Brooklyn Boro

Around Brooklyn: Out-of-work bartenders set up shop in Prospect Park

August 6, 2020 Editorial Staff
Mark Gibian’s sculpture “Crescendo” is planted on a pier by the NYC Ferry dock in North Williamsburg. Photo: Lore Croghan/Brooklyn Eagle
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Out-of-work bartenders set up shop in Prospect Park

On Saturday evenings, some Brooklynites sit on blankets in Prospect Park, waiting for bartenders to refill the empty bottles they’ve brought to the park. Brooklyn Vanguard, a former head waiter at a popular restaurant in SoHo, is now mixing creative cocktails in his apartment and selling them in Prospect Park. In recent weeks, several other out-of-work hospitality industry pros have been selling cocktails to park-goers, according to New York Eater. A word of caution: Selling alcohol without a liquor license is still illegal.

25 percent of Brooklyn ballots called invalid

Twenty-five percent of mail-in ballots cast in Brooklyn for June’s primaries were declared invalid, it was revealed on Tuesday. More than 120,000 absentee ballots were filed in Kings County for the June 23 primary, but about 30,000 were initially disqualified. Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte, who is also the head of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, said the disqualifying issues included a lack of postmarks or late arrival, according to the New York Post.

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Asian firms to carry B’klyn beverages

Local beverage brands Brooklyn Crafted and Moshi Yuzu Sparkling, both manufactured by Brooklyn Food and Beverage, are now working with a prominent Asian food service distributor, Southeast Asia Food Group, to carry their items in Asia. Both local beverage lines will be offered alongside SAFG’s lines of highly-regarded Asian beverages. Moshi Yuzu Sparkling is made with 100 percent yuzu juice sourced from Japan, according to BevNet. Yuzu is a type of citrus fruit that is almost exclusively grown in China, Korea and Japan.

Marketing office to move to Gowanus

The New York City arm of a London-based creative marketing firm, Mother New York, plans to move its office from Hell’s Kitchen to Gowanus. Mother signed a 15-year least at Industrie Capital Partners’ Roulston House at 124 Ninth St. The company has worked on campaigns for brands like Target, Stella Artois and Wrangler. It plans to move into its new Brooklyn offices sometime next year, according to the Commercial Observer. Mother and the building owner were set to close the deal in March, but then the coronavirus pandemic intervened.

Gillibrand urges flexibility in students’ meals

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) has urged the United States Department of Agriculture to continue flexibilities that have allowed students to access needed meals during the coronavirus pandemic. “Thousands of New York school children depend on school meals to get the nutrition they need, but the COVID-19 has deepened the hunger crisis countless families were already struggling to manage,” she said. Gillibrand and other senators are urging the USDA to extend a variety of waivers that will help ensure low-income students can access school-provided meals throughout the upcoming school year.

Adams slams early end to Census

Borough President Eric Adams has slammed the decision of the Census Bureau to end its field data collection by Sept. 30, a month earlier than had been expected. “The Census count isn’t supposed to be about red and blue, or white and Black​. However, the Trump administration has disgracefully been determined ​from the outset to politicize this constitutionally-mandated count that is supposed to include every person in our country, with no exceptions,” he said. He added that an undercount will threaten funds for hospitals, schools, roads and parks in the borough.

Q with a View

The William Vale, a luxury hotel in Williamsburg, has created “Q with a View,” a special program to help ease the process of quarantining for guests traveling to New York from the “red zone” states. Quarantine rooms will be specially set up to ensure the safety and well-being of travelers, who will be asked to follow all guidelines, such as avoiding public areas of the hotel after check-in, wearing face masks when leaving the guest rooms, monitoring their symptoms, and contacting a medical professional if they notice signs of illness. The quarantine rooms, which go for $250 a night, are spread across two floors, according to Forbes.

Video shows Brownsville shooting

Police released a new video of a shooting that was caught on camera in Brownsville last month. The video shows a man running on the sidewalk and opening fire at around 4 p.m. on July 5 along Ralph Avenue. Police say the man shot several rounds at another person, who then left his Jeep and returned fire. The shooter ran into a black Nissan Altima that was last seen traveling south on Ralph Avenue toward Sutter Avenue, according to CBS2.

Danish author selling Heights co-op for $395K

Christian Moerk, the Danish-born author of 12 novels, including the bestseller “Darling Jim,” left his Brooklyn Heights studio in February for Paris. While in Paris, he fell in love with a Danish actress and decided to stay there and sell his Brooklyn Heights co-op. The 10th floor co-op, at 70 Remsen St. between Hicks and Henry streets, is listed for $395,000, according to the New York Post. The monthly maintenance fee is $1,103.

Asian Americans march against attack

Hundreds of Asian Americans and others marched in Bensonhurst last Saturday to show their support for an 89-year-old Asian American woman who was attacked by a stranger and to urge the Police Department to classify the incident as a hate crime. The woman was approached by two men on 77th Street and 16th Avenue on July 14. One man slapped her in the face, and the other set her shirt on fire, according to amNewYork. “We have to go into Brooklyn and take a stance and make people uncomfortable,” said China Mac, a Brooklyn-born rapper who helped organize the march.

Sales begin at One Prospect Park West

Sales have begun at One Prospect Park West, a residential building redesigned by Workstead. The building, located on the corner of Prospect Park and Grand Army Plaza, was originally built in 1925 as a clubhouse for the Knights of Columbus and was most recently a nursing home before it was converted to residences. The available units begin at almost $2.4 million for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home. The building was redeveloped by Sugar Hill Capital Partners, which purchased it in 2016 for a reputed $84 million, according to New York YIMBY.

Multi-car crash injures nine

Nine people were hospitalized after the driver of an SUV stuck a livery cab, another car and an MTA bus on Wednesday afternoon. The driver of the Lexus SUV was the most seriously injured and is reportedly in critical condition at Kings County Hospital. The crash occurred about 2 p.m. at East 49th Street and Clarendon Road in Flatbush, according to amNewYork. Police are still investigating the cause of the crime.

Compiled by Raanan Geberer.


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