Photo by BrooklynQ
Looks like our prediction about Walgreens and Duane Reade closings around Southern Brooklyn is coming true even faster than we thought it would. A Kings Highway Duane Reade store closed just two weeks ago, and a reader then told us that the Duane Reade location on Avenue J and East 16th Street also closed.
Now word is coming in from tipster extraordinaire BrooklynQ that the Walgreens at 1721 Avenue U (between East 17th Street and East 18th Street) is closed for business.
The closing shows that the chain is not at all timid in shuttering newly-constructed facilities. This particular location was previously the last bastion of our beloved local chain Morris Discount, which Walgreens purchased in June 2008. Since it took up the property, it seems work on it has been never-ending, with a storefront expansion a year ago, and finally a reconstructed facade just finished within the last few months.
And now… it’s closed. For good. A whole lot of work for nothing, and a storefront not so easily adjusted for non-Walgreens uses. What will happen to the newly-completed Bragg Street Walgreens, which sits in spitting distance from the high-traffic Duane Reade Nostrand Avenue location? We don’t know, but if they shut it down it means an entire new construction goes to waste…
But back to 1721 Avenue U – be advised that pharmacy records have been transferred to the Duane Reade at 1417 Avenue U.
Just one of the homes that participated in May's block-long yard sale
A resident of Oxford Street sent me the following note. It’s the second block-long garage sale they’ve organized this year, the first being in May:
After a hot and humid summer with the 90 to 100 degree weather, some residents of Oxford Street and Pembroke Street in Manhattan Beach are planning to have another garage sale on Saturday, August 28th. The event will run from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with rain date the following day (Sunday, August 29th).
This is a perfect opportunity to clean house, mingle with your neighbors before the summer begins to wind down and turn some of your “excess baggage (and don’t we all have at least some of that?)” into a few useful dollars. So get your things together and put a table or two in front of your house on August 28th.
Looking forward to your participation!
A reader sent us this photo and a note saying Century Mart of Avenue U, located at 2309 Avenue U, appears to be closed for good. The Asian food market has served the neighborhood for several years, and there didn’t seem to be any advance notice about its closure. We tried calling the business’s number, but found it was disconnected.
In the window of the store is a sign advertising commercial lofts for rent on the second and third floors of the building, but no information about the ground-level business. Could it be temporary? Keep an eye on this space and let us know if you see any changes.
Sneaker Corner's old look - Source: Google Maps
Three businesses on and around Nostrand Avenue are fixin’ up the joint, including Brooklyn’s Sneaker Corner, which redid its storefront. The decades old business at 3570 Nostrand Avenue has a new look with a real sign on the way. It’s old sign has been a Sheepshead Bay fixture with a lot of character, so I look forward to see if the new sign will be an improvement to this rather dreary stretch of Nostrand Avenue businesses.
Currently closed for renovations are two Avenue U businesses a few blocks shy of Nostrand Avenue. Pizzeria Del Corso (3003 Avenue U) has been closed since at least last week with a sign in the window informing readers of the work going on inside. No word on when it’ll reopen. Also, Jay & Lloyd’s Kosher Deli at 2718 Avenue U is shuttered for repairs. We’ll let you know when the area’s only kosher-style deli is reopened. I hear good things about this place, but never had the chance to try it. I’ll remedy that when doors are open again.
Screenshot from iShopBrooklyn.com
In an effort to bolster neighborhood economic centers across the borough, Borough President Marty Markowitz has launched Shop Brooklyn, a partnership with more than 190 Brooklyn businesses to offer back-to-school and other promotions.
The problem is, none of the businesses are in the Sheepshead Bay area, and only a smattering are in Southern or Eastern Brooklyn.
We found just five establishments in the seven area codes that cover Sheepshead Bay and nearby communities.
Keep reading to find out what’s wrong with the Borough President’s planning, and see which (somewhat) local stores are participating.
No, it’s not the same photo from yesterday. It’s a brand new photo taken around 4:00 p.m. today. Look close. Really, really close.
KamaSutra, the scandalous ‘sex shop’ we told you about this morning, did indeed make good on its promise to Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz. The did change their 1717 Sheepshead Bay Road window display. But only a careful eye would notice.
Keep reading after the jump, to see more photos (sorry, too provocative for our front page) and find out what changed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The photos after the jump show closeups of some of the items in the window display. Some may consider the images graphic. The images may not be safe for viewing in a work environment.
Find out what’s still in KamaSutra’s display, and what’s not.
A “sex shop” opened on Sheepshead Bay Road this Tuesday, and its risqué window display is getting residents hot under the collar, spurring one local politician to take action.
KamaSutra at 1717 Sheepshead Bay Road sells skimpy lingerie, sex toys, novelties and massage oils, in addition to a handful of unrelated merchandise like glass pipes and water pipes.
The owner, who declined to give a name other than “John,” said he’s been running shops like KamaSutra for thirty years. He thought Sheepshead Bay is as good a location as any to pimp his provocative products.
“A place like this is going to work anywhere,” he said. “We’re all the same. We all use lingerie, we use toys. This can work anywhere.”
But some residents and store owners along Sheepshead Bay Road want KamaSutra out, saying it doesn’t belong in the neighborhood.
Read neighbors’ objections to Sheepshead Bay’s
Dynasty Sports opened last Friday, filling the storefront at 1612 Sheepshead Bay Road that has sat empty since the neighborhood greasy spoon New Clements Restaurant closed last August.
The store sells sneakers, sportswear and accessories from brand names including Adidas, Reebok, Nike, The North Face and more. To celebrate their grand opening, they’re offering 40 percent off merchandise all week long.
“The people around here are classy people,” said store manager Mike Abd. “They’re looking for something fashionable and we want to give them something they’ll like.”
The store is the most recent expansion of a 15-year-old business, with five other locations around the borough. Two of the other locations use the name MetroSport.
For those tired of eating fruits and vegetables that have traveled farther than the eater ever has, relief is here. Coney Island Hospital has partnered with Harvest Home Farmer’s Markets to bring local produce to the streets of Sheepshead Bay throughout the summer and into the fall.
Sheepshead Bay’s farmer’s market set up shop for the first time on July 9, with vendors lining the pedestrian median in front of the hospital (Ocean Parkway between Avenue Z and Shore Parkway). The seven vendors will hawk fruits, vegetables, baked goods, juices, nuts and olive oil every Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. until November 19.
“[The market] is part and parcel of our efforts to support a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating and reduce incidence of diabetes and chronic disease in our community,” said James Saunders, associate executive director of Coney Island Hospital.
Find out more about Sheepshead Bay’s farmer’s market.
Walmart’s best opportunity for a Brooklyn location is still the soon-to-be-built Gateway II development. But one lawmaker said he’s got the developer’s word that Walmart won’t be considered.
City Councilman Charles Barron, whose district covers the proposed Gateway II shopping center, said he extracted a promise during the site’s approval process that Related Cos. – the developer – wouldn’t accept Walmart as an anchor tenant.
“I had to accept Related’s verbal commitment,” Barron told NY Post. “If they want to go against their word, they’re going to have to deal with city officials in other projects who will see them as a company that cannot be trusted.”
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