SHEEPSHEAD BAY'S ONLY INDEPENDENT NEWS BLOG

A spate of business reopenings in the last few weeks has seen some key shopping and eating destinations return to Sheepshead Bay for the first time since Superstorm Sandy. In contrast to recent news reports that have said as many as 40 percent of Sheepshead Bay businesses remain closed, the vast majority of businesses on Sheepshead Bay Road and Emmons Avenue are now open, sending a clear message to would-be visitors: Sheepshead Bay is open for business.

Here’s a rundown, in photos, of the latest businesses to reopen, some newcomers altogether, and what we’re still waiting for.

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We first told you about Jumpin’ Bean, a new Mexican restaurant slated for 3081 Emmons Avenue, way back in early October. At the time, they had planned to open just a few weeks later.

Then Sandy hit. The entire interior needed to be redone, and all kitchen equipment replaced (the kitchen, mind you, is a few steps below street level).

It took some time, but the restaurant quietly opened its doors on Wednesday, and has asked us to spread the word to our readers.

On a related note, V & S Pizzeria on Emmons, and Munchinette and Delmar’s Pizzeria on Sheepshead Bay Road are all now open as well. Istanbul on Emmons Avenue should be opening any day now, if it’s not already.

I’m going to go get a margarita to celebrate the recovery!

Royalty is coming to 2663 Coney Island Avenue, for who else would reside in Sultan Palace other than the sultan?

Well, we passed by yesterday, and we didn’t see any sultans hanging around. We’re still not quite sure what the plan is yet. But if we were to guess, we’d say it’s one of those places where the menu will most likely say “restaurant, cafe, lounge and hookah bar.”

Just a feeling. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Photo by Bart Ettinger.

Advance Auto Parts – “a leader in the automotive aftermarket” – is coming to 3720 Nostrand Avenue, the location of the shuttered R & S Strauss Discount Auto.

The storefront has been empty since last June, when Strauss declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and shuttered all stores overnight – a story that Sheepshead Bites was the first to report nationally. More than 700 were left without a job, and patrons of the two local stores – here and at 2570 Coney Island Avenue – were puzzled to find the buildings locked.

The Coney Island Avenue location is slated to become a seafood restaurant operated by the owners of Chateau De Alik (1223 Avenue U).

Advance Auto Parts is a Fortune 500 company with more than 3,500 stores nationwide, the nearest being in East New York. They are based in Roanoke, Virginia.

The grilled whole salmon from the newly-reborn Amberjack V Mediterranean restaurant.

Amberjack V

The Amberjack V (Emmons Avenue, Pier 10), a long-time staple of Sheepshead Bay’s harbor cruise fleet, was reborn when it reopened on Friday as a Mediterranean restaurant operated by the same folks behind Anatolian Gyro (1605 Sheepshead Bay Road).

The new seafood restaurant, cafe and bar will keep the old name to honor its former owners, but won’t be making the trip out into the open ocean anytime soon, said Metin Turan, Anatolian’s owner and now partner in the Amberjack. Instead, they’ll be serving their Turkish and Mediterranean fare dockside, only leaving port for special event cruises.

The restaurant has a full bar and the menu is dominated by seafood, befitting its location on the waters of Sheepshead Bay. It has two floors, seating approximately 150, and in good weather will also have outdoor seating. Belly dancers and live music will take place on the ship’s deck, luring in would-be patrons.

“People want to come and eat and enjoy the city’s waters, and listen to a little music,” Turan said. ”It’s something new and something interesting [for the Sheepshead Bay marina].”

The 120-foot-long vessel was previously owned by Fred Ardolino, who also owns the Atlantis, a larger cruise boat docked in the Bay. The Amberjack V has made history twice – first when Ardolino became the first in the Bay to convert a fishing boat to a dinner cruise ship in the late 1980s; and again on September 11, 2001, when she and the captain, Vincent Ardolino, played a pivotal role helping evacuate survivors from Manhattan to other boroughs in the largest sea evacuation in history.

And if anyone thinks opening a restaurant on a ship in the Bay is a bad business decision after Hurricane Sandy, Turan is undeterred.

“This was here in Sandy and nothing happened to it. The good thing about the boat, as long as you [give the rope slack], the boat goes up with the water,” Turan said. “And you can always take the boat out to a safer place.”

The Amberjack V will celebrate its grand opening at noon on Sunday.

Avenue U will soon be home to Art Station, a new business selling art supplies and services.

Located at 1303 Avenue U, the storefront was previously home to White’s Silk Shop, a fabrics and home decorating business.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Art Station!

Thanks to Lisanne for the photo and tip.

Looks like MetroPCS has opened up a new location at 1401 Avenue Z, on the corner of East 14th Street.

The business opened its doors a week or two ago. It replaces Admire Boutique, which moved across the street and down the block after Superstorm Sandy.

We’re not sure, but this location could be a move for the MetroPCS that was at 1710 Sheepshead Bay Road, which shuttered after Sandy. Another MetroPCS location opened and then quickly closed on Sheepshead Bay Road in 2012, just around the corner from where this one is now located.

Good luck in the new location, fellas.

Posted this morning on Di Fara’s Facebook page:

[Di Fara] is happy to announce that several doors down we will be opening a tiny take out place offering all our old menu items that so many have been missing. We will have pasta, heros, salad and more.We expect to open mid April. All our products will use the finest and freshest ingredients as we always do at Difara….please, no questions at this time…Will update as we see fit ! Thank you….Happy April !

Eater, which was the first to report on this off-shoot of the current Di Fara’s location (1424 Avenue J), notes that it will be the first time in at least 10 years since Di Fara sold pasta dishes.

KamaSutra sex toy shop got neighbors all hot and bothered when it opened in 2010, but gained some sympathy when it became one of the first stores to make clear it wasn’t reopening after Superstorm Sandy got it all wet and dirty.

Seemingly overnight, a new T-Mobile cell phone store and internet cafe opened up in the 1717 Sheepshead Bay Road storefront, replacing the business and hearkening back to the heady days of, um, cell phone shops opening on Sheepshead Bay Road and internet cafes being a thing. What was that, like, 2004? Where has the time gone…

Welcome to the neighborhood, T-Mo.

This is a paid announcement from LA Boxing Brooklyn, located at 16 Brighton 11th Street.

LA Boxing Brooklyn is officially open and will host a Grand Opening Party on Saturday, March 16, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Click to enlarge

• Grand Opening class schedule
  • 9:00 a.m.: Kid’s MMA
  • 10:30 a.m.: Kickboxing
  • 12:30 p.m.: Boxing
  • 2:30 p.m.: Kickboxing

• Live Music by Deejay Gio and Alex Edge
• Healthy Food and Snacks
• Massage therapist
• Health and Fitness vendors
• Prizes and Giveaways
• Free Personal Training sessions
• Free Fitness Assessments
• Killer deals on merchandise!
• TRIPLE member referral discounts! That’s $15 off your monthly membership rates, or 3 months free on a paid in full referral, or 3 personal training sessions, or $75 merchandise credit.

Save the date, bring your friends, family, and coworkers and plan on getting to LA Boxing Brooklyn on March 16 for a great workout and an awesome Grand Opening party! Call us at (718) 975-7100 to reserve a spot for a free trial class.

LA Boxing Brooklyn, 16 Brighton 11th Street, (718) 975-7100 or e-mail brooklyn@laboxing.com. Follow LA Boxing Brooklyn on Facebook.

The above is a paid announcement by LA Boxing Brooklyn. Sheepshead Bites has not verified the claims made in this advertisement. If you own a business and would like to announce a special offer to tens of thousands of locals, e-mail us at advertising [at] sheepsheadbites [dot] com.