[TheBurgerking]

I will believe it when I see it but today at 4 o'clock walking by Nam's on St. John's and Franklin noticed they were closed and working inside. I stopped to see what was going on and enthusiastically I was told they were renovating and in ten days were going to open up as an organic market with fresh flowers. That's what he said... Great news.

[sje]

Wow! This is big news, and I wish them the best of luck! What a great decision. I will be a frequent customer on my way home to CH.

[Anon888]

The rumors are true! I live directly across the street (next to the karate studio & above the deli) & am rather friendly with the cashier & Nam himself. In addition to going organic, they've told me they are also going to be open 24 hours & carry beer! They'll be under renovations through this weekend & reopen sometime next week. I'm very curious to see it post-op.

Between "the new" Nam's, Bristen's Eatery, and the Soda owners (supposedly) opening a new bar on at 620 St. Johns Place - this block is going to be killer!

[kenieva]

woooooooooooooow ''

I hope that all "those people" who live on the "other side" [of Classon] won't be coming to Franklin now! That would ruin our reputation as the scariest hood in history! Go Franklin! Go Franklin!

[parkplace]

Well, organic food is #6 on the list of stuff white people like, so.....

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/ful.....-stuff-white-people-like/

[TheBurgerking]

I did a little snooping around today at the new bar from the Soda guys. It is called Franklin Park and it is going to be awesome. It sits on a large deep lot. The bar is situated in the back and the front is going to be outdoor space. The bar itself looks great. White tiled bar for about 12 people and some small tables. Probably can hold about 30-35 inside and another 75 outside. Everything looks well done and very tasteful. This place appears to be something you would fine in Williamsburg.

[alafairnadia]

this is awesome - I live closer to franklin than vandy/flatbush (nearest decent supermarkets to the west) so hurrah! this will be incentive to take the 4/5 home all the way to franklin and get a few blocks of exercise like I used to when I worked near the B/Q.
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[lindsay6]

wow...amazing news. and hi there anon888 we are neighbors apparently

[Anon888]

hi there, yourself lindsay6 i live at 758 franklin, how about yourself? ... and i guess we're all sort of neighbors, no?

so i checked into nam's this evening and they've got a few signs up saying (essentially): "sorry for not being open. but you won't be disappointed when we're finished renovating. thanks!"

i know i won't be disappointed at the fact that they'll have beer. definitely waiting to see on the quality of their fruit and veg - which isn't too bad to begin with - under the whole "organic" moniker. i wonder, is "organic" in crow hill a sign of diversity, gentrification, or just plain cashing in?

more than anything i'm curious to see about the whole 24 hour aspect. it seems that most places in crown heights/crow hill that claim to be 24 hours (mcking's fried chicken & shorty's deli) never stay open past 2am. and the delis that are open in the wee hours only do revolving window service. to have a 24 hour place that's fully open is a risky proposition, but would be amazing if they could pull it off!

and thanks for the recon details on the st. johns bar, Bking. at the risk of derailing this thread a bit, does anyone have any hard data on this new bar? opening date, etc...? the prospect of a legit bar in crow hill is almost too much to fathom, especially after the underwhelming outcome of 95 south.

[lindsay6]

i live above the chinese place/across from the veg market. the karate place seems to be doing a lot of renovations too. it makes me happy that business around here are doing well! bristens is definitely a great addition and hopefully some of the closed storefronts will get snatched up...

[rasta808]

Actually I have a friend that lives in the apt building Bristens is in.
Yeah its a nice eatery for the new kids here, but they are disrespectful to the tenants and their kitchen fills the building with smoke.
The tenants can't open their windows for fresh air without getting smoke and smell.

Have you ever been in there? I think it does smell over fried.

I'm choosing NOT to support them. They need to respect the tenants and the community if they wish to do business in it.

[sje]

[rasta808]

Yeah I know he called 311. The are sending out an Environmental inspector at some point.
In the meantime the restaurant owner is fighting it and refusing to help.

Sage is a good spot. As well as Tom's diner. I go and eat at those places instead.

[TheBurgerking]

Interesting. i was here about week and a half ago for a cup of coffee to go. It was way too smokey inside so I left. On Friday I went in and a small coffee was $1.62. Not too smokey this time and the coffee wasn't half bad.

[Whatchuwant]

I had a rather strong cup of $1.62 as well. I noticed they're in the process of creating the back patio so the neighbors are surely not happy about this. I asked about that and the girl said they were working on making sure they would not be "olfactorally" intruded upon. (my term, not theirs). They were very nice, the owner thanked me as I was leaving.
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"...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa

[sweet tea]

anybody know if nam's has reopened yet?

(also: i was at bristen's yesterday. didn't seem "over fried" to me -- in fact, i didn't notice any strong smell or any smoke at all. not saying there has never been a problem -- i don't live in that building -- but i think it would be nice to let them get their legs under them before organizing a boycott. i'm happy to see new businesses on franklin. the chef says they're working on being able to be open until 9, but it's not that uncommon for businesses to need a little time to work up to full posted hours. that may be inconvenient, but it doesn't seem to me like a good reason to give up on a new place already.)
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Bumping ancient threads with bot-like bullshit

[halfpint]

Nam's was open today. Didn't get to stop in but the fruits and veggies are still outside the shop as they were before. No way to really identify if they are organic. The inside looked a lot more organised with several rows of shelves.

I plan to stop in tomorrow evening.

[sje]

[Whatchuwant]

Roomie bought flowers from Nams today. I asked him if they were organic.

j.k.
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"...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa

[kdub]

when i walked by on saturday and this morning i saw the fruit boxes as they were unpacking them. i didn't see any that were labeled organic or had the certified stamp. i've never worked in produce, but i would assume the boxes would say as much.. the quality and prices of their produce have always been good though. the inside was just filthy so i'm really into the renovation. i haven't been inside yet, but it looks pretty decent from the street.

[business 101]

I happen to know the owner of Bristen's and about the smokey problem.
It has been remedied and would have been sooner if this was communicated to the owner...the cost to remedy the problem was astronomical as well!
Like the previous post mentions....give businesses a chance to get their legs under them before trying to close them down.
If you have ever started a business and ever owned one then you know there are kinks in the beginning....

To change the subject... Franklin Park (on St.John's opens this Friday) Pls give them a chance to get their legs under them before trying to close them down..
New business makes the hood safer and brings in money to uplift the community!
PEACE

[Whatchuwant]

Have been to Bristen's twice in the past week. Food is really, very good and business seems to be doing well. (went both times during the week, lunch time, good crowd! Also seems to becoming a great place to bring your computer and lounge inside or out with a GIGANTIC cup of great coffee). The owner is really nice, and honestly, I think she's doing a great job. I am a total supporter. (and I have no affiliation whatsoever)

As for Nam's: it seems that all the organic stuff is INSIDE, but the stuff on the outside is not.
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"...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa

[lilbangladesh]

How is the quality of the organic produce at Nam's? Whatever organic I can find on Nostrand is sad.

[Whatchuwant]

It's good, it's just not plentiful. There's also a great deal of other organic options aside from the veg, like milk, fancy ass butter, Amy's frozen, etc. No organic eggs though...

BTW- the flowers that Roomie bought are still looking perfect days after he purchased them.
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"...you can choose the rain....but I choose the sun..." - N. Costa

[sweet tea]

that's weird -- they had organic eggs before they renovated.
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Bumping ancient threads with bot-like bullshit

[Whatchuwant]

[lilbangladesh]

Well, organic eggs and even milk is pretty easy to get on Nostrand, plus staples like rice and other grains. What's really hard to get around here is quality organic produce, which is why I asked.

[lindsay6]

they have organic eggs at fischers!
i was psyched to see they have tempeh at nam's, but less psyched when i saw it cost over $6. when that brand usually costs $3-$4. and the apples are still not nice. but still, glad to have it around!

[sweet tea]

just checked, and you were right, whatu -- no organic eggs now.

ETA: never mind -- see below

they do have organic milk though, fwiw.


it's nice and clean in there now, but it's mostly dry goods. nice stuff, but i wish they had expanded their fruit and veggies instead, since produce in general around here leaves much to be desired.

the veggies they had (about the same amount as before, i think, though displayed differently) looked nice, but i'm not sure any were actually organic. (okay by me, but for the record.) happy to see flowers.
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[lindsay6]

yes the fruit and veggies look the same as before, but the green veggies were always pretty good. the fruit is kind of lousy.

[TheBurgerking]

I bought some coconut milk and asked them to order an organic option. He said he would. They are open late I noticed, maybe even 24 hours.

[Guest]

Yes, they are open 24 hours a day, which is GREAT. And while some things are priced high, others are a bargain. Try flowers on your way home, for instance. I got a bunch for $3 the other day.

[sweet tea]

CORRECTION:

they DO have organic eggs. they aren't stored by the regular eggs; hence my confusion. they are by the organic milk (and organic half and half, which is scarcer around these parts).

they also now have a bunch of nice looking cheeses and some packaged prosciutto and the like.
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[Guest]

i dont understand these local stores that go out of their way to please these white passer throughers. they come live here for one year and everything has to change. give me my old franklin ave back.

[sweet tea]

nam's (nee ham's) still seems to have all the same things they have sold during my 3 years of shopping there, in addition to the new things. i was worried when i saw all the dry goods, since what i most need from them is veggies, but needlessly.

i believe the process you refer to -- attempting to please a broad customer base -- is widely considered a sound business decision. perhaps that's the impulse.

i miss mazon's, too, but aside from that, what businesses have we lost to accommodate the new ventures (predominately black-owned, as far as i know) on franklin? nothing is coming to mind, except for the lady who used to lie on an old couch croaking offers to tell your fortune in what is now -- following a stint as a "spa products" shop -- the tattoo parlor with the brown awning. she is missed, if only because my walk home is a little less like a tennessee williams play.
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Bumping ancient threads with bot-like bullshit

[justplainzach]

[travelriter]

ANOTHER ORGANIC GROCERY STORE IN CROWN HEIGHTS

A few weeks ago new owners bought the old deli on the corner of Classon and Bergen. It has a whole new vibe, completely different from the old place that used to stock 99% junk food, and always had a group of drug dealers outside. (They were friendly drug dealers, but still...)

They have a good selection of organic items, and soon will be stocking lots of fresh produce. They also make fresh sandwiches.

The deli is only one block from the jewish hospital building.
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[marla_singer]

Cool! This is already open? I will check it out!
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