Avenue News Round-up

Timboo's Gets a New Sign [Lost City]

Tidbits: City Council Candidates [OTBKB]

DOT Responds to Park Slope Bike Lane Uprising With Thermoplast Surge [Streetsblog]

$4.9B for Atlantic Yards [NY Post]

A Brooklyn Tale [Faith and Fear]

Exploring New York By Bike [Chuck Schumer in Huffington Post]

Reis 100: New Sandwich Shop on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope [OTBKB]

City Needs to Solve Bike Lane Problem [Brooklyn Paper]

Scaredy Kat Moving to a New Location Across the Street [OTBKB]

Bruce Willis Movie Shoot on 5th Avenue

We received some photos of a movie shoot taking place yesterday at Pyramide at 499 5th Avenue. Apparently, Bruce Willis was on set!

A couple more photos are available here.

Asa Ransom and Co Invade the Slope

Tonight, Southpaw will play host to the Spanish Prisoners, Bonne Baxter, and headliner, Asa Ransom, in a show beginning at 8:30 PM (doors open at 8:00 PM). The 4-piece band based in Brooklyn formed in June of last year and have been performing across the US since January, as well as collaborating with other artists like Titus Andronicus and The So So Glos.

Originally from Marion, Indiana, they describe their music as a "dance-inspired, dramatic style of instrumentation is upbeat and delivered with vibrant intensity. Vocals drift through an epic of phantom sounds. Melodic bass and feral drums rumble under chiming guitar and percussive keyboard, conjuring at once memories of the east and textures of the future".

Their first album "An Asa Ransom Release!", was released in April of this year and was released by Murder Mystery Records.

Southpaw
125 5th Avenue
Between St. Johns Place and Sterling Place
(718) 230-0236

Asa Ransom
Check out Myspace and their Website

The 3/50 Project

I recently posted a piece on one of Park Slope's top blogs, Hip Slope Mama, about an important advocacy campaign called The 3/50 Project. I thought that the readers of All About Fifth might be interested in learning more about it.

Are you concerned about your local small businesses in these difficult times? Do you want to learn more about how you can support local businesses, create jobs, protect your property values and keep your streets safe? Click here to read more and get started!

-Mark Caserta

Don't Worry... Scaredy Kat's Not Going Anywhere, Far

Fear not, your favorite Fifth Avenue card and paper goods shop is closing its doors at 229 5th Avenue, but moving right across the street to the space vacated by Star of India, next to Playa. The new location has more space and will give the owners lots of opportunity to display even more of their fine wares. The move will take place before the end of June, but they will still be open throughout, so continue to visit their current location for all your birthday cards, wrapping paper, calendars, or just stop in to find an unexpected treasure.

Be sure not to forget Father's Day, which happens to fittingly fall on the first day of Summer this year, so stop in to show dad your appreciation for all the wonderful things he does.

And, be sure to check back with All About Fifth in July, when we will feature an interview with Nora and Damond about all things Scaredy Kat, including a follow-up on the move and the celebration of 10 years on the avenue!

Fifth Ave News Round-Up

Free Food at Alchemy [Brokelyn]

Reminder: Freedy Johnston Performing at Union Hall [Brooklyn Paper]

Record and Tape Center Saved! [Brooklyn Paper]

Bogota Gets a Positive Review [Brownstoner]

Welcome to the Neighborhood, Cyprus Avenue [Brownstoner] and Soon, Black Horse Pub [Lost City]

Bergen Street's Very Own Bike Shop [Brownstoner]

Music Performance: Freedy Johnston

For all of you looking for a music fix this weekend, be sure to check out the Union Hall bar at 702 Union Street, just off of Fifth Avenue, Friday June 19th, for a live performance by Freedy Johnston with Rebecca Pronsky. The last time Johnston performed on the avenue was last year at Southpaw, and he promises this show will be equally as memorable, according to the Brooklyn Paper.

According to his website, Johnston is releasing a new album this fall, entitled Rain in the City , being distributed by BarNone Records. If you want a sample of some of Johnston's music, check out his Myspace page, where you can hear a few tracks off the new album.

The show starts at 8PM, with tickets running $15, but you can get started earlier, as the bar opens around 4 o'clock for all of you looking to get the weekend started a little early in preparation for the official start of summer. This is a great way to celebrate.

For more information, visit the Union Hall website, or contact them in person.

Union Hall Freedy Johnston
702 Union Street @ 5th Avenue www.freedyjohnston.com
Brooklyn, NY 11215     

718.638.4400

First Annual Fith Avenue Art & Photo Walk

Mark your calendars, folks: from July 4th - Labor Day, 68 merchants along Park Slope's Fifth Avenue will be host to paintings and photos by local artists. This is the first year for the Fifth Avenue Art & Photo Walk, which is sponsored and produced by the Park Slope 5th Avenue Business Improvement District.

Check back for more details on where to find the art and for profiles on the featured artists!

Fifth Ave Welcomes Two New Businesses

In a positive sign, two previously vacant storefronts will have new residents. Opening at 296 and 294 Fifth Avenue will be a new dry cleaner and Dhaga, a shop specializing in Eyebrow Threading. They will be taking over the space that until recently housed the realty office for The Argyle, a luxury condominium opening on 4th Avenue. The opening date for the former is unknown, however Dhaga will have their Grand Opening on June 15th, offering a buy one, get one free if customers bring their friends. This offer will last until July 15th, so gather your friends and head down to Fifth Avenue between 1st and 2nd streets, which is quickly becoming a small hotbed of activity, with the welcome addition of SVP, a new wine store set to open soon. Loki, El Pollo, and JPan will have some welcome new neighbors.

You can learn more about Dhaga on their website, www.mydhaga.com, or call (347) 419-6012.

Some Benefits to All of This Rain

Sick and tired of all of this rain, yet? Yeah, so are we!

Well, the truth is, not everyone or everything hates the rain. In fact, we recently received some photos from Sara Fonda of ZuZu's Petals, showing all of the green, leafy plants that seem to be thriving with all of this wetness.

Click here to enjoy!

Willie's Dawgs Gets Park Smart-Cards

How many of you have had to leave the table at your favorite restaurant on Fifth Avenue while enjoying a meal with your family and friends to feed the parking meters? It has happened to us all, and with the new Park Smart meters introduced by the Department of Transportation along Fifth and Seventh Avenues, you probably have found that you were rummaging through your pockets or pleading with forlorn looking retailers for quarters ever more frequently. Well, say No to the change, and welcome the new Park Smart Cards, acceptable at all Park Smart meters. These cards, prevalued at $10, allow you park without worry of getting a ticket if you run over the allotted time and don't have enough change. Currently, you can purchase the cards from the MTA at subway vestibules or from many newsstands, but now you can pick up your card at Willie's Dawgs with your delicious hot dog. Tom is a real sweetheart and will take care of your lunch and parking needs all-in-one! Look for the park smart decal on the door and don't forget to ask for a card.

Willie's Dawgs
351 5th Avenue
(Between 4th and 5th Streets)
(718) 832-2941

A Summer Camp to Get Excited About

Normally, we would have our weekly interview for you to peruse with your weekly wake-up cup of coffee, but stay tuned for something later this week since we are working on some exciting interviews. That being said, it is an exciting week on the avenue, full of fun activities ready to welcome the summer with open arms and kiss those fall showers goodbye, hopefully!

This week sees the beginning of an exciting opportunity for all the young ones who will be finishing up classes at 51, 39, 282, 321, etc. If your day camp doesn't start for a couple of weeks, take advantage of the opportunity at Brooklyn Mercantile (335 5th Avenue between 3rd and 4th streets), who are offering camps for kids and teenagers teaching crafts and sewing techniques. Today begins the first of the week long camps that will run all summer long. You can call the store or drop by to sign-up!

Avenue News Round-up

Naughty, Naughty! Babeland Has Given Park Slope a Rise [Brooklyn Paper]

Cafe Tapeo Out, Cyprus Avenue In [Here is Park Slope]

CB6, Fifth Avenue BID Going After Bike Lane [Brownstoner]

Fifth Ave BID, CB6 District Manager Take Aim at Park Slope Bike Lane [Streetsblog]

Record Store Closes Stays Open! [Gothamist]

Sales at New York Stores Fell in May [Crains New York]

Slope Dope: Tempo and Little D Close, Bar Tini and Others Pick Up Mantle [New York Magazine]

Bloody Mary - Alchemy - Park Slope, Brooklyn [Bombevi]

Fabulous Mushroom

Last month, Aunt Suzies hosted a fantastic mushroom party with specialty mushrooms hunted by a local mycophagist. Of course, there were portobellos, porcinis, button tops, oysters, chanterelles, and shiitakes, but the mushroom that was on display as the show stopper was the beautiful and rare morel, which are only in season for a very short time and are extremely elusive. But, this hunter was kind enough to share his bounty with anybody who wished to party, and it was quite a party. Here is a picture of the exquisite morel before they were cooked, taken by Park Sloper, Erika Clarke.

You can see more pictures like this and others on our Flickr page.

Berkeley Carroll School Recycling Project

This blog post originally appeared on 3r Blogging, the official blog of 5th Avenue's 3r Living:

Back around Earth Day, parents from the Berkeley Carroll School (which is near our Park Slope, Brooklyn store) came to us to purchase prizes for the students who came up with winning designs in their Earth Day Challenge. Hearing about the project, I offered to display the winning designs,when the project was completed.

So, if you are in the neighborhood, drop by and check out these fun, whimsical creations which were made using trash from the school! Great job, kids!

Photo (above): Some of the winning students

To get a look at some of the winning items, up close, click here.

Found on Flickr

From time to time, we will be featuring cool shots of Park Slope's Fifth Avenue that were found on the photo sharing website, Flickr.

The photo above was taken by Lab2112 on April 24, 2007 on Fifth Avenue, at Union Street.

Don't forget to check out All About Fifth's Flickr page!

Interview with Moutarde

All About Fifth interviews Bruno Berrebi, co-owner of Moutarde, as part of our ongoing series that highlights local leaders in the business and nonprofit sector along the Avenue.

Where are you from originally and what brought you to Park Slope? My partner and I come from Paris. We love New York and particularly Brooklyn and Park Slope for its welcoming atmosphere. To us, it is like a village, like an "arrondissement" in Paris. This is why I wanted to open the restaurant here—it reminds me of the small towns in France where we import most of our recipes.

When did you open the restaurant? We decided to open Moutarde in 2002, just a few months after September 11th. We had reasons to be scared to open the restaurant in the midst of the economic and security risks following this horrible event. But we were sure that this country where we decided to build our restaurant was strong and could make it through such a tragedy.

How did you choose the name "Moutarde" for your restaurant? Moutarde is a symbol for French cuisine. It is the first condiment in France. Also the grains of mustard are beautiful and the color, the flower, it is a strong spice. Like the American people’s love of ketchup—for the French, it is la moutarde

What are some of the challenges facing your business and what are some of its greatest rewards? Moutarde Brooklyn represents a real relationship between the local population and ourselves (as French newcomers). So the most difficult challenge was adapting and refining our product and concept in that context. Today we truly understand the needs and desires of our customers and friends, and our menu reflects the development of this relationship over time.

I heard you might be renovating the restaurant...what's your inspiration? Moutarde is a good representation of the traditional French bistro. But we are eager to renew its image and follow an emergent French trend. Over the last few months in Paris we noticed an evolution in the "Café Français." They have changed their decor and menu. We call these "les cafés de le rue" or bistros of the street. Taking this as inspiration, we plan to close Moutarde for one month in August for renovation and bring a familial cuisine, "la cuisine dite de gavroche, de montmartre," in a more artistic and relaxed atmosphere and "fini le snobisme des bistros francais."

Merci pour l interview. A bientôt. Merci.

Interview conducted by Rebeccah Welch