Count Your Blessings! She's Back In Biz

After a long-seeming short hiatus, Lilli and company at BLESSINGS are back in business at 663 Flatbush tween Winthrop and Hawthorne! 8am - 4pm daily, and brunch on weekends 9:30 - 3:30. Congrats. Again! We love you Lilli!

Erv Turns One

Hard to believe it's just a year. The little cocktail bar that could certainly has.

And for those of you who prefer a little gossip with your flyers, Erv's will soon triple in size. Don't think I need to tell you how that's gonna happen.

Warms the Q's Heart

Cleanup Day for the Flabenue. November 7. Be there! More info to come.

Closing In On Landlord Gold

Couldn't help but take note of the price on a two-bedroom at a pre-war buidling at Flatbush & Rutland. $2400. Reason being I recall that a two bedroom a decade ago could run you $1200. That number stuck in my mind, because folks were complaining that apartments had topped the $1,000 mark in the neighborhood. From my own experience, I remember thinking geez that's do-able. Get a roomate, pay $600. Wait tables, work a shit job. You could do it, no problem. That's for young folks though. A family typically has fewer options for upward mobility, and is looking to put down roots. Hard to do that once an apartment leaves stabilization. And we're getting closer all the time in Flatbush/PLG/Lefferts.

So what's $2,400 in 2015 dollars? $1,464, according to ye old inflation calculator. NYC median income has barely budged, after dropping through the Great Recession.

You're smart. I don't need to tell you what it means. NYC continues to become more and more unaffordable to working and creative classes, by which I mean folks earning less than median but still working their butts off. Those working as teachers, city workers and non-profit employees are wondering if this City has a place for them in its economic stew. Certainly NYC is in no peril. It will continue, even thrive. But it's rapidly becoming a different City than the one most of us moved to or were born into. Thus, fear. Thus big policy changes proposed by the current administration.

The question the Q poses is this: are we prepared to change the way we think about our City in order to create more means-tested housing? Housing for teachers, artists, low-income workers. Of course there will be trade-offs - parking, height, density and more. But in my opinion, if we're too protective we risk losing NYC's greatest strength, both culturally AND economically - the incredible diversity of its people. An economic ecosystem is a delicate balance between trades, government, service workers and high earners. Plus, there will always be those who, for a variety of reasons, need support. Elderly, infirm, crisis-torn, unemployable. The percentage that fall into that last category are unlikely to fall just because overall income rises. It's an inevitable consequence of capitalism; we seemed to have made our peace with that as a country, though some would rip even the social safety net apart.

It's not for nothing that some very smart people are taking this very, very seriously.

Here's the ad:

Prospect Lefferts Garden
Flatbush Ave At Rutland Rd B.Q.S. Trains

All New Renovated 2br HH Water Inc Hardwood Floors High Ceiling Brand New Kitchen With SS Appliances + Dishwasher Lovely Common Room Equal Size Bedrooms Closet Space This Unit Will Go Fast!

$2,400

You're All Invited - Even the Dieters

The Q's such a country bumpkin he don't know a beignet from a beanie. But I'm sure they taste dang good, especially as done by expert dessert maker Michael Allen. Free too! See you THURSDAY on the 'Strand.

"Ambassador's" Housing "Council" at "Crown Heights" Library

They may call it the "Crown Heights" branch of the Public Library, but we know better don't we. And I have no idea what "Ambassador" is being referred to here. But no matter, our girl Diana is taking the fight to the people and that's what matters."

FAR To the Max

Apparently this dude wants to build to the limit on 88-92 Linden Boulevard, according to The Real Deal.

Actually the article says Boaz Gilad of Brookland wants to build big as he can, meaning it's "as of right" and ain't nobody gonna stop 'im. But more to the point, this rendering really nails a vision of the neighborhood that shows what you can build up next to one of these older six story buildings. A hodge here, a podge there. And lots of glass, supposedly because no one needs privacy anymore. Actually in the age of Google and the NSA we sold out our privacy already. For ease and convenience and Facebook stay-in-touch we gave it all away. So why not dance naked in our apartments for all to see? There's nothing left to hide anyway.

Is it my imagination, or is the renderer of this property a cut above? Seems almost impressionistic. Look at the trees and sky - a frustrated high artist? Might look nice above the living room sofa. Hmm. Let me take a look at it again...

Demolitions

The Q didn't even know that a sheet like this existed. That's what happens when you don't ask...don't ask, don't find out. So many questions can be answered through the District Manager. More demos and excavations on the way, fyi.

Wind Warning: Beware the Sukkah Punch

You know you live in Brooklyn when...you see adds for Sukkah Depot and you don't bat an eye. Or you see a scene like the below and know exactly what's going on. Maybe you crack a smile, but you got to get to work and maybe you've forgotten it by lunch.

Pedi-Sukkahs on Eastern Parkway

Then you walk by a building and see a bunch of small structures on the balconies. And maybe you read up on your Sukkah history. And maybe you know that sukkah sometimes gets spelled succah, like in the concerned email I got from the cops. Read on:

All community members of the 71 Precinct please take  moment and check your yards, windows, and roofs and remove any possible objects that may become air born with high winds.  
Please check all Succah's to assure they are firmly assembled and free from any objects that may become air born with high winds.  Please use extreme caution inside these structures during sever wind conditions. 

The bicycle succah/sukkahs are actually part of a long tradition of Mobile Sukkot Shacks. As in...

As far back as Roman times, the ancient sages of Israel taught that it was permissible to build a sukkah on a boat, chariot or even on the back of a camel. They also established that a sukkah must be at least 10 handbreadths tall. Yet it is hard to imagine that anyone foresaw the same laws being applied alongside those of aerodynamics to design a sukkah on wheels. 

Hey man. The laws the law.

It's Official! Greenlight Bookstore Dips Toes In Lefferts

The Q's too busy and bruised (don't ask) to be all chatty today, and what's there to say anyway? Books. Books are good. Reading Is Fundamental. (old enough to remember RIF?) Until Greenlight manages to get a whole storefront in the nabe (no he didn't!) parents will settle for an awesome next best thing - Lefferts mom and co-owner Rebecca Fitting's award-winning independent book store is coming to the Flabenue. Co-locating with Shelley Kramer's Play Kids means now you'll leave that store having spent DOUBLE what you already didn't expect to buy in the first place. (Daddy, you promised!!!!!)

The Press Release is the text below, since paraphrasing it and pretending I wrote it is something that professional journalists do, and I'm not a professional journalist. I'm only paid like one.

Greenlight Bookstore Opens PopUp at Play Kids

Brooklyn business collaborate to bring books to the families of Prospect Lefferts Gardens Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood favorite Play Kids is teaming up with Brooklyn’s own Greenlight Bookstore to host a bookstore popup in the beloved toy store. Beginning in October 2015, Play Kids’ Flatbush Avenue location will feature a selection of children’s books stocked and curated by Greenlight, offering a richer experience for local families.

"Shopping small & shopping local is near and dear to our heart,” write Play Kids owners Carl Black and Shelley Kramer, who live in the neighborhood. “Greenlight has always been our favorite bookstore to shop for ourselves & our kids, and we've often referred customers to their Fort Greene location. It's so exciting for us to now have their well curated selection of kids books at Play Kids. We've brought the best of Brooklyn together at one location."

“Greenlight is excited to partner with Play Kids,” writes Greenlight’s coowner Rebecca Fitting, who also lives in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood. “It's not only a great opportunity for two small businesses to collaborate on a project, but having this popup shop inside of their toy store makes it possible for us to bring books to the neighborhood in a way that feels special.”

Play Kids was established in 2011, born out of Black and Kramer’s desire to create a toy store that catered to the neighborhood they called home. The store’s focus is on open ended toys that grow with the child and family, and toys and games that stimulate children both mentally and physically, sourced from small, locally owned companies whenever possible.

In 2014 the store added an event space and began offering classes in art, science, and music. Play Kids was named New York Magazine 's Best Toy Store in 2012, and was also recognized by the N ew York Daily News as one of New York's Best Toy Stores. Greenlight Bookstore was founded in 2009 in the nearby Brooklyn neighborhood of Fort Greene / Clinton Hill, by Fitting and coowner Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, who had over 28 years combined experience working in independent bookstores.

Named one of the best indie bookstores for kids and families by T ime Out New York in 2015, the bookstore has received national and international attention for its innovative communitybased
startup model, its curated book selection and customer service, and its flourishing program of author events. Greenlight partners with many Brooklyn businesses and institutions for sales, events, and more, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), the Brooklyn Flea, St. Joseph’s College, BRIC, Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration, and others.

“Local partnerships are the best way forward for independent businesses like ours,” writes Bagnulo. “Our partnership with Play Kids is a new model for us, but it’s in the spirit of our ongoing commitment to becoming a local Brooklyn institution that serves its community. We’re thrilled to extend that community beyond Fort Greene to Prospect Lefferts Gardens.”

The popup shop is managed by Greenlight’s offsite sales manager Annie Trizna, who works with both businesses to curate a selection of children’s books covering all ages, interests, and price points. The selection at Play Kids will be updated regularly, with attention to neighborhood needs and interests. For more information