2nd Street Cafe

7th Ave. def. needs a good bar for single people! Yes, we must recognize who is around during the day--and that statistic is obvious--but at night, it's almost deserted! But, because of 7th Ave's reputation (?) I wonder if anyone would even think of opening up a much needed bar.

Where do young singles go on 5th ave? To be fair, I'm not actually single but I am part of that demographic and my boy and I would much rather go hang out in those types of bars than wade through the strollers...
We usually hit up Bar4 if we're itching for somewhere to go on our side of the hood.

Subject: sad to know 2nd st cafe has closed

have fond memories of the place with above average food
hopefully we'll get another nice joint for replacement

it's the first restaurant i went to in park slope...so i had a sentimental sorta attachment to it, but once the sweet potato gratin was taken off the menu (several years ago), it was just not the same.

benzapp wrote:

I wouldn't worry though, 7th Ave has been finished as a retail destination for a number of years.

Can't see this being true. Where are the PPW and 8th ave people going to shop, 3rd ave?

I never went during the day and I'm not into the kid-factor, but I'm telling ya! The late night burger and beer special was outstanding. And adults like playing with crayons too.

We need more late night burger joints. Their salad wasn't too bad either.

we need more late night anything....

sometimes i feel like i'm the only person in park dope awake past 10pm...

^^ then you need to hang out on 5th Avenue more~

yeah....i do, i do...i really enjoy 5th.

but sometimes the crawl back up to 8th can get a little sloppy.

Where do young singles go on 5th ave? To be fair, I'm not actually single but I am part of that demographic and my boy and I would much rather go hang out in those types of bars than wade through the strollers...
We usually hit up Bar4 if we're itching for somewhere to go on our side of the hood

5th ave has tons of bars. I live closer to flatbush ave and Black Sheep Pub is one of my favorites along with Flatbush Farm which is on 6th ave and flatbush. 4th ave has Cherry Three, 4th Ave Pub, Pacific Standard, Sheep Station, and CattyShack all within a 6 block stretch. Further down on 5th has Great Lakes and The Gate as well as lots of other ones thrown throughout.

belzjm wrote: yeah....i do, i do...i really enjoy 5th.

but sometimes the crawl back up to 8th can get a little sloppy.

Oh, are you one of those drunk rowdy people cruising up my block after a night at The Gate? LOL

i'm a quiet drunk....

usually too busy smokin to make much noise.

I just learned about 2nd St.'s closing last night. Although the food there was just fine -- not bad, but nothing to write home about -- it was among the best available on 7th Ave, at least below 9th St.

Although this stuff brings out all our deep-seated tribal tensions (e.g., stroller set vs. singles set) the real tragedy is that 'local' spots -- whether they're great or just fine (since despite it's 'blandness, 2nd St. did seem to do a decent business), and whether or not they cater to right crowd -- simply can't afford the ridiculously rising cost of rent. The rumor I heard was that the rent had more than doubled for 2nd St. Cafe this year. It seems 7th Avenue is destined to become a street of real estate brokers, banks, and Starbucks. The cost of the Manhattan-ification of PS is a poorer quality of life for those of us who live (and try to eat) here.

I happen to know the owner of this building, a local plumber, and money and issues of rent wasn't the reason why the place closed.
The owners of the cafe were two brothers and both were split in the direction they wanted to take the cafe. One brother wanted to keep it child friendly, the other to a more adult establishment with full wet bar.
That's why they had changed the entrance to the side street, they wanted more space for their bar scene.
Sometimes it's the merchants fault for failing, and not the property owners.

That block has a lot of open storefronts now. Why?

Old Time Brooklyn wrote: That block has a lot of open storefronts now. Why?

That I cannot answer. I only know what happened with regards to the cafe.

Do you see local businesses filling those fronts or national chains? On 7th Avenue as a whole?

Old Time Brooklyn wrote: Do you see local businesses filling those fronts or national chains? On 7th Avenue as a whole?

The general size of the stores along 7th Avenue are not suitable for most of the big chains. For instance, The Gap, Banana Republic, etc, usually require a min. of 2,000 sq. ft. for their locations. Except for a maybe two or three buildings along 7th avenue, none of the other buildings can accomodate their requirements. Now that is not to say that the smaller chains and franchises cannot use these stores, but it would then do what Starbucks did, take over both stores of a building and connect in the back, behind the residential staircase.
One also has to remember, and I stated this in an earlier thread, the payment of Real Estate Taxes for commercial buildings are based on the income from the tenants. What alot of owners do is pass down these costs to the commercial tenants. There can come the time when the costs are counter productive, and the merchants will leave. The owners, stuck with these high assessments from prior tenants will, if they can subsidize the hit, keep a space vacant in order to reduce the taxes in the future. The city will reduce your taxes only after the tenant leaves and the space is vacant. So it can sometimes pay for the owner to keep the space empty.
The issues involved are never as cut and dried as some people want to believe. It's an unfortunate reality of life, that things are done for the most ridiculous but legitimate reasons.

know what's coming into the space on 7th between union and berkeley next to amin?

gowanuslounge is predicting another oko frozen yogurt place...

looks like whatever it is, is coming soon...

A new sign in the window of 2nd St Cafe says "Children's Rx" or maybe it was "Kid's Rx" is coming. Is it a pharmacy, a healthy kids restaurant... Anyone in the know?

Perhaps it's this: http://www.kidsrx.com/index2.html

there's a place in the west village that is a child's pharmacy. I don't really see the point (and I have a child), but if it saves me from dealing with rite aid, I guess that's good.

Well, good luck if it's a pharmacy. They are asking $14,000 per month!!!!

You'd have to sell a lot of ridilin to make that nut.

A children's pharmacy, at that.
If one is actually moving into that space.

I'm the parent of an almost-4-month old, and personally think that a children's pharmacy is a tad daft. Ostensibly, the folks there would be more attuned to the needs of children's prescriptions, etc.. Regardless... uh, shouldn't any pharmacy be able to dispense the prescriptions that a doctor hands out? Color me unimaginative, but I'd put "children's drugstore" in the same category as "children's boutique": something nice enough, but nothing that I'll likely ever set foot in.

DrabRabbit wrote: Perhaps it's this: http://www.kidsrx.com/index2.html

well if you had a kids centered business I guess PS is the place to locate a second branch. I see they have a Thomas the Tank Engine table at their Hudson St location. Hopefully they'll set up one here an take the cut-throat pressure off the one in Barnes & Noble.

bluecat wrote: [quote=DrabRabbit]Perhaps it's this: http://www.kidsrx.com/index2.html

well if you had a kids centered business I guess PS is the place to locate a second branch. I see they have a Thomas the Tank Engine table at their Hudson St location. Hopefully they'll set up one here an take the cut-throat pressure off the one in Barnes & Noble.

Oh, totally agreed. I'm not surprised at all.

Ugh...how boring. And $14,000 a month? That is seriously insane. They need to take their own medicine.

$14,000.00 a month. I just wanted to write that out. A month?!! Without a liquor license?! I guess prescriptions would be the only way to make that...maybe they'll have xanibars in the back for all the parents too!!

Why on earth does Park Slope need another pharmacy (even one that caters to kids) when we have the most outstanding pharmacy ever in Palma?

Seriously? A pharmacy geared to kids? umm, what is the point of that? If my kids ever need a prescription filled, why would I go there as opposed to a regular pharmacy?

Sounds like a ridiculous idea, but, at least it's not another cell phone store, right?