A boutique believer returns to Brooklyn
Steven Alan opens on Court Street, a plot twist in Caputo’s closure and more.
Last night, my husband and I went to Sari-Sari x Kembot NYC’s line dancing social at the Ace Hotel. It’s impossible not to have fun learning line dances in real time with strangers while listening to your favorite 90s/00s throwbacks.
I have been wanting to share this somewhere in case any Erewhon lovers subscribe: Baya Bar’s Glowberry smoothie is just like the Hailey Bieber / Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie, but half the price. Highly recommend!
In this issue — Steven Alan’s Court Street shop, Caputo Bakery’s closure narrative evolves, plans for the Brooklyn Marine Terminal hit a snag, Olympic sailor Nicole van der Velden volunteers at the Gowanus Canal and more.
The Roundup
Steven Alan has quietly opened a store at 196 Court Street, where Su’juk used to be. (My husband and I passed by the shop on our walk back from line dancing last night, hence the nighttime snap.) An original in the city’s multibrand boutique scene, Steven has been making a comeback since closing all of his U.S. stores, including his previous Atlantic Avenue one, back in 2019. Emilia Petrarca, one of my favorite fashion writers, reported on his return to physical retail with a Chelsea store opening in 2024. Steven’s presence in the neighborhood, along with Ven. Space and Outline, reminds me of this story I wrote back in 2023 about the next-generation of specialty retail. Taste, uncompromised by VC investment, is back.
The narrative surrounding Caputo Bakery’s closure has evolved after NYPost reported the bakery’s operating license was revoked due to state health-code violations. Inspectors found mold, mouse droppings and a live mouse “in the boiler room on open baskets of exposed breads which are human food by-products intended to be used as animal food.” James Caputo had the opportunity to reapply for his license, but chose not to.
A key financing mechanism for the overhaul of the Brooklyn Marine Terminal has been left out of the state budget, a win for locals who feel the project has been rushed and lacking in transparency. The measure, which would have established a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program to fund infrastructure upgrades, was blocked in the Assembly by local lawmakers including Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.
A woman gave birth while handcuffed in a courtroom inside of Kings County Criminal Court this month. “The woman, Samantha Randazzo, was afforded neither privacy, nor dignity, nor competent medical treatment,” writes Politico. Brand Lander, along with public defenders and advocates, protested the inhumane treatment last week.
Olympic sailor Nicole van der Velden volunteered with the Gowanus Canal Conservancy ahead of competing in this weekend’s SailGP race on the Hudson. Van der Velden and the group of SailGP athletes volunteering with her called the state of the Gowanus “shocking.”
Mayor Mamdani unveiled his “Block by Block” affordable housing plan at an event in Gowanus this week, pledging to build 200,000 affordable and rent-stabilized homes over the next decade through a $22 billion investment.
Corto, a Brooklyn Italian cafe, is opening in Gowanus next month.
Some quick hits: Matt Damon sang “Sweet Caroline” at Montero’s this week; Books Are Magic released a Knicks books tee; a laser-cut aluminum Crown of Thorns stool was on display at a Carroll Gardens church during NYCxDesign week; and the amenities inside this $16.7 million Cobble Hill home include a gym, sauna and wine cave.
Goings On
Books Are Magic is holding an all-weekend book drive at its Smith Street location on Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31. Bring like-new and gently used books for babies, kids and teens.
The Red Hook Regatta returns to Valentino Pier on Saturday, May 30 from 1 to 5 p.m, featuring 3D-printed, remote-controlled and DIY boats racing an obstacle course off the Red Hook shoreline.
Families for Brad Lander are hosting a Prospect Park picnic on Sunday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to noon.
Montague Knows, a first-ever open streets event where local businesses share skills, is this Sunday, May 31 from noon to 5 p.m. There will be rowing techniques from Orange Theory, salad secrets from L’Appartement 4F, container garden how-to’s from James Weir Floral and more.
The Brooklyn Heights Association is hosting a homecoming party for its recently re-homed Community Fridge on Sunday, May 31.
The Columbia Street Waterfront District and Carroll Gardens Association’s community forum with Rep. Dan Goldman has been rescheduled to Tuesday, June 3 from 3 to 4 p.m. at Cabrini Hall at Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen Church (125 Summit Street). Community members can submit issues and questions ahead of the forum here.
The Last Summer, an original rock opera set in the nuclear apocalypse, will take the stage on Friday, June 9 at Judgy Baby, a multi-purpose art and music venue in Gowanus that hasn’t officially opened yet. There will be live rock music, flashy costumes and “a whole lot of ooze.” Tickets here.
One Last Thing
I can’t get enough of Kareem Rahma’s Keep the Meter Running YouTube show, in which he asks taxi cab drivers to take him to their favorite spot (“and keep the meter running”). This episode features a Nepalese flautist and poet named Khakendra Pun, who ends up recording a song at the recording studio of Gowanus activist Martin Bisi.
As a new member of the neighborhood, this is one of my favorite newsletters!
Love the way you cover the goings on in the neighborhood.