Dear Readers, Wishing You A Peaceful And Joyous Holiday Season

Dear Readers,
This year will be a Brooklyn Christmas for me and my family as it is my turn to host my relatives for the festivities. How wonderful not to have to travel and to be able to enjoy Carroll Gardens with all its decorated houses and the many lights at night.
It has been a busy couple of days as I am getting everything ready for my company, but now the house is decorated, the cookies are baked, the meals planned and the first relatives have arrived. By tomorrow, we will all be together, including my niece's two week-old baby, the newest member of our clan.

I would like to wish all of you a peaceful and joyous Holiday season. Thank you so very much for your friendship and your encouragement throughout the year. I will see you back here in just a few days.
With much appreciation,
Katia

Picture Of The Day: Freshly Baked

Old world Carroll Gardens.

Nothing tastes as good as Caputo's bread, especially when it just came out of the oven. 

Stange Mode Of Transportation Spotted on 2nd Street In Carroll Gardens

(photos courtesy of Alisa Mendelsohn)

Over the week-end, reader Alisa spotted a very unusual car/spaceship in the neighborhood and was kind enough to forward the photos she took of it.
She writes:
"Saw this crazy vehicle on 2nd Street between Smith and Hoyt Streets. The plates were from Montana."
Which begs the question: can you take this thing on the highway and milage does this  thing get?
But most importantly...how about all those empty parking spots on 2nd Street?

Does anyone have any information on this vehicle?

Picture Of The Day: Deflated

Seen on Court Street.

Not sure he is going to make it to Christmas to bring presents.

Threes Brewing In Gowanus Hosting Its Second Annual Holiday Market

 

(photos courtesy of Trees Brewing)

The folks at Threes Brewing at 333 Douglass Street in Gowanus invite you stop by their Second Annual Holiday Market being held in heated tents in their yard this coming Sunday. This is just another wonderful way of supporting a local business and spreading cheer by buying locally made gifts.
All that and you get to reward yourself with a drink after you are all done with your shopping.

From Threes Brewing:

Join us this Sunday, 12/18 from 12-6p for a fun and festive day for friends & family. Venture out to our winterized outdoor garden, which will include 10 local vendors! We'll be featuring crafts, gifts, attire, edible treats, graphics, accessories + more from friends!

Featuring:
Hiho Batik
Memory Threads
Balbec Beauty
Jennifer Dunham
We Gather
Sylvan Park
Raaka Chocolate
Crimson and Clove
Davis' Famous Pistachio Crack
Thirsty Candle Company
SureShot Records
Mactaggart Jewelry

A Moment In Time: A Light Dusting

On my way to Atlantic Avenue this morning.  

Smith Street sidewalk with a light dusting of snow.

Jewelry Designer Monica Castiglioni Opens First US Store On Court Street

Italian designer Monica Castiglioni just opened a small showroom at 268 Court Street between Kane and DeGraw Street. It is her first store in this country, though she has spent much time living and working in Brooklyn.  The store features Castiglioni's stunning jewelry made of solid bronze using an ancient lost- wax casting technique.  Her work is quite unique and some of her smaller pieces are rather affordable.
According to a press release
A new shop from Milanese designer Monica Castiglioni opens its doors on Court Street in Brooklyn just in time for holiday shopping, giving New Yorkers access to her striking, sculptural line of jewelry and accessories. The 1000 square foot retail store, gallery and event space is located in the historic neighborhood of Cobble Hill, Brooklyn.
The daughter of Achille Castiglioni, a renowned Italian industrial designer, Monica is a jewelry artist, photographer, sculptor and graphic designer. Embracing an aesthetic that is both sculptural and organic, much of Castiglioni’s work is solid bronze and is cast in NY and Italy, using a lost-wax technique. Other materials include silver, felt, Pyrex and 3D printed nylon. Often the organic shapes that manifest in her work are representative of flower pistils, a source of inspiration for Castiglioni who is drawn to the juxtaposition of order and chaos represented in the flower’s biology. Fine craftsmanship and a deep understanding of proportion and materiality are evident in her broad range of work, which is collected by tastemakers across the globe.
Castiglioni splits her time between New York and her native Milan, where she opened the first shop dedicated to her own work in 2010. With select pieces available at design stores across the US, including at the Cooper Hewitt and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, the opening of the Brooklyn showroom provides a first opportunity for New Yorkers to see her full collection in one place and to purchase in person. With hundreds of styles and shapes on display, shoppers will have the chance to create personalized and distinctive jewelry “sculptures”.

Through December, the showroom is open seven days a week from 11:00am-7:00pm.
Starting January 2017, it will be open by appointment on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 11:00am – 7:00pm Wednesday through Sunday.

So if you still need a gift for that special person in your life, make sure to visit. And if someone runs into my husband on Court Street, could you please drop a hint that I would love one of the rings?

Get Your Tickets To Smith Street Stage's Mid-Winter Wassail And Support Shakespeare In Carroll Park

Smith Street Stage, the brilliant theatre company that brings Shakespeare to Carroll Park ever summer, is hosting a Midwinter Wassail on December 17th at  The Genius Event Space in Gowanus.
Their annual fundraising 'extravaganza' will help support all of our programming in the next year, including the free performances in the park.
The event will include Anton Chekhov's Comic Short Plays, Live music by Northern, cocktails and appetizers, a Holiday photo booth and a DJ after-party.


From Smith Street Stage:
"Join us for an evening of music, entertainment, food and drink in celebration and support of Smith Street Stage! Come celebrate the end of our 2016 season and look ahead to next year including our 8th season of Shakespeare in Carroll Park, the Smith Street Early Stages workshop and reading series, continued work on our education initiative, and more! We can't wait to see you there!"

Smith Street Stage's 2nd annual fundraising event and 2017 season announcement:
December  17th, 2016
At 7pm
at the Genius Event Space
84 4th Street between Hoyt and Bond Streets)

Get your tickets here.

'Smith And Vine' Moving To New Smith Street Location In January 2017

Current location above

new location below

Smith Street's most popular wine and liquor store "Smith and Vine" just announced that it will be relocating from 268 Smith Street, its home for more than ten years, to the storefront at 317 Smith Street, just two blocks South and mere steps from the F train station at President Street.

The reason for the move may be the fact that the building currently housing the store is on the market for $3,350,000, which certainly means uncertainty for tenants and, most likely, higher rents in the future.

Smith and Vine's new location on Smith Street was, until recently, a tanning salon, and for many years before, the home of Armando's Tailor and Dry Cleaning.

Hopefully, this well curated neighborhood business will continue to thrive in Carroll Gardens for a very long time.

Source: Street Easy

A Moment In Time: A Walk Around The Block

Mid-morning on Court Street

Sweet Gingerbread Houses(s) Reappear On Court Street In Time For Christmas

Of all Holiday traditions in Carroll Gardens, the sweetest by far was introduced a few years ago by local resident Gordon Hawkins.
Gordon created a wonderful little faux gingerbread house complete with decor, Santa and a lit Christmas tree. He puts it on display in front of his home at 351 Court Street, between Union and President Streets.
It is his way to spread holiday cheer and his "Christmas gift to the neighborhood kids...young and old."

The 2016 version actually includes a second house with an even larger Santa inside.
It couldn't be any cuter, so make sure that you walk past with the kids. Theywill be thrilled.

As always, thank you Gordon! Wouldn't be Christmas in Carroll Gardens without your display!

The Rent's Too Damn High! Prada Power Yoga To Close Smith Street Location At The End Of The Year

Despite some recent openings on Smith Street, there are still far too many vacant storefronts on this once vibrant commercial strip.  Soon there will be one more.
Prana Power Yoga has just sent out an email to its clients informing them that it will be closing two of of its locations, including the one at 229 Smith Street.
The popular studio opened at this location in 2011.
The reason, like most other closings around here?  The inability of a well established business to negotiate a fair rent increase with the landlord once the first rent contract runs out.
How can anyone grow a business other than a bank or a major change under these circumstances, one wonders?

Blow is the email sent out by Prana owners Taylor and Philippe.

Dear Yogis,
We are sad to announce that our Union Square and Brooklyn locations will be closing as of December 31, 2016.
Our leases on these two wonderful spaces have run out, and we are unable to renew them at levels that make sense for a yoga studio.
We have been blessed to have been able to serve you all these years. We thank you for your commitment, passion, and inspiration.
While it is not easy to let go of these spaces, we take comfort in the knowledge that our practice of yoga transcends the purely physical aspects of asana. Our goal with Prana was always to create something more than just a physical space.
With many thanks for all the sweat, strength, and soul you've put into your practice, we wish you joy, courage and inspiration for the years ahead.
Thank you all, and may peace be with you.


Reader Maisy, who forwarded us the email, commented:
"This news bums me out! Prana Power Yoga promotes a healthy lifestyle in the neighborhood + is a small business (even w/ multiple locations). Rents must be out of control on Smith Street yet there are so many vacancies.
I guess landlords would rather rent to community dividing massage parlors instead of community building business that promote a healthy lifestyle."

Local resident Kimberly wrote:
Incredibly sad to hear of another closure on Smith street of a wonderful yoga studio. Hoping this smith street trend turns around soon...

We can only hope.  This is a sad state of affairs. Some storefronts on Smith Street have been empty for months, even years.  That includes the former St. Clair diner at the corner of Atlantic Avenue , which closed in 2013 and the storefront at 209 Smith Street that once housed FAN and the Burger On Smith, which has been empty since 2014.

Shop P.S.58's Holiday Book Fair To Support Visiting Authors Program

After the very sad news that Book Court, the beloved independently owned bookstore in Cobble Hill, was closing its doors after 35 years, it is more important than ever to support events like the one that P.S. 58 will be hosting Thursday and Friday of this week.

This fundraiser will benefit the school's wonderful Visiting Authors Program, which gives "students in all grades get a chance to hear a published author or illustrator talk about their work."

The sale is open to the public, so stop on by, shop, and enrich a child's life through literature.
Come shop the PS58 Annual Holiday Book Sale
Thursday 12.8 and Friday 12.9, at pick up and drop off in the lobby.
1000s of brand new books at great prices. (Most hardcovers $6 / Paperbacks $3)
PS 58 is located at 330 Smith Street. The main entrance is on Carroll Street