and quite awesome Macy's) equal to strips in the city, it's from the perspective that it needs to be cleaned up and upscaled, using the new "type" of resident as part of the reasoning. It's just so dismissive and it bugs me; that's how powerful words can be, one way or the other. I guess causing me to blog isn't exactly mindblowing but hey I could be shopping for Halloween candy so the kids in the building don't think we're trolls.
As a person who is part of a new community settling into the neighborhood, I wholeheartedly, except for welcoming an H&M and stores that would fit well into the current state, reject this way of thinking about the Fulton Mall. I stand behind the fact that I can get a much better selection of what I want at the Fulton Mall than the Atlantic Center (although I do love me some Pathmark). I stand behind the fact that I can foster a newfound interest in snazzy kicks at Foot Action, Foot Locker, AND Finish Line. I stand behind the fact that there are stores that sell DVDs, jewelry, shoes, and cell phones AT THE SAME TIME. I stand behind the fact that you have the easiest selection of fast food joints ever for those who eat fast. It's like, when did the idea of good shopping (read: affluent) get in the way of the naturally existing economy of the past several decades?
Does the article add to the long list of excitable press surrounding the area? Sure. Is it an interesting outlook? Certainly, considering the development of the area. Yet, does it take into account anything beyond appearances of white it could be? No. The half-assedness of it is the most blatant diss.
Am I the exception rather than the rule when it comes to new residents wanting a gentrified mall? I hope not, but if I am, I'm at least urging people to really not shop at Aeropostale. Seriously.
A place for my cargo shorts eh? Have the seeds been planted? Aeropostale was a third rate Hollister growing up, and Hollister is kind of what I hate about tame hang loose fashion for the suburban set. I say leave it all for the South Street Seaport crowd but they've decided to set up shop soon on Fulton and Elm. Brownstoner has the scoop and the photo to prove this most vanilla of neighbors.
I'm not sure what kind of presence it will have; because it's an obvious Old Navy like Abercrombie with all the shitty logos all over the place, could it go urban? I doubt it. Will that matter 5 years from now? Maybe not, because this plus H&M (which I do like to an extent) means we're getting a little more WASPy. I mean, look at the Aeropostale site. Perpetual state of backyard grassy knoll goodness. No grass in the Fulton Mall, and I'm assuming no coke either. I mean, what makes the Fulton Mall great is that some of the stores that you don't find in the usual suburb crapfest exist there and the particular apparel and products you can purchase. That and the fact that the mall is endlessly entertaining with religious yelling, stores that sell jewelry AND DVDs AND 6 pairs of sneakers.
I'm thinkin' late summer for a pedestrian opening and about as lame as this next song:
Photo from Downtown Brooklyn Facebook via Shop Downtown Brooklyn.
Yesterday was the grand opening of Gus Martuscell's Saporita Pizza near the corner of Smith Street and Livingston (on the stretch of Smith that goes north of Atlantic, you were almost fooled right?). Kings County president Marty "Farts" Markowitz was on hand to deliver the good news to Fulton Mall dwellers as well as occasional pizza lovers like myself who don't want to schlep to Lucali down on Henry or Vinny's.
Anywho, taking a look at their jawesome official website (Impact font was my favorite too guys) I see that they not only serve cheap slices during lunch (which I will never be around to partake in) but recession priced appetizers, pastas, and heros. When half the menu is averaging 6 bucks or less, you know you've hit the jackpot. When Markowitz is at your grand opening, you know he had a lot of work that day.
They also have a few specialty pizzas to rise them above the hole in the wall fray, including a Spicy Chicken pizza. Those who know me know that those two words put together is kind of like half an orgasm. Spicy Kuritza!!
You can check out their online coupons which makes this site even better. It should get a Webby Award. Three things that are probably coming soon: online ordering (so you don't have to talk to anyone), a Facebook page, and a Twitter profile. That's what I call using social media to harness your branding.
Before you get yourself in a tizzy, know that they are closed on Saturdays, probably because they are awesome (not for observing anything). And they are closing at 6pm, so nobody who lives in the area but doesn't work in the area is probably going to get to take advantage. It's like all the businesses in the area, you can only imagine...
The recent Visa commercial with Mambo Italiano is one of my favorite recent TV ads is below in tribute. The dude is spinning the pie and flouring it all snazzy, you know he's thinking "BOO YA":
I'll be eating from this gem sometime soon folks. Conveniently located around the B,Q,R,2,3,4,5 trains at either Dekalb or Nevins, something called the Metro King is opening it's doors and greeting customers with some sushi and an Asian salad bar which I'm sure means "mandarin" oranges and "crispy noodles" and thick accents.
This place reminds me of this sushi/chinese lunch buffet joint on the other Fulton Street in Manhattan that I used to frequent when I was at NYU living in the money district. Metro King looks like it's going to be straight money.
Anywho, the below picture says it all, from the Downtown Brooklyn Facebook fan page which you'll want to frequent:
This is awesome. Brownstoner has extended its curiosity to the insides of the new Arby's at 372 Fulton Street in the Fulton Mall, and the results are decidedly more elegant than whatever is inside their sandwiches or subsequently your stomach.
Landmarked building you say? Put an Arby's in it. Just because it's a chain doesn't mean it can't be a time capsule, or hold the title of fanciest Arby's ever.
Photo courtesy of Brownstoner for more photos and some hilariously snarky comments such as:
Located at 538 Fulton Street, Metro King offerssushi and an excellent Asian Salad Bar.Bring your Value Cardand get10% off an order of $10.00 or more.