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New Businesses on Kingston — Brooklynian

New Businesses on Kingston

nothinlikeabklyngirl
nothinlikeabklyngirl
edited November -1 in Crown Heights/Prospect Lefferts Gardens

The awnings are up for two new stores: 1. Eyeglasses 99, in the old Metro PCS at 266 Kingston at Lincoln. It appears to be the second branch of an eyewear store on Coney Island Avenue in Midwood. 2. Unique Enterprises, an Internet café, recording studio, and graphic design shop at 241 Kingston between St. Johns and Sterling, in what used to be half of a shipping company. I also saw some activity a few weeks ago at 139 Kingston, next to the bodega near the corner of St. Marks, but nothing since. Anyone heard anything?

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Comments

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    266 Kingston, now Eyeglasses 99

    241 Kingston, now Unique Enterprises

    139 Kingston


  • pragmaticguy
    pragmaticguy

    Spoke to the owner of 239-241 Kingston. The internet place is going in 241 and the antique store that was closer to E.P. is going into 239. Says the internet cafe should be open 9/1.

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited December 2013

    I'm interested in seeing whether an internet cafe survives.

    In much of NYC, the populace has internet access and desktop computers, and the cafes have closed. Some people just bring their laptops to the local coffee shops and use the wifi there.

    ...will there be enough people on Kingston who don't already have internet access and don't own laptops, yet have the $ to pay for it on occasion that they support an internet cafe?

  • pragmaticguy
    pragmaticguy
    edited December 2013

    Not so much to access the internet but you'd be surprised how many people come into my office and ask me to print stuff for them (which I don't do) so the money to be made might come from printing resumes and such that are on peoples' thumb drives.

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    That could work.

    I have a sense that those mutli-service centers (the ones that help folks fill out basic forms, and navigate public agencies), perform a vital role.

    Although I see them mostly in immigrant neighborhoods, I bet a hybrid one could work on Kingston, as one approaches Atlantic.

  • pitmama
    pitmama

    The idea of opening an internet cafe seems very late 90's/early 2000s to me, but I'll reserve judgement until it opens and I can see what they have to offer. In general, I think that the more new businesses coming to Kingston Ave, the better!

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    Nothinglike states it is actually going to be "an Internet café, recording studio, and graphic design shop".

    So, something like Kinko's used to be, but with music?

  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl

    I don't know why, but I was assuming the Internet cafe would make most of its money from graphic design, doing party posters and fliers like the shops on Utica. FYI, the awning also says CD Duplication, Avon Products, and Fashion Jewelry.

    Here's a pic of Eyeglasses 99 from about a month ago. They were open for business almost as soon as the awning went up.


    Attached files image
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    I have got to hand it to Metro PCS. It pays top dollar to renovate storefronts, which it then closes and leaves for future tenants.

    Very nice of them.

  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl

    We may have an answer to what's going on at 139 Kingston. A note posted on the gate says the day care is closed from 9-23 to 9-27 because it's under construction. I've never seen any sign of a day care there but some googling turns up a yeshivah yeshvos chaim school at that address.

    By the way, "For Rent" signs are up at 106 Kingston between Dean & Bergen, 237 Kingston (the former record store) between Sterling & St. Johns, and 257 Kingston (the former barber shop) between St. Johns and Lincoln, so hopefully we'll have a lot fewer vacant storefronts soon.

    An older guy on the street told me it'll be the first time the record store's been rented out in the last 15 or 16 years. The security gate's been up recently for the first time in at least the last two years and I was able to catch a pic of the old-school pay phone in the entryway, which has since been removed.


    Attached files image
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    That site looks like a time capsule! I hope they find a LL Cool J record from 1989:

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=FdizL4on-Rc&desktop_uri=/watch?v=FdizL4on-Rc&feature=youtu.be

  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl

    The awning is now up for the day care center at 139 Kingston.


    Attached files image
  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl

    And a work permit for the demolition of 287 Kingston appeared on its construction fence last week. I guess that shouldn't be a surprise since you can see the sky through the windows.


    Attached files image
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    I wonder if they are going to keep the facade, but add on a few stories.

  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl

    Looks like we're getting our second real estate office for the year. Noticed work earlier this week at 1028 Lincoln Place, just off Kingston (next to Basil). Seems to belong to this company: http://brooklynnybpo.com/


    Attached files image
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    I haven't heard of them before, but hope they have the capital and drive to become the next MySpace.

    MySpace was quite small a few years ago.....

  • whynot_31
    whynot_31

    BTW, MySpace has the listing for 237 Kingston, the former record store:

    http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Listing/Profile/Profile.aspx?LID=18422680&AID=El31OXu1g&FromLocation=&NoBrandingView=true&fname=Shawn&lname=Mullahy&18422680=OGD4Ub-7A&PgCxtCurFLKey=&ProfileFromLocation=professionalprofile&PgCxtGuid=e885b86f-2674-4dcb-8bc0-95f115678a4c&PgCxtFLKey=&PgCxtCurFLKey=&PgCxtDir=Down

    1000 sq ft, $3k a month

  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl

    Updates:

    The internet café/recording studio/gift shop at 241 Kingston, Unique Enterprises, opened at the end of November. Its grand opening flier lists cassette and VHS conversion, computer repairs, party favors, and phone cases among its many products and services. From what I can see, the front area is set up as an internet café on one side and variety store on the other.

    Since MySpace took over the listing for the old record store at 237 Kingston, it's been totally gutted and even got a new glass storefront.

    Workers were carrying debris out of the old barber shop at 257 Kingston this morning -- first time I've seen the awning up in a while.

    And there's one new space to add to the "for rent" list: 267 Kingston between Lincoln and St. Johns. The awning says In Touch Blue Inc. furniture, but it was never open in the last 2-1/2 years. Recently a sign was added explaining that it's the showroom for Brooklyn Value Center, the discount store across the street.


    Attached files image
  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl
    edited April 2014
    chesed
    Since my last update, the Chesed Center at 271 Kingston between Lincoln and St Johns has also come up for rent.


  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    Religious places are not exempt from having to break even.

    I wonder if the other Hasidic religious businesses nearby will soon be unable to compete in the present market.
  • pragmaticguy
    pragmaticguy
    It wouldn't surprise me if they moved to a bigger space somewhere.
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    The proprieters might be able to get a larger space for about the same price near Empire.
  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl
    The Chesed Center's facebook page still has the old address but points to the website for Ahavas Chesed at 642 Eastern Parkway at New York Ave (even through Google thinks they're at 720 Lefferts at Troy). I guess either way they've already moved.

    Also for rent now is the bodega at 250 Kingston, on the same block. Almost all of the stores on Kingston that have come up for rent in the past couple of years were either shuttered for a while or had been sitting unused. This is one of the few active businesses that I have seen close.



    250 Bodega
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited April 2014
    I'd be interested in learning not only what the new rents are, but also what the old rents were.
  • pragmaticguy
    pragmaticguy
    Many of the stores that were on the even side of Kingston were run by the owners of the building. My ex father in law owned 252 and we ran our insurance business out of there. He owned that building for about 40 years. He sold it back in 2004. My rent, after he retired was $900 which was about market rate back then but that was back in 2002. The store at 256 was a hat shop owned by Herbert Robinson but he owned that building too. At 264, the laundromat is run by the man who owns the building. And the diner on the corner of Kingston and St. Johns is also run by the owner of that building. I was and still am the insurance broker on a few of those buildings.
  • nothinlikeabklyngirl
    nothinlikeabklyngirl
    Went into Unique Enterprises, the Internet cafe and more, for the first time this weekend because I needed a last-minute printout and was all out of ink at home. For anyone else who might find themselves in a similar situation, computer time is $5 an hour (they didn't charge me for the whole hour) and black and white prints are 15 cents a page.
  • pragmaticguy
    pragmaticguy
    Good to know. All the people that come into my office asking me to print stuff, which I don't do, will now be sent over there.
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited May 2014
    Heads up, it looks like a restaurant may be in the works for 116 Kingston, near Bergen. An entity "Mango Taste" has requested an initial inspection:

    http://www.nychealthratings.com/nycrestapp/restaurantlanding/3/Crown Heights/39872/Mango+Taste+Inc

    Might become an Indian Restaurant:

    http://delval.biz/BusinessDetail.aspx?ID=NY4524890
  • M_Pond
    M_Pond
    That's interesting, since there are a ton of empty store fronts right in that area, but there is currently an opening & functioning Crown Fried Chicken at that specific address. 
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited May 2014
    It's days may be numbered:

    3-01215-0049.WMKSFg96


    Several Crown Fried Chickens in the area have already been closed.

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