Erica | Thursday, December 18, 2008 at 12:08AM 
Don't.
R.I.P. Video Free Brooklyn, 2008 - 2008
[Neighborhood Killed the Video Store].
(via GOWANUS LOUNGE and Brooklyn Paper) (But, Gowanus Lounge broke the story, yo! So they deserve all the cred).
Erica | Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 10:40AM 
V. Cool (slash touching) interview from WNYC's Kathleen Horan with a local, family run Park Slope biz, Henington Press, that is shutting down after 96 years in business.
"Before Xeroxing and digital images, if a business needed a menu, a poster or a coupon booklet mass produced, they'd take it to a local printer. It would be set in type and pressed to paper - the artwork saved for the next printing. Henington Press in Park Slope, Brooklyn was just that kind of place. It's a family business that started in 1912, and it's going to close this winter."
Surprisingly, Henington isn't shutting down because of the economy...the owner is moving to the promised land. His family is already living happily in Israel and he's off to join the party.
Shalom, dude!
(via WNYC)
back in the day, retail Benjamin | Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 6:50AM 
I've never actually been inside The Cabinet Shop, or known anyone who has, but I'm sure they carry the finest in hand made, locally grown, organically-certified expensive shit.
What I have seen though, along with thousands of other Park Slope residents, is this beyond-retarded sign that they have posted on their front-door:
Listen: People acting like dumbshits with their cellphones is old news. Every day, each one of us witnesses 10 etiquette-impaired phone-abusers that deserve a punch in the dick. Yeah, the thought of someone wandering around an intimate, expensive store like The Cabinet Shop is enough to make you cringe and hope it's not your wife. However, the wording and placement of this sign is more offensive, arrogant, and detrimental to business than having five Jersey JAPs hold a conference call next to the oak armoires.
How bout a fuckin sign that says "no cell phones please."
Doesn't that get the same point across? Wouldn't that be less:
retail Erica | Wednesday, December 10, 2008 at 12:06AM 
Eponymy:
"Cocktail confections from the ’50s mingle with Chanel jackets in mint condition, Prada eveningwear, and an eclectic mix of Korean and Californian designers, including Iodice, Rojas, and BNX.
Antique mirrors and housewares plucked from family attics or collected with an inherited eye for treasure are up for grabs, while sales of tightly curated modern photography from emerging artists and uncles alike benefit Humble Arts Foundation, a nonprofit owner Andrea Miller helped start."
(ed note: Ok, I'm intrigued).
Eponymy
466 Bergen Street (between Flatbush and 5th Avenues)
718-789-0301
shopeponymy.com
(via Daily Candy)
Ugg
There's a new Ugg Store opening on the corner of 5th and President at the old Beacon's closet locale (ed note: Ugh is too obvious here. Barf? Gawd, NO!? Fuckin Fuck?).
Ugg
220 Fifth Avenue
www.uggaustralia.com
(via Gowanus Lounge)
[Also, have you guys ever heard of a frumputante]?
UPDATE: Video Free Brooklyn is reportedly dunzo (and only opened in February, yo!). (ed note: Fuck this fuckin economy, motherfuckers) (via Gowanus Lounge).
retail Erica | Monday, December 8, 2008 at 12:05AM 
(photo: Gowanus Lounge)
Overall, I'd give it a strong meh.
I'd say that this is def a place you should check out if you are in the market for one of the following items:
*socks
*underwear
*toys
*tights/leggings
*Christmas wrap
Otherwise, its pretty missable.
Having said that, we went with a v. specific purpose: finding Chanukah and Bday gifts for our 5 nieces and nephews. We needed Chanukah pressies for all 5 kids and Bday presents for the oldest (6 yr old boy) and the youngest (1 yr old triplets).
On that front, we totally reached mission accomplished: found crap toys for everyone with the most expensive item (a fake electronic cell phone) ringing in at $13.99.
We bought: Elmo's, Cookie Monsters, Big Birds, Kidz Card Games, a Diego helicopter, books, puzzles, Baby rattle-y stuff, 2 backpacks, a gone fishin set, some weird ninja game, stackable trucks, these cool dolls that you're *supposed* to draw on, a few packs of socks, scotch tape, and a hat all for $126.23.
Here it is (excuse the crappy iphone pic):
They didn't have much in the way of toiletries (though they did have some stuff) and their candy/food dept. was also pretty small. There were clothes sections for both Men and Women and each had one or two interesting items amidst a sea of crap (for women they had these pretty cool dancer tight-like leggings and for guys lined Woolrich sweatshirts). The linens all looked scary scratchy, though I guess if you are looking for some sheets for your air mattress, it might be an option.
They had a metric ton of Christmas crap, which does a Jew like me no good but might be worth checking out if you need wrapping paper or other Christmas supplies. The store was so Christ-mafied, in fact, I could not find a single solitary roll of non Jesus loving wrapping paper in the whole place (*slightly frustrating).
All the cashiers were pretty darn chipper, esp. considering all of the annoying shoppers like me who were milling around.
Ok, so I guess on a scale of 1 - 10 I'd give DII a: 5.5
If you need socks, def check it out.
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