A Wrong-Way Driver Crashed Into a Henry Street Deli
Riverside Apartments tenants protest unsafe conditions, an illegal semi-trailer got stuck in Brooklyn Heights for more than an hour and Sal Tang's is closing.
Happy Friday! I am writing to you with a headache and cough after spending a bit too much time outside yesterday in the smoky air. The city is distributing free KN95 masks — here is a helpful map of where you can pick them up.
On Tuesday evening, I attended a happy hour at Substack’s offices. My social anxiety was at a high until I realized just how friendly fellow Substackers are. I get spammed with “Substack is for healing your inner child”-type Notes occasionally, but there really is a different vibe going on here than other places on the internet.
It is because of you that I was invited to Substack’s event in the first place. Thank you for reading, and if you don’t already…
Well Arched, a beauty collective by podiatrist Dr. Krista Archer and brow maestro Joshua Beeler, will soon open on Court Street between Garnet and 9th. More on that early next week. In the meantime, have you seen us around the neighborhood?
The Red Hook Star-Revue’s July issue is out, and it includes our latest “Open for Business” column. I wrote about The Lamp Doctor, a 55-year-old speciality business restoring lamps, chandeliers and other lighting fixtures. Carol Romeo and her late husband Peter started The Lamp Doctor together in the ‘70s. After more than half a century in Midwood, Romeo relocated to 135A Huntington Street. How cool is their business card?
Also in the column — Steven Alan is working on womenswear, and Overdye is a showroom in Dumbo curating artisanally crafted products from Visvim, Arc’teryx Veilance, Taiga Takahashi and more.
The Roundup
A wrong-way driver drove into Garden Gourmet Deli and Grill at Henry and Union earlier this week. The driver reportedly almost hit a NYPD detective before driving into the storefront. He “was arrested at the scene of the caught-on-video smash-up and found to be driving with a fanny pack holding heroin, MDMA and LSD,” NYPost reports.
Tenants of Riverside Apartments in Brooklyn Heights protested unsafe living conditions — ranging from rats and a mite infestation to heat failures and water shutoffs — at a rally this week. They say the conditions are a result of neglect from notorious landlord Pinnacle Group.
An illegal semi-trailer got stuck at an intersection in Brooklyn Heights for more than 1.5 hours this week. The Columbia Street Waterfront District BK Instagram account, run by community advocate John Leyva, has diligently documented instances of large trucks and buses navigating narrow streets they should not be on. State Senator Andrew Gounardes is working with DOT to mitigate the issue. If you have video of relevant incidents, you can send them to admin@columbiastreetwaterfront.org.
NYC Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn posted on LinkedIn last week that he was looking to hire an Assistant Commissioner “to address the aging infrastructure of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway (BQE) between Atlantic Avenue and Sands Street.” The job listing appears to have since expired.
Diversions
The Chocolate Room Brooklyn appears to be opening a second location in Greenpoint, where former bookstore Archestratus used to be.
Sal Tang’s is closing, with final service on Saturday, August 1, the restaurant announced via Instagram yesterday. While the partnership between restaurateurs Sal Lamboglia and Wilson Tang is ending, Eater reports that Lamboglia is holding onto the space, with plans to open a new concept.
Chris Pine is suing a Cobble Hill developer for failing to return $100,000 in fees after negotiations for a short-term rental fell apart.
Developer Zelig Weiss bought the former Dinosaur Bar-B-Que site for $11 million. On that note, I am thinking of starting a Gowanus development tracker. Hit me with any thoughts/ideas.
A sailboat was told to exit the Sail4th parade for displaying banners that read “Indigenous Rights, Racial Justice, Climate Solutions” and “Save the Clean Water Act.”
Goings On
NVRSTK Studios is running a summer camp that teaches kids how to customize sneakers.
Tony Shirtmakers is popping up at Lindquist Brooklyn on Atlantic Ave today, July 17 and tomorrow, July 18 from noon until 6 p.m.
The Brooklyn Heights Association is hosting a Bastille Day celebration and live Fifa World Cup 2026 Final viewing party as part of Montague Open Streets on Sunday, July 19 from noon to 6 p.m. The Bastille Day fête is in partnership with L’Appartement 4F and will feature music, games and of course, baked goods. Tickets are available here.
The Atlantic Ave BID is hosting live music as part of Hoyt Open Street on Saturday, July 25 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Pets are welcome.
Voices of the Waterfront is organizing a treasure hunt and clean up of Red Hook Park and Pier on Saturday, July 25. The event page says to “don your maritime costume” — i.e. pirates, mermaids, barnacles, etc. — “then compete to collect the most, weirdest and wildest trash hauls along our working waterfront.”
Brooklyn Community District 2 and the Department of Sanitation are holding a virtual info session about the Empire Bins rollout on Wednesday, July 22. RSVP here.
One Last Thing
A Gowanus artist’s compound has a Gaudí-esque “biomorphic bubble wall” with a reading nook, storage for firewood and a porthole through which to access the floor above. The compound consists of two buildings and is on the market for $6.75 million.
Development tracker is such a good idea!!