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• Buy Brooklyn at By Brooklyn

  In Art / Culture, Places, Style: Food & Fashion / By GYFO / 16 May 2011 / 0 comments

  Two weeks ago as Brooklynites were enjoying the weather with outdoor activities a small celebration was taking place in Carroll Gardens at By Brooklyn. It was opening day of the new store. While staff busily helped customers in the front, what seemed like an impromptu garden party was taking place in the backyard. A variety of baked goods and plenty of drinks were out for guests to enjoy in the peaceful herb garden. But the costumers were not just happy because of the nice garden and free food, they were excited about what By Brooklyn stands for; something new, something local, and potentially revolutionary.

  The store itself is packed with a truly eclectic mix of Brooklyn made wares. Everything from pickles to cufflinks and granola to dishes. The items are interesting and unique. Seeing all of these different items together does give one pause and you’ll find yourself in awe realizing that everything before you was made right here in this boro!

  The economic impacts are simple. Brooklyn entrepreneurs now have a forum to sell their goods locally, alleviating the large cost of shipping and distribution. In some cases owners will be able to deliver their products on foot setting shipping and distribution costs to zero. As these local businesses grow from your kind purchases they will require more staff, which means more jobs! Of course growing businesses means more tax revenue that can benefit the whole city. We will no longer need to give money to the corporations that get tax breaks to play in our city. We will take the money and pass it amongst ourselves. This is the whole impetus behind “buy local” that we should get behind. In Gowanus alone there are so many renovated old factories coming to life with hundreds possibly thousands of start-up businesses. These businesses are emerging right in the midst of a booming consumer population; now they have a venue.

  We salute By Brooklyn for their amazing ability to bring together a mishmash of items, that promotes the merit of Brooklyn products with the warm hospitality of a general store. They are at the forefront of the economic revolution!

  Here’s a list of a few items in the store from Brooklyn’s innovative entrepreneurs:

  Brooklyn Hard Candy: tasty, colorful, old-fashion candy for the boro’s sweetest of tooths

  Wobbly Plates by Brigitte Bouquet: Light, bright-colored, bowls from a well-known Amsterdam born artist that are for more than just a happy bowl of cereal.

  P & H Soda Co: Soda Syrup for any self-respective liquor cabinet owning Brooklynite

  My Friends Mustard: the right stuff when making bratwurst with beer-caramelized onions

  Liddabit Sweets: French Culinary style sweets handmade with local and organic ingredients…eat this chocolate!

  Brooklyn Magazine: a small quarterly magazine that’s very existence classes things up

  Brooklyn Brine: A Gowanus based tiny operation that’s bringing the taste of NYC deli pickles to a late night frig raid near you.

   

  Head over to the store to see more great products!

  By Brooklyn 261 Smith Street Brooklyn, NY 11231

   

   

• Brooklyn Dodgers in the Gowanus

  In Brooklyn, Gowanus, Nerd Stuff, Places / By GYFO / 22 February 2011 / 0 comments

  Few people know that some important baseball was played in the Gowanus. And still more people don’t know that the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers played just down the street from where the Canal is now.

  

  At the end of 19th century Park Slope’s Washington Park (J.J. Byrne Park) was a bit different from it is today. Part of the park was actually caddy corner to where it is now, across 4th Avenue and contained a baseball stadium. The players were even said to use the Old Stone House as a clubhouse. This stadium was first made from just wood, but later, in the early 20th century, some additional structures were added that we made of brick.

   

  Just imagine a beautiful spring day walking to the corner of 4th Ave and 3rd Street to a game featuring the Brooklyn Atlantics, who would later become the Brooklyn Dodgers. –Keep in mind you’d have to step around construction for the 4th Ave Subway by 1908. The game would begin and the Atlantics/Dodgers would send baseballs flying onto 3rd Avenue. Gowanus was the place to be for baseball!

   

  By 1912 the Atlantics were officially the Dodgers and their stardom had outgrown the small Washington Stadium. In 1913 the team moved to the well know Ebbets Field. The stadium was used for two more years for baseball games, but then remained empty until 1922 when Con Ed purchased the land. Con Ed tore down most of the wooden structure, but left the brick walls, until recently. In 2002 despite a plea by Society for American Baseball Research Con Ed declared it would destroy the wall. The demolition of the historic walls began in late 2010 and the last bricks are slowly being removed right now. Soon the last memories of this beloved stadium in Washington Park will be erased. Head to 3rd Avenue and catch the last glimpse of history.

  

  Soon to be last brick of the wall

  

  Wall from the old stadium

  

  View of where the stadium entrance use to be

  

  View of where the outfield use to be

   

  *References: BrooklynBallParks.com, TheBrooklynPaper.com, Wikipedia.org, forgotten-ny.com, BallParkTour.com