Attention, Brooklyn Vinophiles: Court Street Has Its Own Wine

Guest blogger month at Curbed continues with Brooks of Sheffield aka Lost City taking the reins. He'll be offering up Carroll Gardens-specific musings till Friday, and will occasionally throw us a bone. Today, we're talking Brooklyn wine.

We might have have expected Carroll Gardens' high-minded boutique wine shop Smith & Vine to eventually start bottling its own wine. But Scotto's Wine Cellar, the old standby on Court Street?

Court Street Red, as it's called, was whipped up for Scotto's by the Coturri & Sons winery in Sonoma County according to the specifications of Jim Benedetto, who bought the shop from the Scotto family back in 1989. Jim was obviously going for a big boy on this one; the wine is 40 percent zinfindel and 40 percent petite syrah. Those are two of the boldest red grapes out there. (Small amounts of seven or eight other varietals round out the mix.)

I was advised to let the Court Street Red breathe for an hour before I tried it, and I did. As expected, it's a big jammy monster, just about right for a big bowl of pasta with a heavy red sauce. In other words, perfect for much of the clientele Scotto's services.

The shop says sales are brisk and there are plans to bring out further bottlings, including a white. Carroll Park Chardonnay? F Train Falanghina?

Take a look at that label. >>

Winn Discount: Housewares * Cosmetics * Salvation

Guest blogger month at Curbed continues with Brooks of Sheffield aka Lost City taking the reins. He'll be offering up Carroll Gardens-specific musings till Friday, and will occasionally throw us a bone. Today, he files a report on local convenience store Winn Discount.

What holds Carroll Gardens together as a neighborhood? The F train? Ancient ties to the southern Italian town of Mola di Bari? The memory of the filming of "Moonstruck"? No. It's the Winn Discount.

If there is a resident in Carroll Gardens—or Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill for that matter—who has never visited the low-slung, catch-all convenience store that is Winn Discount, they are either an invalid or hopelessly ignorant. The average local will visit the shop at least two times a week. For hairspray. For twine. For a melonballer. For holiday lights. I have often passed friends and neighbors on the street and I can tell from their purposeful walk that they are making a call on Winn, and they have no doubt that Winn will have what they need. I once had a globe-trotting friend. His friends from Rome and Paris would visit him and become transfixed by the discount store, visiting it every day, marveling at the store's cornucopia.

Continue reading "Winn Discount: Housewares * Cosmetics * Salvation"

Smith Street, New Retail Alley

Today, the Times draws a conclusion that's been obvious to residents of Cobble Hill, Boreum Hill and Carroll Gardens for a long time: Smith Street's really changed. The impetus for running the piece is the arrival on Smith of new retailers Homage, a skateboarding shop, and Lucky Jeans (more on the new Lucky Jeans later today).

The unpretentious little stretch of Smith Street, from Atlantic Avenue to Carroll Street, overlapping with Boerum Hill to the north and east, Cobble Hill to the west and Carroll Gardens to the south — some call it BoCoCa — seems to be evolving at a pace that is unparalleled, at least in Brooklyn, with a monthly turnover of mom-and-pop grocers and fish markets into new restaurants, shops and condos.

The paper then trots out retail real estate expert Faith Hope Consolo, who never met an opportunity for press that she didn't like, to testify that the rents all along Smith Street are rising like mad, you see, like mad! The piece compiles a list of shops that have recently descended on the stretch: you have Homage and Lucky Jeans, of course, but also Trader Joe's (which is actually opening two long blocks away from Smith, but whatever, lump it in for effect), Starbucks, American Apparel and Flight 001. They also mention longstanding stores Bird, Butter (which is on Atlantic Avenue, see TJ's), and Diane T. The really frightening thing is an off mention of a certain giant product chain, "On a recent afternoon, two young women were standing on Smith Street surveying passers-by for their opinions on Sephora." Okay, Smith Street is changing, but so is Court Street and Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, and, for that matter, Fourth Avenue as well. The whole damn area is becoming too expensive. But that type of logic a good gentrification piece does not make.
· Smith Street Confronts the Corporate Takeover [NY Times]

RackedWire: Carroll Gardeners Get A Farmers Market

CARROLL GARDENS—The Carroll Gardens farmers market is up and running on weekends, but neighborhood types aren't very excited about its presence yet. Pardon Me For Asking has an early report: "...by far the biggest sin, according to my Italian neighbors, was that the farmers showed up without fresh tomatoes. Gasp! So here you have it. After waiting for a loooong time for the Farmers Market, the neighborhood was, well, less than overwhelmed by the selection of fruit and veggies." What Farmer's Market doesn't sell fresh tomatoes? They better get some heirlooms in stat. [Pardon Me For Asking]

MIDTOWN EAST—Saks is amping up its publicity efforts. They've now got a shoe floor with its own zipcode and they'll soon be releasing a hardcover, limited-edition fall catalogue in the hopes that people will use it as a coffee-table book. [FWD]

Now Open: Bebe, K&Y Fruit & Vegetable, Pinkyotto, Asprey, Shears Hustle & Blow

1) Bebe: What's that printed over Rebecca Romijn's gold short-shorts covered crotch? Ah, yes, the news that another outpost of tramp outfitters Bebe has opened in our fair city. They do know how to market to their clientele. (1 W 34th St at Fifth Ave, 212-594-8205) [Racked Inbox]

2) K&Y Fruit & Vegetable: This unfortunately-named produce market has opened in Carroll Gardens without the "bells and whistles that seem to accompany most openings recently," which, according to A Brooklyn Life, is a good thing. (291 Court St between Degraw and Douglass Sts, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn). [A Brooklyn Life]

3) Pinkyotto: Indie boutique Pinkyotto, based out of the East Village, has opened a branch in Nolita. The store, known for it's own line of unique dresses, isn't super expensive, as prices max out at about $185. (49 Prince St between Mulberry and Lafayette Sts, 212-226-3580). [The Haute List]

More from the Upper East Side and Soho, this way. >>

Now Open: The Shoe Market, Emerald Rose Boutique, Lee Lee's Valise, In God We Trust

Shops are opening left and right: today, we bring you the news of four recent additions to the retail scene; Monday we'll post information on five more.

1) The Shoe Market: A resource for footwear lovers has opened in Williamsburg. The Shoe Market sells pairs for men, women and children—expect Sven clogs, Matiko flats, Saltwater and Worshoffer sandals, ubiquitous Converse sneakers, Tretorn retro trainers, Clarks and, our favs, Frye boots. (160 N 6th St at Bedford Ave, Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-388-8495). [Racked Inbox]

2) Emerald Rose Boutique: A store that "stocks everything you need, save whimsical penis socks," which means, in non-Thrillist terms, shirts, pants and accessories for men and women. A few brands they stock: Gsus, Fighting Eel, Who Cares (yes, we haven't heard of them either). For more information, check out the shop's MySpace profile. (231 Eldridge St between Houston and Stanton Sts, 212-505-7673). [Thrillist]

3) Lee Lee's Valise: A plus-size boutique has opened in Carroll Gardens in the space that formerly housed laundromat Bleach House. The store carries clothing for women in sizes 12 to 24 from labels like Tadashi, Donna Ricco, Spanx and more. (368 Court St at President St, 718-246-5337). [Too Fat For Fashion]

A newcomer in Nolita, this way. >>

Storecasting: Chelsea To Get A New Hair Salon, Plus More Developments

1) Chelsea: Running slightly behind schedule is the Chris Chase hair salon located at 182 Ninth Avenue and 21st Street in Chelsea. It's the second outpost of the Robert Kree Salon located in Greenwich Village. Per a receptionist, "There's no stylist named Robert Kree and there's no stylist named Chris Chase. The owners just wanted the salons to have different names." Okay. The opening is slated for May 15th; according to signage, the place is hiring. [Racked Inbox]

2) Red Hook/Carroll Gardens: The yet-to-be-named stretch of land between Red Hook and Carroll Gardens will be gaining a wine shop, to be opened in the former Pegasus Video space. According to Lost City, "If the shop is a decent one, this is good. There's no place to buy wine in the area." [Lost City]

3) Manhattan: Houston-based high-end boutique Mix is looking to expand to NYC. The shop stocks designers such as Chloé, Balenciaga, Bruno Frisoni, and Miu Miu. [Second City Style]

Changes afoot in Soho, this way. >>

Discontinued: Blockbuster, Baby Bird, Frida's Closet

1) Court Street: Guess that, in Brooklyn, no one wants to make it a Blockbuster night anymore. A tipster sends the above picture with this note, "Can't compete with those little red and white envelopes." We predict that quite a few other Blockbuster outposts will soon follow suit. [Racked Inbox]

2) Park Slope: All those Slope mommies and daddies apparently weren't enough business to keep kid's store Baby Bird alive. The shop, which stocks clothing from pricey brands like Petit Bateau and Lucky Wang, will close at the end of May. Until then, they're having major sales on merchandise. [UrbanBaby Daily]

3) Carroll Gardens: Lot of bad news out of Brooklyn: Frida's Closet, a boutique on Smith Street known for its colorful womenswear, has been forced to closed due to structural repairs being done on the building. Shoppers can still buy clothing online; the store may reopen, either in the same space or at a new location. [Brooklyn Record]

Now Open: The Pilates Boutique, The Charlotte Moss Townhouse, HH Design: Shop, Owl's Lab, Site

1) Carroll Gardens: Workout center The Pilates Boutique is open and toning Brooklynites as we speak. You can't just drop in; call to set up an appointment. The clientele seems pretty tony, as the place's website touts testimonials from a Kate Spade employee as well as someone who works at Goldman Sachs. (102 First Pl at Court St, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn; 718-858-0205) [Official Site]

2) Midtown East: Today, The Charlotte Moss Townhouse throws open its doors. The building is decorated to resemble a home, and everything inside is for sale. That's five stories of shams, window treatments and vases for you. Moss is upping the glam factor with staff uniforms designed by Carolina Herrera. (20 E 63rd St between Fifth and Madison Aves, 212-308-3888). [Official Site]

3) Greenpoint: Hayden-Harnett, the design team behind a line of coveted leather handbags, has opened a new shop on Franklin Street. HH Design: Shop stocks the bags plus womenswear and accessories. Not too long ago, cafe Brooklyn Label opened on Franklin—is this to become Greenpoint's dining and shopping stretch? (211 Franklin St at Freeman St, Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 718-389-1750). [New York Shitty]

After the jump, empty your wallet in Noho and Astoria. >>

Now Open: Go Fish!, The Salty Paw

1) Carroll Gardens: Opening this very day is Go Fish!, a vintage furniture store and boutique on Sackett Street in Carroll Gardens. On the shelves: mid-century modern furniture as well as jewelry, housewares, clothing and shoes. Their website is a work in progress, but they do have a MySpace presence whose interests include "estate sales, rock and roll, deviled eggs and the perfect dresser." (187 Sackett Street between Henry and Hicks, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn; 347-721-3401). [Racked Inbox]

2) Financial District: Is way, way downtown the next hot retail zone? Joining boutiques like Leontine and luxury stores such as Thomas Pink is The Salty Paw, a pet emporium and grooming spa. The place is geared towards canines of all sizes (not just tiny, handbag-sized ones) and stocks merchandise like leashes, collars, carriers, treats, toys and apparel. (38 Peck Slip between Front and South Sts, 212-732-BARK). [Racked Inbox]