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Intangible Gifts for the Holiday Season?

Local artist and regular Brooklynian member Trainsmoke DeLeon is looking for an ‘intangible gift’ to give. Hum? Interesting. Tis the season and what better way to show you care then by giving present like a membership to a cultural institution or perhaps a subscription to a favorite magazine? Sweettea suggested a membership to Brooklyn Botanical Gardens while Peanuts went for a more personal touch:

Personal Training Sessions; Massage or any other beauty treatment the person may like; tickets to a show/concert; gift certificate to a restaurant

The most interesting idea came from UrbanCowgirl who gave her boyfriend his own Italian olive tree fromNudo. What’s Nudo, you ask?

Nudo is an olive grove. And part of it can be yours.
Adopt one of its trees for a year and you’ll receive all the produce from your tree. Imagine dunking your bread in your own oil from your own tree thousands of miles away on a hillside in Italy.

Want to hear more suggestion for intangible gifts? Check out the Brooklynian Park Slope message board.

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Fishy Business in the Slope

Pescadarians take note, recommendations on where to catch the freshest fish are pouring in thanks to Gretel who lives near C-Town on 9th, but wasn’t sure if “that is an ok place to buy fish?” Veets fills us in on the C-Town fish facts:

I have bought fish at C Town on 9th street for years and have had no problem They sell a lot of product and the men behind the counter are constantly cleaning and filleting so assuming that the fish come in there fresh (which is a big assumption in any fish store) and are handled properly once they arrive should be ok to buy there. At least that is how I justify it. It is a convenience to not have to go to another store just to buy fish when I am grocery shopping.

Idlewild also chimes in with a few great suggestions:

My first choice is Blue Moon at the GAP Farmer’s Market. After that it’s either Fairway or the Korean’s on 7th Ave between 2nd st and 3rd (corner of 3rd).

Other notable mentions go to Fairway in Red Hook, Fish Tales on Court St, Union Market on 7th Ave, and that “Japanese place on 7th b/t 4th and 5th.” Have a favorite place you like to shop for seafood? Join the discussion on Brooklynian Park Slope message board.

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Go Carting?

Need a cart for shopping, moving heavy items, or just hobo’ing around? The Brooklynian.com board’s got you covered.

Poster LJND recommends http://premiercarts.com/ which seems a bit overkill, as Blonkers points out:

If you just want one of the folding carts, you can usually find them at larger hardware, and grocery stores. The big supermarkets in NYC all sell them. They are really a great thing to have in the city for taking your laundry and doing your grocery shopping and they fold up for easy storage in small apartments.

Hate carts? Love carts? Need carts? Discuss it all here: Park Slope Message Board – Shopping Cart/Trolley? :: Brooklynian.com

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Grocery Round Up for Park Slopers

Lizschillare, a new member of the neighborhood, wonders:

“Where’s the best grocery store?”

Well, we’re glad you asked! LongTimeSloper was the first to chime in:

“Key Food on 5th Avenue-it’s far from you, but they do deliver and they have a large parking lot if you have a car.”

Other suggestions include, Steve’s C Town on 9th Street, Pathmark on 2nd Avenue, Union Market on 7th Ave or the one on Union Street, Eagle Provisions on 5th Avenue, and our personal favorite the newly renovated Associated on 5th ave and Union. If you don’t mind a longer trip for excellent produce there is always Fairway in Red Hook or if you rather make no trip at all, there’s the reliable Fresh Direct.

But tybur6 reminds us jokingly of another Park Slope option:

“I’m very proud of this group… 9 replies and no mention of the co-op! Well done.”

Yes, the Co-Op on Union Street. We love to hate it, but it does have an amazing selection if you can stand the membership ‘dues.’ Have another favorite to add to the list, post it on the Brooklynian Message Board: Best Grocery Store?

 

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Babeland and Lambda Legal Celebrate with Go Go Dancers and Free Drinks

Lambda Legal the organization fighting for the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, and people with HIV/AIDS, is pairing up with Babeland on Sunday, October 19th for a special night of drinks and dancing. Babeland representative LLinBklyn writes on the Park Slope board:

Join us at Babeland Brooklyn to celebrate Lambda Legal’s work and all things battery operated! 

Sunday, October 19, 2008, 7pm to 9pm
462 Bergen Street (b/w Flatbush and 5th Ave. in Park Slope) 

–free drinks 
–go-go dancing by Bloody Belle 
–10% off Babeland products 

$10 suggested donation 

RSVP (required for admission) at: http://ga4.org/lambdalegal/events/brooklynbabe/details.tcl

So what are you waiting for? RSVP now!

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Local Artist Opens Home to the Public for a Handmade Shopping Event

bk-homeshow-celebrations.jpg.

On Saturday, May 17, 2008, a local artisan will open her Downtown Brooklyn loft to the public for an intimate shopping event. Thirteen local artists and designers have been invited to showcase their handmade goods and to meet with shoppers for the one-day-only shopping event to take place at 170 Tillary Street #706.

The Brooklyn Homeshow will showcase a variety of locally-made goods including home decor, art and prints, toys, bath and beauty products, jewelry, paper goods, and apparel and accessories. A limited number of goody bags with free samples will be made available to shoppers who pre-register to attend. Refreshments will be served throughout the day.

First debuted in March 2008, the Brooklyn Homeshow is run by a group of sellers from the Brooklyn-based website Etsy.com, which is an online marketplace for handmade goods. The Homeshow is a grassroots extension of the online Etsy marketplace. One of the goals of the Homeshow is to support conscious consumerism by encouraging the purchase of locally-made goods. The show on May 17th will be much like the first Brooklyn Homeshow, with some new sellers participating in order to offer a larger variety of items for sale.

Karin Persan, who is hosting the event, says “It’s really a pleasure to be hosting our second Brooklyn Homeshow. I have been doing larger craft shows for some time now and it’s really nice to be a part of a smaller, more intimate event. It has been a great experience bonding with these extremely talented artists through Etsy.com. We are all very proud to be working together to create this unique show, where you can personally meet with buyers, and have a really fun time!”

To register for attendance, visit the Brooklyn Homeshow website at http://www.freewebs.com/bkhomeshow. Admission is free of charge. A limited number of goody bags are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

The event will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2008 from 10:00 am to 5:00pm at 170 Tillary Street, Suite 706 in downtown Brooklyn.

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“Healthy Back” Bags on 7th?

lirio writes in the Message Boards: Sometime last summer, my stepdad purchased a ‘Healthy Back Bag.’ I could swear we got it in a shoe store on 7th Ave., but the few that I’ve called don’t know what I’m talking about. If I remember correctly, it carried shoes like Timbs, Merrill, etc. I know that probably doesn’t narrow it down.”

“… Anybody know where I can pick up a bag like this in town or in Manhatttan? Tear-drop shaped backpack, one strap:”

http://www.ameribag.com/classiccollection.html

MORE: Shoe Store on 7th Ave. in Park Slope [Message Boards]

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Stodgy Seventh Gives Way to Hip Fifth (FULL TEXT)

LISA SELIN DAVIS wrote in the New York Times: “Fonda Sara … opened Zuzu’s Petals, a flower shop and nursery, on Seventh Avenue near Berkeley Place in 1971… after a fire last summer wiped out her home of 30 years, she could not find an affordable storefront on Seventh Avenue …”

“… she moved to Fifth Avenue near Fifth Street, joining small shops like Under the Pig Antiques and Galaxy Comics in making the leap from Seventh Avenue to Fifth.”

“As chain stores continue to replace small businesses along Seventh Avenue, its hip, younger sibling, Fifth Avenue, is becoming what its older brother once was: a home for entrepreneurial adventurers, many of whom, forced out by rising rents, have set up shop two blocks east and a world away.”

“… rents on Fifth Avenue are roughly $30 to $40 per square foot, half the rate along Seventh Avenue, which, with Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, commands the highest commercial rents in the borough.”

FULL TEXT: As One Strip Goes Stodgy, Another Turns Hip [New York Times via Gotham Gazette]