The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Cupid's Crafty Corner

I've loved this little start-up, based in the cubby next to the nail salon (which one, you might ask?) near the Sneaker King. I actually got to know the proprietor Ianthe Cupid (that's her name, y'all) when she was working out of the Caton Market and I bought a bunch of helium balloons for my daughter's birthday. (She offered free delivery, though I couldn't pass up the opportunity to walk home with two dozen multi-hued balloons rising from my hand, allowing me for a moment to savor my vestigial clown dream).

I started talking to Ianthe this morning and she happened to mention the accident 7 years ago that took her leg, and how she had to reinvent herself at that point from her dream of being an EMT, which was well on its way to fulfillment at the time of the horrible crash. Turns out her whole story was featured in the NY Times Neediest Cases, and you can read it all here from an actual journalist's keyboard. You'll note the excellent grammar, proofreading andfact-checking, which I consider terribly passé 
as, if, you, hasn't, noticed..

Ianthe went on to tell me she had lived at Lenox and Bedford from the time she was 8; that she had three kids and that her husband is co-conspirator of the party shop; that she witnessed the crazy stabbing of a dollar van operator a couple weeks back ( wacked out story I'll relate later). She was born in St. Vincent (the island, not the hospital, and not the indie heartthrob), and she's 100% Brooklyn, with the kind of immigrant pluck that keeps this the most exciting place in the world. Hell, if Brooklyn was ALL liberal arts grad macbook 'n' baby bjorners this would be one sad, sorry and predictable town. Actually...it'd be Portland.

Please, if you're having a party and you want some of that circus charm -- go see Ianthe and contribute to what I'm sure will be a very successful enterprise for her and her sweet-as-could-be family. Kick It, Cupid!

4 comments:

sarah said...

I just wanted to second the recommendation for Ianthe's balloon business. I popped in there to get balloons for my son's 3rd birthday party the week before Christmas. She did the balloons right there and then and had the perfect Thomas the Tank Engine balloon that my son loved! It was so quick and easy and absolutely stress-free! Plus, I only had to go around the corner to get there!

Anonymous said...

I'm really glad to know about her business and hear her story too. We'll certainly go to her for our birthday balloon needs.

Anonymous said...

Also a thought -- maybe it would make sense for her to pursue a job as a 911 operator or something else in emergency services administration. She'd still be helping people as she wanted to do before. Good luck to her.

Cupid said...

Thank you everyone for the nice comments... Didn't even know these comments were up here! A friend told me about them... Thank You so Much.. My Family and I really appreciate it. To answer the comment about the job as a "911 Operator or EMS"... Nah... I love my new business... Plus I get to spend more time with my kids ! Thanks Again BYE!!