Years later, 810 Washington (at St John's) finally emerges from the past as "Longevity."

I was able to peek inside recently, and this place is not as far along as I hoped.  

The décor is by no means done, and there is not much furniture.   ...still no request for a kitchen inspection.

Signage!

photos not by me.

Sorta not loving the signage. Looks like a death metal band. 

Totally agree. I saw it this afternoon and did a doubletake. Sorry... No bueno.

Haha agreed on the sign. Bad font combined with the shininess makes it Metallica-esque. Maybe it gets a patina.

What kinda food?

Ha, agreed. Saw it yesterday and thought the same. Not the type of signage I expected.

This place has not yet begun the process of requesting an alcohol license.

...given that the process routinely takes 6 months, I wonder whether they are going to open before they get their license.

Upscale restaurant without an alcohol license seems to be the opposite of Longevity.

Its not clear that its going to be an upscale restaurant though, the Brownstoner piece a few posts up refers to it as a Cafe from a group that runs an upscale grocery and cafe in Greenpoint.

Today I got a look into the inside.     As you point out, this is going to be more of a grocer and cafe than a sit down restaurant.   

The equipment and supplies indicate that we are about to get an upscale grocery, with a eating area in the front.     Coffee bar.   Sandwiches.  It remains to be seen whether it will have table service.

Perishable items are now being put in the refrigerators, so we can expect an opening soon ...likely within 2 weeks!

The merchandise and quality of the decor reminds me of Wholesome foods (located in PLG) 

That type makes me so mad every time I walk by there.

Vomit.

Has anyone been able to see if all the shelves are stocked yet?

...the last time I checked they were mostly full.

Front dining area:

Just drove by- bread delivery, employees prepping. Could they open today?

Yes, staff has reportedly stated same to Kris Slyvester, and let him to get these photos:

I kinda like everything about it so far*, provisions, big space, lots of light, seating, close to home, espresso/drip/baked goods.   Just please have no-computer tables like Lincoln Station or Forte!

*except that font

As a result of the graduate students being priced out and lots of coworking spaces being opened in the area, I am not finding getting a table nearly hard as I did just a few years ago. 

Yes, that font is awful.

There is always someone who's using a computer at one of the no-computer tables at Lincoln Station. Usually while sitting directly under the "no laptops at the round tables please" sign. 

Whynot, I like how you've taken your guesstimate on what grad students can pay, despite someone who rents to grad students saying they're not having trouble finding tenants, and are now using it as a given data point for discussing other things! That's a strong commitment to your hypothesis.

I don't dispute that there are still a lot of graduate students living in the area: There are still a lot of $1800 two bedrooms in the area, and some of them can pay more 

 .... They just can't get a room as nice as they once could for $900. As a result, many "new graduate students" are choosing to live elsewhere, and those that have finished grad school are aging in place until they are (gasp) 34. 

 PS I don't like the font either.

Today, I celebrated their soft opening by buying a turkey sandwich. Their grand opening will be in 2 weeks.

"Not everything is here yet. Still need tables and more prepared foods. No menus yet."

Everything is healthy and organic.

...hence the Longevity name, and lack of Doritos and beer. (The lack of beer may actually be due to the operators being Muslim)

I went in to check it out and it seems nice.  I suspect it may not be long before they come to the conclusion that all that space with non-perishables doesn't turn fast enough, and they turn it into seating to accommodate lots more people (that's my hope speaking).

They have now added ice cream, making it the only ice cream place on Washington Avenue.

I agree with @goldemi1 if they added narrow or stool window seating to the whole wall with windows, it would attract way more customers. It's kind of a waste of space.

I'm a little disappointed in this place. I don't think they get a fresh bagel delivery everyday (I see their bagels sitting out in their baskets overnight), the service is not so friendly (especially for a brand new place (which isn't so brand new, but still seems like they are not fully open yet)), and there is a really bad odor I've noticed a few times by the steps separating the Deli from the grocery. I'm not asking for the world, but it just seems a bit discombobulated in many areas. I do love their big open windows though.

Is anyone else puzzled by Longevity's business model?  The market area in the back is so small and randomly stocked that I can't imagine anyone actually making this place a grocery shopping destination, and the front eat-in half doesn't have much seating or much of a selection.  It seems to me there is room in the neighborhood for a larger produce store or specialty market, or for a large sit-down bagel or coffee shop, but this place is trying to be both and succeeding at neither. It's too bad -- I hope they figure it out soon. 

I think if they specialized in cheese (made from actual daily products as opposed to nuts) they would do very well.

Perhaps suggest that to the owner/manager or the people working there to deliver the advice. I agree that the space is odd and doesn't have a clear purpose. They could have easily turned it into a popular sit down cafe with that space and those windows. If I remember correctly, there's lots of room for seating along the windows and for a few tables when you enter.

The correlation between the amount of time it takes a new place to open, and the amount of time it is disorganized remains strong.

I had low expectations for Riverdel but they were exceeded and high expectations for Longevity which were unfounded.  I am always so depressed walking by such a great wasted space.  

I find it hard to believe that this business is generating the money required to make the rent discussed above ($8500?), cover the costs of its capital investments, and wages.   

So, I expect something will change within a year.