478 Myrtle Avenue

Does anyone have any idea about what's going to go in at 478 Myrtle?

It use to be some weird shop that I never saw anyone in. For a while it looked like they were trying to be some sort of bike shop but when the owner stands outside smoking cigarettes somethings tells me that's not the type of bike shop I want to get my gear from.

russian mafia....................nuf said..............

Yeah that place is real weird. I've never been in. The mystery continues...

I've been in there looking for a fuse. The guy working there seemed nice enough.

DoH lists permits for plumbing and partitions- but no stated use.

I think they have a $10,000 grant from MARP to restore the facade as well.
http://www.myrtleavenue.org/projects_NYMainStreet.cfm
(at bottom of page)

Well judging by the fixtures one can now see thru the windows it looks like it's going to be a little bit more upscale than some money laundering spot for the Russian mafia.

I dunno, the new interior almost looks like its going to be a cheap jewelry or cell phone store.

Very curious indeed.

Subject: 478 Myrtle

walked past the place today on the way to grocery store and there is a sign in the window that says it is going to be a "homeopathic" type store. what's up with that? is the dirty russian guy going to be selling homeopathic items now with that cigarette hanging out of his mouth?

hmmm

Writes Clinton Hill Blog:

478 Myrtle (bt Washington and Hall) has been under renovation for awhile. Looks like the space will be home to a selection of homeopathy (apparently they’re affiliated with the BIH). Despite the Grand Opening signs, shelves inside are completely empty.

Guess I was wrong about my prediction.

Subject: So Wrong For The 'Nabe

I think the folks at Healthy Body have seriously misjudged the wants/needs of the neighborhood with the opening of their new store.

I can't say that they're the place that we've been searching for.

agreed; it seems a bit specific. Especially for a neighborhood that lacks so many basic business options.

A dust-up seems to be a-brewin' over at the clintonhillblog.com over this place -- Lesterhead posted an account of her skepticism over the place, and there've been two comments from some guy named "Laurent" -- first berating her for suggesting that it's a Mafia front, but then in the second one, implying that people may not want to piss off the Russian Mafia "because Clinton Hill is a small place".

...Yeah.

(Full disclosure: I'm the commenter guessing that Laurent is connected to the business in some way.)

oh dear.

the guys that run that store are shady as sh*t. if they were worried about being perceived as mafiosos, they wouldn't carry themselves the way they do.

Also, threats over the internet don't strike as a mafia thing to do.

I have a question, why is everyone so fascinated by this place?
I keep reading about this place and has any of you actually seen a "real life" russian mobster? or is this all wishful supposition and trying to make some excitment?

If this guy Laurent is connected to the place, why shouldnt he be upset by being characterized as a russian mobsters?

if the owners were black and someone suggested if they dont want people to assume they were thugs or gang members then they should stop dressing a certain way or carrying themselves a certain way- would that be OK? How many posters would jump on that calling it rascist? And they would be 100% correct!!!

I also read/posted this on CHB blog and came over to brooklynian which is usually less incindiary~ only to find the same crap

Chloe 1967 wrote: I have a question, why is everyone so fascinated by this place?
I keep reading about this place and has any of you actually seen a "real life" russian mobster? or is this all wishful supposition and trying to make some excitment?

Chloe,

I think the thing that confuses people -- and which lesterhead posted at clintonhillblog -- is that they don't seem to be applying themselves to the business very well, from a consumer's perspective. It would be one thing if the shelves were well-stocked, if there were always a number of customers going in and out, and if the shopkeeper attended to customers right when they walked in, even if only to say "I'll be with you in a moment."

But if you read Lesterhead's original post, she says that the shelves didn't seem to have much in stock, she was the only customer there, and three shopkeepers stood in the corner in a huddled conversation for rather a long time before one finally came over to see if she needed help, and he looked as if he were annoyed at the interruption.

Now, a business as poorly-run as that doesn't stay IN business for very long. The prior business was also similarly-run, but still managed to stay in business for a good while -- which is probably what started the rumors, because people wondered "well, if they're not getting the money from the business, where on earth ARE they getting the money?"

Also -- I understand your frustration with people making unfair assumptions, and I agree it's unfair. But -- let me ask you, do you think that telling people "Clinton Hill is a small place, if you know what I mean" is a good thing to say if you're trying to convince people that criminal activity is NOT involved? Personally, I think that actually makes it worse -- because if someone didn't think that about the business, they may end UP thinking it after something that sounds very like a threat.

I don't think anyone has proof that they're with organized crime, but "defenses" like that certainly are off-putting.

I think you're missing the important point: that this is a store that will sell water and tic tacs as cures to allergies, "stress," arthritis, and hey why not obesity? God. Homeopathic medicine is such an absurd scam it actually offends me. I dearly hope nobody spends a dime on this crap.

I walk by there a lot and I always find it funny how bare the shelves are - it doesn't seem like they're ever more than half full. What kind of store would merchandise itself like that?

As someone else said, it's always shady when a store has half empty shelves in NYC, whether its a bodega or a 'health' store.

Subject: Barely Lasted a Year

Boygabriel wrote: As someone else said, it's always shady when a store has half empty shelves in NYC, whether its a bodega or a 'health' store.

Well it seems that the store with the half empty shelves and the unhealthy looking guys standing outside smoking barely lasted a year.

What shall we give them? 14-15 months?

i'm surprised this place lasted as long as it did. no maybe we can get a retail establishment that is actually usefull/wanted by the neighborhood?