Brooklyn Mercantile and Stitch Therapy Join Forces

It bears reminding, especially during this holiday season when hand-made gifts are making a big show, that 5th Avenue has one place to shop for all hand-made needs. For a little over a month now, Brooklyn Mercantile and Stitch Therapy have joined forces at 335 5th Avenue. The strategic alliance made a lot of sense to these two long time friends and entrepreneurs, Tamara Lee and Maxcine DeGouttes (pictured here-- middle and right respectively).

With Brooklyn Mercantile's mission focused on the “hand-made, the hand-selected, must-haves" and Stitch Therapy serving as a critical home to Park Slope’s community of knitters (and crocheters and weavers) the partnership is a natural fit. There is a great energy to the store. Check them out!

The Word of Fifth

ABF: How does this holiday shopping season compare to last year, so far?

Amara from Eidolon:

It feels worse. A lot of people wait till the last second to do their holiday shopping, However, people are not even buying small items. Last year we did really well with socks and stockings before the end of the year. That's not happening this year. The luxury market has really gone away.

Adam from Red, White and Bubbly:

The amount of people buying is about the same, but the bottle price has gone down. We have a line of six-to-seven dollar quality wines, which are selling very well though, so I feel we will do just as well as last year.

Arlene from E Lingerie:

I thought it would be worse but people have already adapated. I have read some survyes that say that big box stores are seeing an increase in sales, but I don't know if people accustomed to high-end will go low-end. In my gut I think things will go well.

We'll keep checking in with merchants on a regular basis throughout the holiday season.

Shop Local, Park Slope!

News Round-Up

StreetLevel: Slope's Love=? Once Again Says It's Closing [Brownstoner]

Ruling Lets Atlantic Yards Seize Land [NY Times]

Zuzu's 5th Re-Birthday [OTBKB]

Muni-meters Coming to Park Slope in January [Brooklyn Paper]

Park Slope Restaurants Found To Violate Labor, Wage Laws [Huffington Post]

Corner Burger [Culinary Adventures of Fork Knife Spoon]

Funk Yeah Its Jewltide 7! [Jewish Books]

Two Days, Two Events

Tonight! Friday, December 4, 2009
8-11 pm
Old Stone House Winter Wassail Fundraiser
Bring your dancing shoes and celebrate the season!
8:15 pm Contra Dance* lessons
8:45 pm Contra Dance

Live music with caller,festive drinks and dessert

$45/person in advance, $50 at the door to benefit the Old Stone House & Washington Park

There's still time to RSVP!
info@theoldstonehouse.org or 718-768-3195

Advance tickets: www.nycharities.org

Saturday, December 5, 2009
5:00 PM
Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID Holiday Tree Lighting
5th Avenue @ 3rd Street in Washington Park

Come on down for live holiday music, free hot chocolate, tasty holiday treats and a festive atmosphere.

Art Opening: Jonathan Blum

TONIGHT! ART OPENING FOR FIFTH AVENUE'S JONATHAN BLUM!

Rabbis, Goats and other Characters: Paintings from Jonathan Blum's First Decade in New York: (1999-2009)

OPENING RECEPTION AND AFTERPARTY IS TONIGHT, DECEMBER 3RD, 2009

FROM 6:30pm to 2:30am.

All the action will take place at The Green Building: 450 Union Street (corner of Bond St.) Brooklyn, NY. on the Gowanus Canal.

6:30-9:15 Charles Sibirsky Trio with Lena Bloch and Dan Schuman
9:15-9:30 Barry Blumenfeld (from TAPFUSION) with Nir Sadovnik
9:30-10:00 MC and DJ Andy Gensler
10:00-10:45 Jeremiah Lockwood (from Sway Machinery)
10:45-11:15 DJ Baxter
11:15-12:00 Daniel Kelly Trio with Eyal Maoz and Rob Garcia
12:00-12:30 DJ Gensler and/or DJ Baxter
12:30-1:15 Raul Rothblatt introducing Transylvania United with Sarah Alden and Aron Szekely
1:15-1:45 Josh Diamond
1:45-till the end DJ Gensler and/or DJ Baxter

The show will run through Jan 14th and can be seen every Sunday and Thursday from 12 to 6 pm or by appointment.

In addition, if you cannot make the opening:

This Sat. and Sun. (Dec. 5 & 6) and next Fri, Sat. and Sun (Dec. 11, 12, & 13) Jonathan is having his annual studio sale at his storefront space: 285 5th Ave. (between 1st and 2nd St) in Park Slope. 12am -7pm

Drop by for hot apple cider (spiked if you wish).

Interview with Kim Maier, Executive Director of the OSH, continued...

Here is the second half of the interview with Kim Maier, started last Wednesday.

AAF: You’ve been widely credited with reviving the park’s relevance in the community—what animated that, and what are the challenges of running a nonprofit?

Maier: I'm typical of many Brooklynites, in that I'd lived in the neighborhood for 15 years and had no idea that the Old Stone House had this incredible story. In 2004, I was the co-president of the MS 51 PTA and we were invited to the House to learn more about their education programs. I started asking questions about programming and funding and the park, and suddenly found myself with a job. It was the perfect intersection of my interests, neighborhood development and an institution waiting to be discovered. I see the park and the House as a town square, or a kind of cultural campus, where people meet and share ideas and experiences, making the kind of human connections that people don't typically think of as being part of an urban lifestyle.

The Old Stone House is an independent not-for-profit organization, so we face the same challenges as others in our field. Our future is truly dependent on support from the community - financially, as volunteers and as audience members. Every donation is meaningful - from the $3 suggested donation at the door to a $25 annual membership, to the income from event rentals, to the larger individual, city, state and foundation grants that fund things like our education program. Perhaps the biggest challenge is finding ways for busy people to take an active role in their park, and for us to develop programming that is interesting and engaging enough that people will choose to be here at the Old Stone.

AFF: So what is the next big event on the horizon?

Maier: Next up is a contra dance with live music and a caller on December 4 at 8 pm, which is a fundraiser for OSH. $45 for some wonderful dancing, food and drink. The Park Slope 5th Avenue BID tree lighting is on December 5 at 5 pm, and our annual holiday concerts with the Brooklyn Brandenburgers are on December 12 at 8 pm, and December 13 at 2 pm. There's always something going on - be sure to check our website, www.theoldstonehouse.org

Avenue Feedback Loop

AFF interviews Greg, resident of Park Slope for 10 years, as part of our Avenue feedback loop series.

Where did you just shop along the Avenue?

The Pork Store-- M & S Prime Meats.

People say the Avenue has most everything-- what do you think, any gaps?

I would like to see a used bookstore, but I expect the rents are too high.

Any other stores you want to give a shout out to?

Picada y Vino – good selection of wines in all price ranges, and a friendly, knowledgeable staff.

Trois Pommes – good scones and coffee.

Benny’s Barbershop – nice, affordable, no-frills barbershop.

Willie's Dawgs – great hotdogs served in a variety of interesting ways.