It's been a little over three years since ILFA started up (obligatory link to the first post here), and while the blog and its writer have changed quite a bit since then, there's still no shortage of things to talk about on the Avenue. One constant, of course, has been neighborhood change - by ILFA's latest count, no fewer than 35 new businesses have opened on or just off Franklin between Eastern and Atlantic since the lady and I moved in at the beginning of August in 2008, and the past year has been especially active. Thus, without further ado, it's time for the annual breakdown of commercial development on Franklin Avenue. As always, let me know if I've missed anything.
In last year's rundown, ILFA counted 21 new businesses (with 7 more coming soon), 17 renovations, and 15 closings (including two new and two renovated businesses) along Franklin since summer 2008. This year, with 6 out of those 7 projects completed and another 8 businesses open, the grand totals since 2008 look like this: 35 new businesses (with 5 more coming soon), 21 renovations (completed or in progress), and 19 closings (including three new and three renovated businesses). The complete lists look like this:
35 New Businesses (working north from Eastern - this year's additions in bold):
The Pulp and The Bean
The Pulp and The Bean
wino(t)
JamRock KitchenMazon Discount
Veggies
Barboncino
Brooklyn Inkspot (the one next to Dutch Boy)
Dutch Boy Burger
The Breukelen Coffee House
Franklin Park
Nairobi's Knapsack (now closed)
Dutch Boy Burger
The Breukelen Coffee House
Franklin Park
Nairobi's Knapsack (now closed)
Pine Tree
Away We Go Postal
The Beauty Boutique
Chavela's
Chavela's
The Candy Rush
Rosebud Vintage
Lily & Fig
LaunchPad
First Impressions Dental
Alternative Healing
MySpace Realty
LaunchPad
First Impressions Dental
Alternative Healing
MySpace Realty
Owl and Thistle General Store
BNI Express Laundromat
Crow Hill Jewelry (the pawn shop)
The Pana Store
Crow Hill Jewelry (the pawn shop)
The Pana Store
Sweet Basil
Franklin Roadhouse (might be closing?)
A Slice of Brooklyn
Oaxaca Taco (now closed)
Oaxaca Taco (now closed)
Gueros Tacos
The Laundromat in the Jewish Hospital (on St. Marks)
Compare Foods
Posh Nails NYC
Kecia J. Weaver Law Office
5 Coming Soon:
739 Franklin (lounge)
The Crown Inn (new bar/restaurant from Franklin Park owners)
Salad Bar (in the former Inkspot Space)
Pharmacy (at St. Mark's and Franklin)
Gym (as mentioned by Tish James at the CHCA meeting)
21 Renovations and Expansions (done, planned, or in progress):
Fisher's/Bob & Betty's
Gourmet Deli Grocery (Lincoln and Franklin)
Golden Chopsticks
Franklin Express Laundry
Franklin Express Laundry
Brooklyn Inkspot (moved up the block)
Franklin Park (the big bar)
Breukelen Coffee House (the back room)
Nam's (forever rearranging/renovating)
Breukelen Coffee House (the back room)
Nam's (forever rearranging/renovating)
Christopher Deli (new awning)
Bristen's/Island Thyme (now closed)
About Time (always keeping it fresh)
J&B Deli (now closed, became Chavela's)
3D's (said they were renovating, even looked like they started, but I think they've closed)
J's Wong (used to be Happy Wok, moved, but the same guys)
Homage (now closed on account of that fire)
About Time (always keeping it fresh)
J&B Deli (now closed, became Chavela's)
3D's (said they were renovating, even looked like they started, but I think they've closed)
J's Wong (used to be Happy Wok, moved, but the same guys)
Homage (now closed on account of that fire)
Lasting Impressions Salon
Franklin Express Deli
Bombay Masala (opened a garden)
Preschool (mural and some indoor work)
Franklyn Deli
Sushi Tatsu (new awning, Thai menu)
19 Closed:
Scarlet Ribbons Thrift Shop (now wino(t), moved to Fulton)
Bombay Masala (opened a garden)
Preschool (mural and some indoor work)
Franklyn Deli
Sushi Tatsu (new awning, Thai menu)
19 Closed:
Scarlet Ribbons Thrift Shop (now wino(t), moved to Fulton)
NA Candy Store (deli)
790 Franklin (I think it was an electronics place)
Diana's Desserts (now Inkspot, moved to Washington)
The Spice is Right (now half of Barboncino)
Diana's Desserts (now Inkspot, moved to Washington)
The Spice is Right (now half of Barboncino)
Bristen's (now Away We Go Postal)
Nairobi's Knapsack (now Pine Tree)
King Accessory (now The Beauty Boutique)
King Accessory (now The Beauty Boutique)
3D's (renovations seem permanently stalled)
J&B Deli (now Chavela's)
Off the Hook Communications
El Baron Grocery (soon to be The Crown Inn)
West Indian Cafe (now J's Wong)
Saje (actually closed just before I got here, now the Pana Store)
Homage (renovated, fire)
Muslim Bookshop (fire)
Off the Hook Communications
El Baron Grocery (soon to be The Crown Inn)
West Indian Cafe (now J's Wong)
Saje (actually closed just before I got here, now the Pana Store)
Homage (renovated, fire)
Muslim Bookshop (fire)
World Class People's Market (deli)
Insurance (now Oaxaca Taco)
Oaxaca Taco (now Gueros Tacos)
Some thoughts:
- Granted, these lists don't make for easy digestion, but the broad trends are clear enough, and looking at what I said last year (or even in the first rundown in 2009), I think most of it still holds true. There's an obvious gentrifying trend, but it's not quite as simple as bar-replaces-bodega, as several businesses that don't scream "change" have opened and are doing a brisk business (Mazon's, the Pana Store, the Pawn Shop, BNI Laundromat, Compare Foods, etc), while others that do (Nairobi's Knapsack, and now perhaps Franklin Roadhouse - they've been closed a lot recently) - have gone under. Commercial development is only part of the story (many would argue that residential development and displacement are the driving forces behind gentrification, and the most problematic, and there's nothing of that in these lists), but it's a key part, because commercial establishments function as gathering places, cultural institutions, and, of course, sources of sustenance. If a place you can't afford (and don't feel welcome) replaces an affordable place where you knew everyone (not to say that this always happens, just hypothesizing), that's a pretty de-centering and disempowering experience, both materially and symbolically.
- The Pawn Shop! Remember that? A community organization brought a diverse community together and forced the closure of a pawn shop, arguing that such businesses are a destructive force with respect to crime and debt cycles (and as I said over and over at the time, the data was and still is on their side) and, more effectively, that the shop was in violation of zoning codes, and won! And then two weeks later, it re-opened as Crow Hill Jewelry (an f-you to said community org) "buying gold and electronics" and making cash loans, but apparently, the zoning code only applies if you have the word "pawn" in your name, so they were allowed to stay. Talk about a toothless law. Anyway, after a year in operation, the pawn shop seems to generally provoke something between grudging respect (many a merchant respects their tenacity, and points out that no great harm has come of one more pawn shop in a larger area that already had several) to eye-rolling frustration (I've gotten more than one email complaining about their garish "we buy gold" banners and the general nose-thumbing attitude they take - "Crow Hill Jewelry," the banners, etc - to the residents of a block that was going to be landmarked). But there they are, after all that.
- Granted, these lists don't make for easy digestion, but the broad trends are clear enough, and looking at what I said last year (or even in the first rundown in 2009), I think most of it still holds true. There's an obvious gentrifying trend, but it's not quite as simple as bar-replaces-bodega, as several businesses that don't scream "change" have opened and are doing a brisk business (Mazon's, the Pana Store, the Pawn Shop, BNI Laundromat, Compare Foods, etc), while others that do (Nairobi's Knapsack, and now perhaps Franklin Roadhouse - they've been closed a lot recently) - have gone under. Commercial development is only part of the story (many would argue that residential development and displacement are the driving forces behind gentrification, and the most problematic, and there's nothing of that in these lists), but it's a key part, because commercial establishments function as gathering places, cultural institutions, and, of course, sources of sustenance. If a place you can't afford (and don't feel welcome) replaces an affordable place where you knew everyone (not to say that this always happens, just hypothesizing), that's a pretty de-centering and disempowering experience, both materially and symbolically.
- The Pawn Shop! Remember that? A community organization brought a diverse community together and forced the closure of a pawn shop, arguing that such businesses are a destructive force with respect to crime and debt cycles (and as I said over and over at the time, the data was and still is on their side) and, more effectively, that the shop was in violation of zoning codes, and won! And then two weeks later, it re-opened as Crow Hill Jewelry (an f-you to said community org) "buying gold and electronics" and making cash loans, but apparently, the zoning code only applies if you have the word "pawn" in your name, so they were allowed to stay. Talk about a toothless law. Anyway, after a year in operation, the pawn shop seems to generally provoke something between grudging respect (many a merchant respects their tenacity, and points out that no great harm has come of one more pawn shop in a larger area that already had several) to eye-rolling frustration (I've gotten more than one email complaining about their garish "we buy gold" banners and the general nose-thumbing attitude they take - "Crow Hill Jewelry," the banners, etc - to the residents of a block that was going to be landmarked). But there they are, after all that.
- Finally, Franklin doesn't exist in a vacuum - Washington and Classon to the west are blowing up just as fast (if you're looking for a symbol of gentrification, look no further than the Kinky Krown cocktail at the Bearded Lady - in the former Kinky Krowns salon spot - on Washington), and to the east, Nostrand has witnessed a spate of openings in the past year that range from high-end to light-industrial (NoBar, an auto body shop, and many more - Nostrand Park, I'd love to see your list for your Avenue!). In last week's openings post, some folks were discussing these issues, so to close, I'll pose some of the same questions they ask: What are your takeaways from the rapid development of northwest Crown Heights, and how does Franklin figure in the larger picture, as compared to Washington/Classon/Rodgers/Bedford/Nostrand)? How about Franklin south of Eastern Parkway (where the past year has seen the opening of a MetroPCS and Roti 'n Dumplings, a series of storefront renovations, and the promise of another Bob & Betty's?)? What do these changes mean, practically, for you and for the neighborhood at large? Finally, even though change is the only constant, it looks different neighborhood to neighborhood (the process is not the same in Williamsburg as in Fort Greene, to take two prominent and well-covered examples). How can/should we, as residents, merchants, and landlords, seek to channel this change in the service of building a healthy community that serves everyone, longtime locals and new arrivals, on Franklin Avenue? Is it possible?
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