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Montague Street, Meet Your New Starbucks

Chuck Taylor — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:10:53 +0000

It’s been rumored for a couple months, but confirmation is now at hand: Starbucks at 112 Montague Street is moving east… to 134 Montague Street, site of the former Nine West shoes, which closed in July 2010. While the current space will lose a lot of window vistas along the front, the folks at Heights Vision next door tell BHB that the new locale is deeper and actually offers more square footage.

Reasons for the move: Apparently, the one-story building at 112 Montague was a constant source of roof leaks and plumbing issues for Starbucks, while the building at 134 is being completely gutted, including the residential above. It looks like the Star was willing to sacrifice views for peace of mind. And knowing most ‘Bucks addicts, the extra block either way from Henry Street won’t make a hill of beans difference.

WSJ Offers Tidbits About Montague Street’s “High-Rent Retail Strip”

Chuck Taylor — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:57:02 +0000

A short piece in today’s Wall Street Journal “What’s The Deal” column, offers a few morsels about retail in Brooklyn Heights. Focusing on Le Pain Quotidien coming to 121 Montague Street, the story notes that this is the cafe’s first Brooklyn store, with 10+ already in Manhattan.

Glenn Markman, an executive VP at Cushman Wakefield, shares that rents currently run as high as $250 per square foot along Montague’s “high-rent retail strip,” and notes that the Starbucks there is scouting for a new location.

In addition, the article says: “The Le Pain Quotidien deal comes as Brooklyn Heights retailers are enjoying a surge of new business from new hotels and apartment buildings that have opened in the past few years. More foot traffic is expected in the area from the planned Squibb Park Bridge that will make it easier to reach Brooklyn Bridge Park from the Heights, scheduled to open this fall.” Markman says it will be “a game changer.”

84th Precinct Police Blotter – 5/25/11

Heather Quinlan — Wed, 25 May 2011 13:51:34 +0000

A lot of people get “bumped from behind” this week, and all end up losing their money. It’s this week’s police blotter.

No, it’s not what you think, you cheeky BHB readers! It’s a pickpocketing tactic used to great effect by those in the 84 district. Not by me, I drink too much coffee and the whole operation would give me palpitations. But the following are reports about those more nimble of fingers and less caffeinated of nerves.

Last Wednesday afternoon, a 43-year-old woman was leaving the Municipal Building in Downtown Brooklyn when she was bumped from behind and her cellphone stolen. A friend dialed her number and someone actually picked up—and promptly refused to return the phone.

Earlier that day around midnight, a 19-year-old walking near Jay and Prospect was bumped by a man in a gray hoodie, who stole his wallet.

The next day at the Jay and Fulton bus stop, a 66-year-old woman was bumped and her wallet stolen.

Right around the same time, a woman boarded a southbound A train in midtown Manhattan, and noticed a couple nefarious types pacing in her subway car. When the train reached High St., one of the perps approached the victim and said, “Give me the cell phone, bitch!” She then snatched the phone from the victim’s hands and ran off.

The design company HUGE had a huge break-in last week, as 15 laptops, totaling $30,000, were stolen from their office.

A home health aide described only as “Anthony” who tends to an elderly woman on Clark St. also tended to her debit card, charging $563.90 worth of Zipcar rentals to it.

The store Best Chocolate Cake on Jay St. in DUMBO was the site of a break-in last week; the perp or perps didn’t steal cake as I would have, but instead made off with $300.

Wednesday morning at the Hoyt and Fulton station, a straphanger was mugged and the thief got away with a $400 Droid.

A law firm on Main Street reported a break-in on Thursday, though the only thing stolen, according to the police report, was “Dog treat Old Mother Hubbard.”

Quite the incident occurred on Court St. Thursday night. Officers reported seeing two young girls fleeing northbound from a woman described as “hysterical.” They joined the pursuit, which grew to about 10 people, and saw one girl throw a cell phone into the bushes at Cadman Plaza. The police finally apprehended the teens, ages 14 and 16, on the Pierrepont side of Citibank, and retrieved the phone for the victim, who said she was bumped by one of them before her phone was stolen.

Finally, yours truly witnessed a crime last night at the Metrotech Starbucks, after a patron walked in, stole a sandwich and left. Police took off in hot pursuit. And that’s this week’s blotter.

84th Precinct Police Blotter – 5/10/11

Heather Quinlan — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:38:23 +0000

A Louisiana granny becomes a Junior’s purse-snatching victim; a former employee steals $81,000 from the place the fired him; and another edition of You Make The Call. It’s this week’s police blotter.

A man who had worked at an architecture firm located at 20 Jay St. got back at his former employers by going on a spending spree courtesy of a few corporate cards. The damage totaled $81,400.

On Sunday evening, three perps banded together to steal an iPhone from a woman on the 3 train. Two were arrested at the scene, though the one with the phone got away.

Rather than translate this police report of an incident at the Court St. Starbucks, I have transcribed it, allowing you enjoy for yourselves.
“Defendant did ask her to use the bathroom where whe [sic] wouldn’t more [sic] fast enough to open the door defendant did take a bottle and hit her in the arm with it. Defendant had bruises and swelling to her arm.”

A domestic dispute went public on Montague St. Thursday evening. A 31-year-old woman reported that she got into a fight with her boyfriend, who then pulled her hair, hit her and burnt her with a cigarette. The boyfriend is currently at large.

The management office of an unnamed gym (I can’t say Planet Fitness for sure) was the site of a purse snatching Wednesday morning. According to the victim, she left her purse at her cubicle located at 185 Montague St., and when she returned to her desk, it was gone.

An 89-year-old visitor from Louisiana was dining at Junior’s and got her purse stolen for her troubles. The victim said she left her bag on the chair next to her, but noticed it was taken when she went to leave. The good news is this is one crime that was actually caught on tape.

Finally, a report that seems to be missing a line or two in the story. This incident took place late Saturday night at 160 Schermerhorn St. The 48-year-old victim claims he was sleeping when security let a woman in the building. According to the report, “When he told her to leave out of his room [he] noticed his wallet missing. Woman stated she was there with his permission but came back when he was sleeping.” $1,500 cash was stolen.
What’s it all about, Alfie? You make the call. And that’s this week’s blotter.

Take the Latte and Run

Heather Quinlan — Sun, 01 May 2011 21:58:45 +0000

A reader tipped us off to this New York Times article about thieves who prey on Starbucks customers. As if the price of a triple-grande skim latte weren’t high enough, now you have to worry about your bag getting swiped.

“You can let your guard down — people are sitting down and talking and using their laptops,” said Capt. Mark DiPaolo of the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn Heights, home to a Court Street Starbucks that has been the scene of four bag thefts this year. “It is a comfort zone that people have.”

No word yet on when the Times be doing a piece on Planet Fitness.

84th Precinct Community Council Meeting Discusses Burglaries, Bike Lanes

Claude Scales — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:15:25 +0000

The 84th Precinct Community Council met yesterday evening at Brooklyn Law School. The meeting was chaired by Council President Leslie Lewis (seated at right in photo). The Precinct Commander, Deputy Inspector Mark DiPaolo (at podium in photo), gave a rundown on recent crime statistics in the precinct. Crime overall, he said, is down ten per cent this year. There has been one murder so far, that of Police Officer Alain Schaberger. DiPaolo thanked the community for the sympathy given to the Precinct personnel and to P.O. Schaberger’s family after this tragic loss.

Some crimes, DiPaolo noted, were increasing in number and frequency. The “big uptick,” he said, is in grand larceny. This falls into two categories: from the person, which is usually the taking by force of a hand-held electronic device, typically on the subway while the train is in the station and the doors are about to close; and robbery of unattended property, such as from gym lockers (can you say “Planet Fitness”?), schools, or bags and such left hanging on chairs in places like Starbucks while the owner is not looking. He mentioned the rash of burglaries in the Heights in early march, and noted that these had stopped after notices were sent out warning people to secure doors and windows. He also said one suspect had been identified.

Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, asked what progress had been made concerning the break-in and theft at Jack the Horse Tavern. DiPaolo said he couldn’t discuss this now, but that the investigation is ongoing.

BHB contributor Peter Kaufman asked about police cars parking in bicycle lanes. DiPaolo said that police cars are subject to the same parking regulations as civilian vehicles, and noted that he had to move his own car quickly twice to avoid its being towed. He said, however, there is a problem in downtown Brooklyn, with its proximity to the courts, because the volume of arrests means officers must make frequent court appearances. Because of the scarcity of legal parking spaces, police sometimes felt forced to park illegally. He also said that, if a cop needed to stop to perform a duty such as making an arrest, he or she might be forced to park temporarily in an illegal spot.

Kaufman then mentioned the number of cars that had parked illegally near Our Lady of Lebanon Cathedral on Sunday. He also said many cars had parked partially on the sidewalks, and that this could damage the sidewalks. DiPaolo said he thought there might have been a special event at the Cathedral on that day. He also noted that the Cathedral had received several summonses, and that parking on sidewalks was definitely a concern. DiPaolo noted the earlier problems concerning First Presbyterian on Henry Street near Clark, and asked Kaufman if the situation had improved there. Kaufman said it was “too soon to tell.” DiPaolo concluded by saying that, traditionally, “a certain tolerance has been given to church areas.”

Another audience member asked about bikes running red lights. DiPaolo said that the police were “doing more safety enforcement” but that they “can’t be everywhere.” He also said he believed that “education and tolerance” could be more effective than “writing summonses.”

84th Precinct Police Blotter – 3/2/11

Heather Quinlan — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:01:39 +0000

Ripped from today’s headlines, it’s this week’s police blotter.

Since this is a blotter, let me make a confession—I was not able to make it to the 8-4 yesterday. But it was for a good cause: I was in Pittsburgh interviewing a Carnegie Mellon grad student who monitors dialects on Twitter. This is all for my New York accent documentary—yes, I’m still in production, wanna make somethin’ of it?

At any rate, ripped from today’s online headlines, I bring you the blotter:

The Front St. Starbucks was the site of an electronics theft on Sunday; similar to the incident where a cameraman had all his equipment stolen from his car, this lucky fella turned his back on $4,700 worth of camera equipment in his backpack. It too, disappeared. Though usually the victims say they turned their heads for “only a second.” In this case, he said he looked away from the goods for half an hour.

A 19-year-old man allegedly attacked a 47-year-old court officer after the vehicle transporting him pulled into the Brooklyn Supreme Court.

A man working out at Equinox for a whopping 10 minutes returned to his unlocked locker and found his wallet gone. And that, your Honor, is this week’s blotter.

Montague Street Starbucks Open but No Snacks for You!

Homer Fink — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 19:52:58 +0000

Photo: Mrs. Fink

Mrs. Fink made it out of the house this morning to discover that the Montague Street Starbucks had hot, steamy coffee but no baked goods and snacks at all. No plowing, no deliveries means no snacks for you! The store has kept regular hours over the holiday despite the weather.

84th Precinct Police Blotter – 10/5/10

Heather Quinlan — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:19:10 +0000

Hello, Crime Busters! It’s been awhile since we took down those perps and thugs—I hope you’re not out of practice. So rifle through that bag you left unguarded at Macy’s and make sure you still have your wallet and mace, it’s time for the blotter.

An apartment building on Montague St was hit with two burglaries last week. (Ironically, the same week that Brownstoner named one of its units Rental of the Day.) The first occurred 11:15 a.m. Tuesday, when a man returned home to find $1,500 plus his laptops and camera equipment gone. There was no sign of forced entry, though the window to the fire escape was unlocked.

The second burglary took place Sunday; a woman noticed her front door open and handbags missing. The thief made off with a wallet and credit cards.

Around 2 a.m. Wednesday, two perps saw opportunity in one dozing subway rider, as they began rifling through his backpack and grabbing what they could find. The sleepy straphanger was awoken by a fellow passenger at the Dekalb/Flatbush station, who alerted police. Perp #1 tried to hide a bag of marijuana between two seats (imagine finding that on your morning commute!), but he was arrested before making a getaway. His accomplice was luckier, as he got away into the Downtown Brooklyn night.

At the same station that Saturday, a woman had her iPhone yanked out of her hand.

At the York St. station a few days earlier, a man had his iPhone also snatched out of his hand. This makes me wonder if the spate of cell phone thefts will go up now that the MTA declared that the underground will begin going wireless in a year. Then again, would anyone want my uncle’s Jitterbug? You be the judge.

Moving on, a woman who noticed her account dipped into negative dollars visited her local TD Bank on Montague St. to find out what happened. She told the teller that she’d ordered new checks but they never arrived. The teller then showed her cancelled checks written in her name to the tune of $7,300. Does the bank reimburse for that? I supposed that’s what the insurance is for, though may I never know.

Two separate incidents at the Court St. Starbucks: around 4 p.m. Tuesday, a woman took a page from Sleepy on the Subway and nodded off in between lattes (must’ve been decaf). When she awoke she found her backpack gone along with her Macbook and iPod Touch. And on Sunday while closing up, Starbucks employees were surprised by a man who claimed he had a gun and said, “Give me all your money, then your IDs and phones.” He made off with $2,483.

On Henry St. Saturday, a man left his apartment and front door unlocked. When he returned home ten minutes later, he was surprised to find a man in his living room. He chased the intruder out and lost $125 and his cell phone.

Remsen St. was the site of a jewelry heist, as pendants, earring and rings belonging to one woman were removed from her home, totaling $22,500.

And finally, no blotter would be complete without a trip to Planet Fitness, where this time two women claimed that they locked their lockers, yet returned to find their belongings gone. Unfortunately, neither could remember what they brought to the gym, nor what was taken. And that’s this week’s blotter.

84th Precinct Police Blotter – 8/31/10

Heather Quinlan — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:52:10 +0000

Ladies’ handbags can’t stay still; Equinox fills the void left by Planet Fitness; and a thief makes off with a $700 vibrator. It’s this week’s blotter.

Alright, I know what kind of minds I’m dealing with, so I’ll start with the vibrator. I must admit that after reporting on the blotter for several months, the constant stream of iPhone and iPod thefts has sometimes gotten to be a bit much. So it was an interesting diversion to see this listed in the very first report. Apparently a thief broke into a car parked on Water St. in Vinegar Hill, and at first glance it looked like he stole a $1500 chop saw and a $700 vibrator. I thought: “What kind of vibrator costs $700 and why don’t I know about it?” Before I dropped everything and ran to Citibank, I re-read the report and saw that the vibrator in question was actually a cement vibrator. A disappointment to be sure, but at least I know I’m not missing much. Also stolen was a $2,000 Hilti laser, for what it’s worth.

Moving right along, a series of handbags and wallets were stolen all over the 84′s territory last week. I’ll start with the unlucky woman stuck waiting for a doctor’s appointment on Pearl St. last Thursday. If that weren’t bad enough (I always read Highlights way too quickly), she noticed her bag was open and wallet gone.

That same day several hours later, a LICH employee left her bag hanging on a hook inside one of the hospital labs. At some point she went to check on the bag, but it was gone. The victim claimed that at least 20 patients had passed by, but it only takes one to make off with the goods—in this case $80 and a NYS learner’s permit.

A woman attending a James Perse sample sale at be@Schermerhorn last Saturday had the contents of her purse removed. (BTW–Homer, this proves that sample sales should be closely monitored on the blotter. For the good of the public. What, you agree? No way! You’re the best!)

A house party that night on Tillary St. resulted in a stolen wallet after a woman took her eye off her bag for a minute. The swift-handed thief got her keys and wallet.

Two shoe shoppers were relieved of their bags as well last week. The first occurred last Monday at Baker’s, when a woman left her bag on a chair, went to look at shoes, and returned to find the bag gone.

The second occurred Friday at Payless, where a young girl left her bag under a bench to look at shoes, and returned to find her bag still there but her wallet gone.

A woman entering the Chase bank on Nevins and Flatbush was approached by a man who asked if she’d like to be a lucky charm in a game of 3-card monte. (Do guys still do 3-card monte? If so let me know where, I feel lucky.) She politely declined and went inside to withdraw money. When she came back out, a second perp grabbed her bag and made off with $1,000.

While walking near Nevins and Bergen last Sunday night, two women realized they were being followed just as the thug approached them with a knife and asked for their bags. He not only made off with Maybelline makeup, but also scored a Blackberry, iPod, Target card, Starbucks card, Puma card, and a copy of Running With Scissors.

Rounding out the purse reports, a Florida woman staying at the Sheraton on Duffield St. went outside at 2:30 a.m. for a smoke, leaving her bag on the ground. Before she finished her cigarette, a thief made off with her $600 Prada purse and $4,500 wedding ring.

A man went berserk at Lefkowitz Taxi Garage last Friday, throwing coffee in one man’s face and hitting another in the arm with a pneumatic air gun. He was arrested.

Sitting on a park bench Saturday night, a man was approached by a perp who asked for $2. When the man took out his wallet, the perp grabbed it and ran off. He got $17.

An Equinox customer left his $600 iPhone and $500 Gucci wallet inside a locker with no lock, and you can figure out the rest.

A man asking for a little charity proceeded to steal a wallet from Plymouth Church’s kitchen—then later returned to the scene of his crime. The victim called police, who found the victim’s driver’s license in the man’s possession. He maintained he found it on the sidewalk.

Finally, the manager of M&S Bargain Hunters on Livingston St. may have felt he wasn’t getting paid enough, because he robbed the store of over $30,000. And that’s this week’s blotter.

84th Precinct Police Blotter – 7/6/10

Heather Quinlan — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:45:00 +0000

A man is mugged while putting on cologne in a phone booth; a thief is aided and abetted by a tree; and no Newports are safe under the new cigarette tax hike. It’s this week’s police blotter.

Given today’s temps, I briefly considered staying indoors and writing up a blotter “based on true events,” just not ones that happened last week. A mugging here, motor vehicle theft there. Who would know? But I knew in my heart that you, Cat, nabeguy, Ashton, my2cents, AEB, and most shameful of all, Willowtowncop—you would see through my lies. So I threw on my summer schmatte and went down to the 84. My makeup melted off by Fulton St., but I guess I kept my integrity. So here goes.

Unknown perps wandered into the construction site at 185 York and wandered out with $2,500 worth of copper pipes.

At 7:45 am on Tuesday, a man was putting on cologne in a phone booth at Fulton and Elm when he was approached from behind by a thug with a knife, who took his wallet and $25. He left the cologne.

Another knife-wielding mugger struck later that night at Nevins and Dean—this time stealing a pocketbook that belonged to a member of the Department of Education’s Office of Special Investigations. The contents included gift cards to Starbucks, CVS, Best Buy and Brooklyn Fare; DOE BlackBerry; and DOE Office of Investigations I.D. and shield.

At 182 Hoyt St. last Monday, a delivery man reported that he was robbed of 30 cartons of Newports, and then hit by the getaway car. The vehicle was described as a green Honda Civic, and the perps were also seen at 202 Smith St. A quick Google search reveals that 202 Smith St. is also known as A&H Tobacco and Candy Wholesalers.

Also last Monday on Joralemon St., someone broke into a van’s unlocked rear door, pried open part of the cab, and stole a Mikita grinder, saw and Dewalt screw gun. Video surveillance cameras were blocked by a tree.

An officer was trying to subdue an emotionally disturbed homeless man on Sands and Jay Sts. and was punched in the head for his troubles.

Finally, keep your eyes out for a 1984 black Chevy Caprice with CT license plates, it’s as hot as the weather. And that’s this week’s blotter.

CB2 Hearing on Starbucks Sidewalk Cafe Tomorrow

Claude Scales — Tue, 18 May 2010 03:37:07 +0000

“Huh?” you’re saying to yourself, “Hasn’t Starbucks on Montague had tables outside during the warm months for the last gosh-knows-how-many years? Don’t they have a permit?” Fact is, they don’t. So, since someone has now noticed, they need to jump through the proper hoops. There will be a hearing before the Community Board 2 land use committee tomorrow evening (Tuesday, May 18) starting at 6:15 p.m. at St Francis College, 180 Remsen Street. According to the CB2 press release: “This public hearing is to be held prior to a monthly meeting of the Transportation and Public Safety Committee, which may make a recommendation to Community Board 2.”

If you long to have your half-caf latte al fresco, or if, on the other hand, you’re one of those folks who reflexively opposes everything, you may want to show up.

New Details Emerge in Starbucks Slap Heard ‘Round the Web

Thomas — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:05:20 +0000

While the NYPD and Starbucks have remained mum about Monday’s Starbucks slap that became a viral sensation, new details are emerging about the incident.

According to a tipster, the “Slapper” was a bald man who was not a regular customer at the coffee shop, but was with a regular.

When it all happened, “Dad” was trying to figure out how to calm his child while waiting for his drink. “Slapper” actually got out of his chair to argue with the Dad. Dad reminded Slapper that this was not Slapper’s living room, and that he was just waiting for his drink — all in a normal tone of voice. After this, “Slapper” let loose his hand and, yes, slapped Dad…

The NYPD said they had no information on the incident, and both the manager and corporate office of Starbucks had no comment. Also, our tipster said, “Unfortunately, the baby had no comment.”

It seems the “Dad” did the right thing in not raising his voice, said Jaime Wolf, a professor who teaches a class in conflict management.

“In these situations, it’s important to remain calm, if you don’t want it to escalate into a full-blown fight,” Wolf said. “When you speak to the other person don’t raise your voice, but don’t sound condescending either.”

What are you, readers? What would you have done in this situation?

BHB’s Starbucks Dad Slap Story Goes Viral

Homer Fink — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 23:18:51 +0000

Yesterday’s post about a Brooklyn Heights Dad being slapped by another patron at the Montague Street Starbucks has gone viral, as we believe is the vernacular.

NY Magazine’s Intel ran the story yesterday. Their post generated comments like:

Mmm, I love a venti Slappuccino in the morning. – NY Aaron

I expected this post to be much more ghetto than two spoiled men slapping each other around over a baby crying. What is Brooklyn coming to? – Cleavage Rhomboid

Starbucks Gossip picked up the story and one caffeinated fan to observe:

Parenting is a blood sport in that part of town. - Venti Urnex Latte

This afternoon, it was the lead story on Consumerist causing a commenter to say:

Waiting for a drink in a Starbucks? Do nothing. What’s the absolute longest you’ve had to wait for a coffee? 5min. Crying children make my ears bleed but, good Zod I can put up with it until my drink’s ready. – Julius Seizure

Last night, Homer and Qfwfq’s old pals at Fark.com linked to the story making this story and yesterday’s traffic the highest in BHB history. One commenter there used to live in Brooklyn Heights:

When I lived in the Heights it was very family orientated, but the last time I visited it felt like parts of Manhattan. It was yuppie-ish in the 90s but it seemed totally different last time I was there. I was surprised to see nannies on the weekend when I took our son back to the park he went as a baby.

I used to go to Hansens down the block — better and cheaper coffee (and they were there long before Starbucks). Some days I don’t miss living there. – DamageDude

Dad Slapped at Starbucks: Brooklyn Heights Justice or Just Plain Crazy?

Homer Fink — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:21:59 +0000

This dispatch just in from a BHB tipster claiming that a Brooklyn Heights Dad got a schmack on the head from another patron at the Montague Street Starbucks. Allegedly, the smacker felt that the smackee was not parenting properly by ignoring his fidgety baby while waiting on a latte. Do we call it instant justice or is it past the legal limit? Full eyewitness account after the jump:

I was in the Montague St Starbucks at 10:20 am today, maybe 10:25. A man outside had a baby in an upright-type stroller and was speaking with a woman who seemed very concerned. It seems that his child was fussing in the stroller while the man ( who I will call “Dad”) was waiting for his drink. When the baby kept crying another man complained to Dad: when Dad did not leave and stayed to wait for his drink, the non-dad man slapped Dad on the back of the head.

Now, I did not see this, but was there immediately afterward. Not only the woman outside with Dad, but the employees and other customers (including child-free individuals) were 99% on Dad’s side. (Only one man seemed to disagree, but he quickly demurred when reminded that one adult should not hit another over this, no matter how aggravating it should be.)

The police were called and the manager and an employee went out and spoke w/them and Dad. The Slapper was out of there by then, but I hope the store
security camera was on. I have seen frequent out-of-control behavior there, but this child was not crying, just looking cranky, when I saw him and he was in the stroller. Actually, I think the baby /toddler was in the stroller the entire time. Thankfully, Dad was very rational and saw no need to start the Thrilla on Montanilla. (It’s Monday, and I’ve had a lot of I coffee, so please pardon my literary excesses.) Slapper had left by the time I got there.

This did not seem to be egregious parental behavior. I have an elementary-school-aged child, and have been in situations like this. I always left the store if my kid got too cranky or loud; doing it once or twice seemed to alert the child to the consequences of misbehaving in an adult public place. One adult hitting another over this kind of thing like this is certainly egregious behavior to me.

More Details on Montague Street Summer Space

Thomas — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:14:35 +0000

More details are emerging on Montague Street’s upcoming Summer Space program, which begins next Sunday, September 13. The first Sunday, titled the Festival of Nosh, will feature free samples every hour on the hour, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. List of vendors, and a festival map, after the jump.

Here’s a breakdown of who is offering free samples or discounts.

Free Samples:

Chipotle Mexican Grill
Monty Q’s Pizzeria
Häagen-Dazs
Tenda Asian Bistro
Subway Sandwiches
Lassen & Hennigs
Starbucks
Heights Café
Teresa’s Polish-American Restaurant
Caffé Buon Gusto

Free Samples and Meal Offers:

Eamonn’s Irish Pub: free samples, plus a free drink w/ brunch
Taze Turkish Cuisine: free samples & free wine or dessert w/ meal

Meal Discounts:

Lichee Nut Chinese Cuisine: 10% off any meal
Nanatori Japanese: 10% off any meal
La Traviata Restaurant: 10% off any meal

Top 5 Things I Love About My Neighborhood

Lillian Ann Slugocki — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:42:25 +0000

I moved to Brooklyn Heights in 2000. At first, I didn’t like it. At first, I thought no one liked me. Now ten years later, I have a coterie of friends, neighbors, haunts, and even dogs I really like— especially, Hamilton, the white bulldog. Here is my list of the top 5 things I love about my neighborhood, and if you feel inspired, add 5 of your own.

1. The Brooklyn Heights Deli on the corner of Henry and State Street. Frankie, the proprietor, has been insulting me for the past five years, but in a good way. I am family. I’m in there at least three times a day (I know I should get a life). This location has been a store since the beginning of the 20th century.

2. Tazza on Henry between State and Atlantic. Simply the best cup of coffee in the neighborhood, far surpassing Starbucks. The freshest sandwiches, the flakiest croissants, and comprehensive wine bar. In the evening, I like to go there for a mocha bar and glass of white wine. There are always left over sections of the New York Times to peruse. The staff is out of this world friendly.

3. My friend, Butch, who sits on the corner of Willow and State. He grew up in the neighborhood. He is a font of historical information. He tells me that Willow used to have tons of marauding children (he was one of them), that he could swim in the river, and that it used to snow so much, you couldn’t walk down the street. He knows who owns what properties, what they paid for them, and the going rate for one bedrooms.

4. The YMCA on Atlantic Avenue, off Court Street. I’ve been a member since the fall of 2006. The membership is a true cross section of what makes this city so great— all cultures, all religions, families, single, straight and gay. It is meticulously maintained. It opens before the sun rises and closes long after it sets. It has a pool, a steam room, a sauna, tai chi, yoga, spinning, pilates (and more). It’s insanely cheap to become a member. Why would you bother with anything else?

5. The Dog Run at the end of State Street. The BQE looms overhead, but down below, Molly, my Shih Tzu, can socialize with her own kind; terriers, poodles, chihuahuas, and other assorted miniature doggies. The people are pretty friendly as well. There’s even a Saturday morning meet and greet. We stand there, coffee cups in hand, and gaze lovingly at our dogs running, gamboling and peeing on each other. Pure bliss.

“Unbiased” B’Paper Gives Thumbs Up to Dock Street DUMBO

Homer Fink — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:04:01 +0000

The Brooklyn Paper’s editorial board is saying “yes” to Two Trees’ controversial Dock Street DUMBO Project. In giving approval for the plan in this week’s edition they write:

What is often forgotten when passions run high is that David Walentas is not a drive-by developer who wants to destroy DUMBO while grabbing a few quick bucks.

He spent the last 30 years, patiently and meticulously, building modern DUMBO from a warehouse district into one of the city’s most-desirable neighborhoods, maintaining its architectural and historic integrity. He still lives on Main Street with his wife, Jane.

He’s made millions, yes, but we hardly think his opponents, many of them well off residents of Brooklyn Heights, want to make the intellectually dishonest argument that risk-taking, responsible investors should be denied a profit.

And lest we forget, all of the buildings that have earned the ire of DUMBO residents and workers — including the ugly Beacon Tower that destroys the view of the Manhattan Bridge and the 33-story J Condo — were the ones NOT built by Walentas.

While Walentas was nurturing arts groups and Mom and Pop stores, someone else brought in the generic Starbucks that DUMBO residents love to hate.

Time and time again, David and Jed Walentas have proven to be responsible stewards of their DUMBO holdings. Their Dock Street project should be approved.

This would be all fine and dandy if the paper hadn’t made such a big deal about its unbiased coverage. Literally yesterday, Brooklyn Paper publisher Ed Weintrob added a comment to a Dock Street story on its website proclaiming:

A few posters who oppose the Dock Street building have alleged that The Brooklyn Paper is a “shill for the developer,” that our reporting is “editorializing” and “a travesty of journalism,” and that we are “obviously biased and beholden to Two Trees” because we rent an office in a Two Trees-owned building.

We don’t expect everyone to agree with the emphasis of some of our stories (about Dock Street or anything else), and since we clearly know how to dish it out, we’re not going to grumble about “taking it” in turn.

But do regular readers of The Brooklyn Paper REALLY believe we are “shills” for developers? Please!

As for Two Trees, it is no secret that we are rental tenants in one of Two Trees’ DUMBO buildings (we’ve mentioned this in the past, and several posters have pointed it out on our own Web site — so, no secret). As far as we know, our lease terms are in line with those of comparable tenants. We PAY for our space.

So there is no conspiracy or secret payback here. We are not business partners with Two Trees in the sense that the business fortunes of Two Trees do not affect our bottom line (unlike, for instance, the New York Times, which has a business partnership in its Times Square building with Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner).

While our coverage is honestly motivated, we accept that people with equally honest motivations might choose to approach the story differently, and that is why this comment space is open to all reasonable parties.

Ed Weintrob
Publisher
The Brooklyn Paper

In this case, wouldn’t it have been better for Brooklyn Paper to not take a stand and maintain the illusion of fair and balanced reporting?

Nabe Columnist: Government Bad for Lunch

Homer Fink — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:06:18 +0000

The NY Sun may be gasping its last breath, but that’s not stopping nabe resident/columnist Sandy Ikeda from taking one last swipe at Brooklyn Heights’ infamous restaurant scene:

NY Sun: How Government…: Restaurants in the Heights must cater to the huge lunch-time crowd pouring from those institutions from 1 to 2 p.m. on weekdays because that’s where most of their business comes from. This market demands cheap food served and consumed quickly, not fine meals served expertly and savored slowly. For some reason few places can successfully combine the two. Consequently, few places to get an exceptional dinner.

Thus, on the first block of Montague Street west of the municipal buildings, other than a dozen or so banks, there’s a Chipotle and Eamonn Doran. The former is strictly fast food but the latter is an Irish bar that serves only passable meals at dinnertime. On the next two blocks there’s nothing special: a couple of diners, middling Italian restaurants, and other assorted ethnic places including Turkish, vegetarian Chinese, Thai, two mediocre Japanese restaurants, as well as a Starbucks and a Connecticut Muffin (my “office”). In fact, the only widely acknowledged “nice place” on Montague is Heights Café at the far end of Montague, about as far from Borough Hall as you can get.

Montague Street Starbucks: Not Dead Yet

Homer Fink — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:21:41 +0000

Starbucks announced a couple of weeks ago that it would close 600 stores nationwide. Today the first 50 stores in the dead pool were announced. While 3 are in New York, the long rumored to close Montague Street branch is not one of them. Yet.

Gossip Girl on Clark Street Today

Homer Fink — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 20:00:38 +0000

Filming in Brooklyn snapped a few photos of the Gossip Girl shoot on Clark Street today. Sadly, no sign of our hero Chuck Bass (Ed Westwick… reportedly already inside). One thing is for sure he wasn’t drinking a steaming cup of Starbucks. Let’s hope the crew stopped by Tazza. Got pics from today’s shoot? Post them to the BHB Photo Club on Flickr.

And now a few moments of the best TV character since Frank Burns… Chuck Bass…

The Montague Street Piazza Experiment Begins July 6th

Qfwfq — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:21:33 +0000

Every Sunday for the month of July, between 10am and 5pm, the Montague BID will transform Montague Street into a “pedestrian piazza” — which they stress will NOT be a street fair. Between Clinton Street and Montague Terrace, tables and chairs will be set up in the middle of the street, and the local merchants — such as Korres, Starbucks, Design Within Reach, and I kid you not, Key Food — will peddle their wares and give away swag. La Traviata and Caffe Buon Gusto will have expanded seating areas, and Hair Profiles will offer “al fresco” haircuts!

What about traffic?

Traffic-wise, this will only affect three blocks. Traffic will continue normally through Clinton, Henry, and Hicks, and Pierrepont Place will be reversed to run southbound 9am-6pm (this is where that two-way bit of Pierrepont Street between Willow and Pierrepont Place will come in handy). Oh, and don’t leave your car parked on Montague Saturday night, or you will find it towed away.

The Montague BID want to stress this will definitely NOT be a street fair — no outside vendors will be allowed to park their booths on the street. Those looking for cheap socks or Mozzarepas will have to go into Manhattan.

There will be a kick-off event outside Buon Guosto this Sunday (July 6th) at noon.

What do think? Good idea? Will you be chillaxing on Montague on a Sunday afternoon? Or will this just serve to highlight how lackluster Montague Street has become?

BHA Annual Meeting Live Blog

Qfwfq — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:52:38 +0000

Watch this space tonight starting at 7:30pm for BHB's Live Blog from the BHA's Annual Meeting.

7:41pm: meeting underway! they just finished reading off all the dignitaries attending. Mostly, its just their minions.

7:45pm: brooklyn bridge park!

7:47pm: tobacco warehouse – bha against privatization and tear-down.

they are also against noise. the next few years "exciting and terrifying"!

7:50pm: Francis Morrone will be documenting digitizing all historical data for every building in bkheights

7:53pm: uh oh. parking. talking about the resident permit parking. Otis Pearsall sighting!

7:55pm: they are setting up a "listserv". they will also add a modem to their BBS. actually, it will be a private yahoo group.

7:57pm: marty markowitz in the house! bill deblasio is carrying his lunch. fink refuses to call marty "little flower" no matter how much he wants it.

7:58pm: yassky in the houssky

8:00pm: channel 13's very own tom stewart! oh no its a telethon!

awarding the owners of bhblog fave le petite marche

8:05pm: hooray old buildings! montague terrace and 135 joralemon.

8:07pm: pets emporium gets props. boo banks! yay mom and pop! yay samhi! apparently, samhi oversees a family pet store empire.

8:10pm: talking about the recent hate crimes. overheard some woman behind me: "wow, I didn't know…"

HOORAY Cops! hooray rabbi!

8:15pm: extraordinary service award given to the pool lady. really? then bring it back!

8:17pm: tom stewart leaves the stage, but not before giving everyone a channel 13 tote bag

clyde haberman on stage. FORMER bkheights resident. lived here for like 6 months before shacking up with his future ex wife. "TMI as the kids may say"

8:21pm: his talk is "what is the future of life in nyc". no mention of flying cars yet.

tom stewart: waterboy

8:24pm: clyde: brooklyn lost its soul either in 1967 or 1957. either way, ej wasn't born yet.

he's actually giving a lively speech. do we really need another bank? do we need another starbucks?

8:28pm: says clyde: bloomberg admin – very good, but haven't met a developer they didn't like

bha liveblogging 2: electric boogaloo

8:33pm:: Clyde does not heart mcdonalds but he can afford to eat elsewhere… meanwhile those who can only afford mcdonalds are trying to wrap their heads around spending hundreds of thousands on a historically accurate stoop

8:38pm: clyde q&a. bert of bert and ernie fame has the floor. clyde TMI fact: he lives on the upper west side

8:43pm: people really are concerned about the demise of mom and pop stores in bkheights. clyde: stop hating on starbucks

8:47pm: clyde on upstate new york: nyc prisoners are their economic engine (think prisons)

8:52pm: did I just hear someone suggest bloomberg personally bribed union officals to keep labor quiet?

8:54pm: clyde talk ends. this meeting is over. ooooooh….refreshment time! everybody heads for the wine!

Look Out Park Slope, Here Comes Bucky

Homer Fink — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:44:57 +0000

Nabe blogger Bucky who has the folks at Cobble Hill Blog in a tizzy (if you haven't figured it out by now Fink also publishes CHB) has promised to bring her wrath to Park Slope TOMORROW! Fact is, we think she's found something that folks in Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill can agree upon — ganging up on Park Slope:

Bucky's World: Cobble Hill, You're So Easy: Anyway, tomorrow I have my sights set on pissing off Park Slope. Also, I'm now taking requests. Anyone else I should try and anger while I'm at it? Apparently, wanting to have a decent lunch on Valentine's Day and expecting good food and good service are too much to ask for in the Big C.H. That's something only crazy people in the suburbs should expect. Oh you crazy, suburban dwellers with your Olive Gardens and your Trader Joe's and your Starbucks…Wait a minute!

Flickr photo by evilben

BHA: Less Chains, More Variety

Homer Fink — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 22:36:45 +0000

The NY Daily News reports today that several chains including Starbucks and Duane Reade are looking for more locations in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Heights Association points out that more chains could mean less variety:

NY Daily News: Starbucks and Other Brands…: But not everyone is onboard for more chains in Brooklyn. "We not getting any variety. You turn around, you get another real estate broker, another bank, another cell-phone store," said Irene Janner of the Brooklyn Heights Association.

"We certainly have enough drug stores to OD ourselves. Where's the butcher? Where's the baker? They're gone!"

Montague Starbucks Booking?

Homer Fink — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:58:06 +0000

Thanks to "lady montague" for pointing out this item from yesterday's Eagle:

Brooklyn Eagle: Street Beat: The second item, regarding Starbucks looking to get out of its lease on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, is a real shocker. As they are known for putting so much effort in demographic and foot traffic research when deciding where to open their stores, we are pressed to remember when one of these gems have closed. Ever? We are not sure how quiet they intend to be, but the lease, which has years to go on it, is on the market.

Given the fact that there's another Starbucks a few blocks away on Court Street this wouldn't be such a devastating blow for the neighborhood… or would it?

Is it time for all Brooklyn Heights residents who hold Starbucks stock (Homer included) to dump it as a sign of protest?

Discuss below.

Photo: Cat in the Hat and Spidey storytime at Starbucks by Homer Fink

Brooklyn Heights Lady Loves Jersey Boys

Homer Fink — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 14:44:34 +0000

Philadelphia Inquirer: Passion for the Stage Paying Off: As Schmidt rose from her table at the Starbucks and headed back to the theater to prep for her evening performance, Kathleen Parker, 20, of Brooklyn Heights, ended her phone call so she could hurriedly ask, "Was that Sara Schmidt from Jersey Boys?"

When Parker was told that it was, her face lit up. "I really like her as Francine. There's something about how she plays it that I can relate to," said Parker, who has seen Jersey Boys 10 times.

“Busy Chef” Busy Copying and Pasting?

Qfwfq — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 18:14:20 +0000

Among the many oddities that we are aware of surrounding the “Corner of Cranberry” (and there are quite a few), one of the silliest is alleged “copyright and trademark infringement”. Though that’s probably not the case, we’ve actually received a couple of emails about this, and a commenter “Capulets” brought it up again:

Check this out, that coffee place Uncommon Grounds must be affiliated with Seattle’s Best Coffee in some way. On the Uncommon Grounds site it says this:
Brooklyn hasn’t always been the center of the coffee universe, in fact the city once served as much bad coffee as the rest of the country. That changed when a group of passionate coffee lovers started a revolution.

And on the Seattle’s Best site it says this:
Seattle hasn’t always been the center of the coffee universe, in fact the city once served as much bad coffee as the rest of the country. That changed in the early 70’s when a group of passionate coffee lovers started a revolution.

Actually, that entire blurb on the Uncommon Grounds website was taken from the Seattle’s Best website, not just the quote above. (note: looks like someone noticed the above comment and took down the copy. You can view the full blurb here) And this isn’t an isolated case of vigorous copypasting. When Busy Chef first came onto the scene, the language used both on the website and in emails sounded rather “Marketese” for such a small operation. So, we did a little research. The initial Busy Chef promo copy we received, and at one time on the website, seems to be taken directly from a business called Cena To Go, a prepared gourmet foods franchise based in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, the Busy Chef slogan printed across its shop window is just Cena’s “Only at Cena..can you see, smell, touch, feel and TASTE the difference!” slogan with the name replaced. I guess since there isn’t a copyright symbol next to it means it’s fair game.

After inquiring about the then new business at the end of March, an email we received from “Michael Burak, Director of Marketing” of Busy Chef was very suspicious. It turned out it was a slightly edited copy of Boston Market’s marketing factsheet. This is the first paragraph of the email:

The Busy Chef, is based in Brooklyn Heights, and its goal is to become a leader in the fast-casual restaurant category, providing time-pressed consumers with great-tasting, convenient meals and fresh bakery items. The company will translate its passion for fresh, great-tasting food into two distinctly different concepts. Busy Chef restaurants – will be noted for their easy, convenient, home-style meals and bakery items. The company also is partnering with leading supermarket chains to bring restaurant-quality, Busy Chef-branded meals so shoppers can enjoy the one-stop convenience of purchasing ready-to-heat meals at the same time they do their grocery shopping. Busy Chef is a wholly owned subsidiary of Busy Chef, Inc.

And from the Boston Market factsheet:

Boston Market Corporation, based in Golden, Colo., is a leader in the fast-casual restaurant category, providing time-pressed consumers with great-tasting, convenient meals. The company has translated its passion for fresh, great-tasting food into two distinctly different concepts. Boston Market restaurants – 630 locations in 28 states – are noted for their easy, convenient, home-style meals. The company also partners with leading supermarket chains to bring restaurant-quality, Boston Market-branded meals into the deli department so shoppers can enjoy the one-stop convenience of purchasing ready-to-heat meals at the same time they do their grocery shopping. Boston Market Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of McDonald’s Corporation.

The rest of the email follows a similar pattern. (What’s also interesting about that email blurb is that “Busy Chef, Inc.” actually should be “The Busy Chef, LLC“).

Also, the Busy Chef Cakes page, no longer linked to on the homepage, seems to be entirely ripped off from the Cakes page of Layers Bakery in Nevada. For instance, from the Busy Chef site:

We do not do SHEET CAKES. It’s just not what we do. We make ours round and with 3 layers sometimes 6 layers. If you need cake to feed a crowd, we suggest you get MORE THAN ONE! What a concept huh? You might even consider getting DIFFERENT KINDS so you offer a VARIETY.

And from the Layers Bakery site:

FIRST OFF, we don’t do SHEET CAKES. It’s just not what we do. We make ours ROUND and with 3 LAYERS, sometimes 6 layers (see coconut cake below). If you need cake to feed a crowd, we suggest you get MORE THAN ONE! What a concept huh? You might even consider getting DIFFERENT KINDS so you offer a VARIETY.

It all seems so silly to us: Why go through all this trouble for your nascent store to search, copy and paste from other existing businesses, when a simple “Hey, this is what we offer” would suffice?

In other news, Busy Chef appears to be opening a location in Crown Heights, according to an ad in rotation on brooklynpaper.com?

UPDATE: “Dan” from Uncommon Grounds contacted us with this response:

Uncommon Grounds is a co-branded retailer of Seattle’s Best Coffee. To become a retailer of their product, a business must undergo a thorough “screening” process. Furthermore, partners of Seattle’s Best are required to replicate – in many contexts including the web – certain graphics and language in their promotional materials. Much of this is provided on a CD, and is taken verbatim from their website, brochures and press materials. You may find all of this information on their website: http://www.seattlesbest.com/services/foodservice.aspx

We have found an example of this: Seattle’s Best Austin, however the Uncommon Grounds site was not executed in the same manner.

Busy Chef spokesman Michael D. Burak answered us as well:

I am an avid reader of your blog, and your recent email was forwarded to me just moments ago. As you know we are small start-up business, and do not have big budgets for a full marketing and web design staff.

One of our employees designed our initial site, and provided copy. Including copy for me as well. Her intention was one of good, and it is my fault for not looking into this before posting.

We have removed all of the said text from our site, and apologize to you and the community for this mistake.

In starting a new business you learn allot, and we hope that we can regain your trust and business going forward.

On another note, Uncommon Grounds which is a wholesale customer of ours, and is not owned or operated by us in any way, is affiliated with Seattle’s Best Coffee, and it’s parent company Starbucks.

Willow Street Stars at Summer Fringe Fest

Mtierney — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 14:59:22 +0000

I was off to make my 5:15pm coffee at Starbucks on Montague Street to interview Frank Anthony Polito (known as "Fran Q" to his friends, pronounced "Franc"), the author of Another Day on Willow Street, a new play premiering at the New York International Fringe Festival this summer. Always feeling late for everything, I ran right past Frank, who was sitting in the outside area donning a navy blue Detroit baseball cap.

But first things first, I had to grab my coffee and stake out the coveted inside territory so we could sit and chat comfortably. Only one table was available, which I promptly grabbed by placing down my coffee. After an aborted attempt to get him on my cell phone (please note to those who use Cingular, if you are not already aware the signal is non-existent in the back of the Montague Starbucks!), I left my coffee behind on the table and went out to look for Frank. We waved each other on in an attempt to acknowledge that we were indeed the parties meeting and went inside to chat.

Frank is boyishly cute and a lot of fun to talk with over coffee, which makes it easy to get to know him. He grew up in Hazel Park, Michigan, a place where he says few people wish to leave the comfortable life there.

But unlike most of his neighbors, he left town after high school, first attending Michigan State University and later transferring to the theater program at Wayne State University in Detroit. Upon graduation he landed his first role in local regional theater with a part in the play, You Can Never Tell.

After a year, Frank felt that he had to make the decision of most in the dramatic arts — to go to California or to New York City. Since he had friends in New York City, he settled in Carroll Gardens in 1998 and moved to Park Slope in 2005.

He's worked as an extra in films such as The Peacemaker starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman, One True Thing starring Meryl Streep and Renee Zellweger, and has had TV roles on Spin City and the soap opera One Life to Live. He worked on plays at the New York International Fringe Festival, and then left New York briefly for a role in the Washington, D.C. production of Terrance McNally's Corpus Christy.

Eventually, he enrolled in an MFA program at Carnegie Mellon University in dramatic writing, where the seeds were planted for his current play, Another Day on Willow Street.

Frank describes the play in a nutshell:

One straight couple and one gay couple try to understand the meaning of love, sacrifice and enjoying their current moments in Brooklyn Heights. Ian Brown and his wife, Stacy Gold, live in a beautiful brownstone on Willow Street. He is a Wall Street investment banker and she is a book publicist who is eight months pregnant. Stacy decides to give notice to her job in order stay at home with her new baby. But she soon realizes that after having a career she does not think she will be fulfilled sitting around the Heights drinking Starbucks. Having extra time to think things over, her mind starts to wander to fearful places she never thought she would go to; when the baby arrives how will this effect her life with Ian?

The other story line involves Mark Gray and his lover, Paul Green, who have been involved in a long distance relationship for two years. Mark also lives on Willow Street and is pursuing a career as an actor while Paul, a lawyer, chooses to work in Boston to be near his sick mother. Mark is facing his own issues with reality; in his case it is about coming out to his parents so that he and Paul can get married before Paul's mother dies. He struggles with committing himself fully to his relationship.

In the Fringe production, two real-life couples will star as the two on-stage couples. Frank plays the role of Paul while his partner, Craig Bentley stars as Mark. Frank says he wrote Willow Street so that the two could work together. Frank's Wayne State classmate Pamela Sabaugh is cast as Stacy Gold while her husband, Fred Backus, plays Ian Brown.

For those of you who happen to be in Dayton, Ohio on July 28^th, you can catch a staged reading at the Dayton Playhouse.

For more information:

Another Day on Willow Street

The New York International Fringe Festival is playing from August 10^th through 26th. Website: www.fringenyc.org.

Frank Polito: www.frankanthonypolito.com

The Lameness of Montague Street Garners Attention

Qfwfq — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 16:07:09 +0000

Via Curbed, the NY Observer asks "Montague Street R.I.P.?":

If not for the iconic promenade overlooking the East River at Montague Street’s westernmost end, the average visitor strolling past Chipotle, Banana Republic, Häagen-Dazs, Nine West and Starbucks wouldn’t know these hallowed Heights from, say, Shaker Heights, Ohio.

…

Even on the relatively warm Saturday night of March 10, when diners packed many of nearby Smith Street’s eclectic eateries, the less fashionable joints on Montague offered plenty of empty tables. After 10 p.m., as Smith Street’s youthful masses barhopped among its hotspots, Montague’s more mature (yet far less numerous) loiterers merely window-shopped, browsing the posted real-estate listings among the many brokerage offices lining its four blocks.

It seems that Montague Street is a victim of its own success; As it became popular for being an eclectic mix of locally-owned places, landlords decided to capitalize on this fame by jacking up the rent and actively looking for national-level businesses that can afford such prices. It's a short-sighted decision though, since they inadvertently pushed out what made the street special in the first place. Montague Street should serve as a warning to such areas as Smith Street and Park Slope: That is your fate if you give in to temptation.

So what's to be done? According to the NY Observer article:

[Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association] said that her organization is presently lobbying city officials in the hopes of enacting tax incentives or zoning changes to counter the chronic loss of locally owned businesses on Montague and to avoid more banks, real-estate agencies and national chains. (“If we wanted the sameness of malls, we’d move to the suburbs,” mused the so-called First Suburb’s organization newsletter last fall, however ironically.)

What do you think? Is there any hope such tax incentives and zoning changes will be implemented? Would it be enough? Is there anything your average resident can do to help?

One other thing interesting to note from the article — the utter lack of nightlife on Montague:

“The thing I miss the most—I would say the biggest change in all of my time on Montague Street, which is approaching 20 years—is the tragic end of the nightlife on Montague Street,” said Mitch Cutler, owner of St. Marks Comics, which has occupied two different addresses along the corridor.
…
“When we first started there, we had much later hours, because there were people in the bars all night,” he said. “We were making money all the way up until 11 o’clock. But when there’s no bars, there’s no nightlife, there’s no foot traffic; there’s nobody to buy comics, either. So we shortened our hours.”

I never understood the aversion to drinking establishments some folks, including the BHA, seem to have. They don't have to be sources of degeneracy. Look at Floyd on Atlantic Avenue — not only do they host a bocce league, but people consider it such an upstanding establishment they frequently bring their parents, children, and dogs with them.

Flickr photo by pijus