Buy Local

flbostic

Hey there - new to the neighborhood, currently on eastern parkway and classon.

Wondering about nearby (prospect heights/park slope?) recommendations for the following:
* drycleaner
* drop-off laundry
* butcher
* places to get fresh fish
* furniture store
* bookstore

And also - anybody interested in starting a phone campaign to get the Union Street bus to run 24 hours (or at least later than 9pm)?

Thanks!

candicissima

Subject: Re: Buy Local

flbostic wrote: And also - anybody interested in starting a phone campaign to get the Union Street bus to run 24 hours (or at least later than 9pm)?

Union Street bus? Is that the B71? I'd be down with trying for that. Not to say it isn't a nice walk to Park Slope, but having that bus run later would be great. Also for it to come more than twice an hour on weekends!

flbostic

Yep - the B71... i love the walk too, but i take it to see friends in carroll gardens sometimes, and it's not the safest walk at night... and without a direct subway connection to my neck of the heights...

but yes - it should run later, and more than 2x an hour on weekends - maybe even 3x!...

haven't found a hotline for suggestions yet but there is this page where you can send them an email...

http://mta-nyc.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/mta_nyc.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php

arielbl

Dry Cleaners: I go to HMS drycleaners on Franklin ave and st Johns. CHeap and they do a very good job (actually get ALL the doggie hair off my black clothes!). Cash only, though.

Laundry: I wheel my granny cart over to Ali laundry at Washington and St Johns. Ali does a good job and is REALLY cheap - my large granny cart stuffed full is usually around 20.00. Plus, once he even washed my shower curtain for me

I can't say I shopped around for these places, but i've been using them for awhile and am pretty happy.

for fresh fish and meats, I rely on FreshDirect. There is a fish market at the corner of St Johns and Franklin, but i've never investigated it. They also sell fish and some meats at the Farmers Market on Saturdays at Grand Army Plaza.

Getting to Carrol Gardens: my boyfriend used to live there. I used to take the 2/3 or 4/5 to nevins and then walk to Hoyt-Schemerhorn (approx 1 block). It was a pain in the ass and took about 35 minutes, but it is an alternative to the bus and car service.

anonymous

fish...natural foods on flatbush is great.

ana.log

there is a fish store on vanderbilt next to the laundromat. has anyone been there?

daveb

Yeah, I get sketched by that market. Not an acceptable risk for me. I'll buy fish from the Flatbush market (is it the Natural Foods? I can't remember the name, next to the old movie marquee), but only if I'm in a bind. Normally, i just hit up whole foods in Union Square for fish just because I'm picky about microbes and whatnot.

carnivore

Canal St is just a few stops away on the Q. Chinatown is way cheaper than Whole Foods.
Probably way more microbes though. :?

daveb

I am very intimately familiar with Chinatown and it's fish markets. While there are two there that I'd buy from with no problem, I prefer Whole Foods.

BTW, you may or may not want to do this, but I'm in the habit of soaking fish bought from markets in rice cooking wine or any cooking wine for that matter for several minutes prior to cooking.

joshb

In my opinion, there's more paranoia than improper hygiene when it comes to buying fish and fresh meats. Whole Foods may be glossy and well-lit, but I'll take Chinatown any day of the week over Whole Foods.

Just because it's shiny on the outside don't mean it's not filthy behind the closed doors...

daveb

Who said anything about paranoia? Whole Foods is easier for me on my commute. I soak all fish in wine before cooking, whether it came from Chinatown, Whole Foods or your Mom.

carnivore

I'm not sure if wine is high enough in alcohol to reliably kill all potential pathogens. You'd be better off with vinegar or some other acid.
This is strictly from a microbiology perspective, of course, not flavor.
Although ceviche and escabiche can be delicious...

daveb

Who knows, rice cooking wine is pretty high octane. Every Taiwanese kitchen does it as a matter of course. Whether it truly works, I guess I really don't care, it's just a habit more akin to throwing a pinch of salt over my shoulder to ward off the devil.

jamesondean

Subject: Where I go

* drycleaner

Claudine's VIP French Dry Cleaners (Vanderbilt across from the Met). Miss Claudine has been here for years and years. She's a bit more expensive than others, but does an outstanding job. Moreover, I've had a shirt ruined by "$.99 shirts" laundry place, and they refused to pay for it, even in trade, which brings me to...

* drop-off laundry

Vanderbilt Laundry (Vanderbilt and Park). Outstanding service, super-cheap. Be nice to Miss Della, as she's set in her ways. Do NOT go to the laundry by the pet food store by the Met. They destroyed about 20 pieces of my and my roommate's laundry by not checking the dryer they used--which had a pen in it. They also refused to make good. Grr.

* butcher
* places to get fresh fish

Go to 7th Ave in Park Slope. I agree that the fish place on Vanderbilt is pretty sketchy.

* furniture store

Depends on what you're looking for, but for bookshelves, there's a cabinetry place on 7th that has stuff in stock, and also will build to order. It's around Union.

* bookstore

Real estate is so pricey in this town that it's tough to find a good used bookstore. For new stuff, try the Community Bookstore on 7th. For used, there are a couple of decent places in Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill, one of which is a few blocks down from the Court St. Cinemas. Then there's always the Strand in Manhattan. None of these hold a candle to http://www.chamblinbookmine.com in Jacksonville, Florida, however.

Welcome to the neighborhood!

--James

anonymous

*bookstore

i do all my shopping on trash day...people in this neighborhood throw out so many books. i have an entire bookshelf full in 6 months. most in really good condition...and books i would buy..
don't pick up the wet ones...

pitu

FISH:
The saturday farmer's market at Grand Army Plaza/Prospect Park is outrageously good, but it helps to get there early 'cause they sell out. They are VERY NICE about holding your purchases for you while you walk your dog in the park!

The Sunset Park Chinatown (8th Ave in the 50s) is great for cheap good fish, if you can deal with the mayhem. (I happen to like the mayhem)

And the place on Vanderbilt is fine in a pinch. I'm still alive!

ph-bklyn

Subject: dry cleaner rec.

Hi flbostic,

I have been using Happy Cleaners (765 Washington Ave between Sterling and St. John's) for a year with no complaints. Friendly owners.

ph-bklyn

Subject: Buy local: furniture/upholstery cleaning and/or repair

To all knowledgeable Brooklyn/ProHo locals:

Does anyone know a local reputable and reasonably-priced furniture/upholstery cleaning outfit they can recommend?

I would like to have my sofas cleaned and I also need a small repair (a tear in the sofa fabric) -- if you can recommend anyone who repairs upholstery in-home (I don't want to send out the sofa for such a minor repair), please let me know!

I found a listing for "Jeff's cleaning and tailoring" under Upholstery Cleaners in the Brooklyn yellow pages (Park Slope neighborhood I think) but when I called, they didn't sound very reputable -- the woman who answered acted like it wasn't even a business and wouldn't answer any of my questions -- "Jeff's not here, call back after 2:00 pm!"

thanks for any recommendations!

digital_buffalo

I think Cao Tien Cleaners on Underhill between St. John's and Sterling is very reliable and careful. They're open from 7-7 Mon - Sat.

An alternative to a drop off laundry is a pick up service. I used to use Bubbleworks but they got to big/busy. I switched to "Joes" service and have been very happy. He picks up and delivers your clothes and will accomodate your schedule. (Don't know if this is a no-no but he can be reached at 646-220-2220)

dailyheights

Including phone numbers is fine, DB.

alafairnadia

great to hear about joe's laundry service. I'll give it a shot. b/c right now I use bubbleworks.
when I first moved here (almost 1.5 years ago) I took a bag of laundry that in harlem was ... maybe $12 worth to Ali's and I got totally slammed. they charged me $25 for it. I told them I'd never come back, and badmouth them to everyone who asked about drop off. they told me to pay or I couldn't have my clothes. so yeah, for a rape of $13 I think that place blows.
I had to have hernia surgery, hence my current bubbleworks miasma. I'm willing to try other pick-up/delivery services tho. does joe's handle dry cleaning, too?

anonymous

We use Laundry King (I think it's now called Laundry City) on Grand and Prospect (Grand splits off from Washington at Park Place) for dry cleaning and both self-service laundry when we have time/are feeling poor, or for drop-off also. It used to be 60 cents a pound, but I think it's gone up since the change in management. But now I'm set in my ways. Plus it's 24-hour and closest.

I have gotten fish from Angel Fish market (on Vanderbilt) MANY times, and it's always been just fine. Delicious, in fact.

daveb

Anonymous wrote: We use Laundry King (I think it's now called Laundry City) on Grand and Prospect (Grand splits off from Washington at Park Place) for dry cleaning and both self-service laundry when we have time/are feeling poor, or for drop-off also. It used to be 60 cents a pound, but I think it's gone up since the change in management. But now I'm set in my ways. Plus it's 24-hour and closest.

I use that place as well. For a while, they were hiring some sketchy people to run the place, not that it prevented me from doing my laundry. Once, I was sitting there reading a book while waiting for the dryer to finish, when over the PA system I hear quite loudly:

"Go across the street and get me a grape soda, you black African bitch!"

Naturally, I resisted the temptation to fetch the lady behind the counter a soda. It was funny, but kind of indicative of the shit as well as a lot of weed smoking that goes on there when the manager's not around.

alex

daveb wrote: [quote=Anonymous]We use Laundry King (I think it's now called Laundry City) on Grand and Prospect (Grand splits off from Washington at Park Place) for dry cleaning and both self-service laundry when we have time/are feeling poor, or for drop-off also. It used to be 60 cents a pound, but I think it's gone up since the change in management. But now I'm set in my ways. Plus it's 24-hour and closest.

I use that place as well. For a while, they were hiring some sketchy people to run the place, not that it prevented me from doing my laundry. Once, I was sitting there reading a book while waiting for the dryer to finish, when over the PA system I hear quite loudly:

"Go across the street and get me a grape soda, you black African bitch!"

Naturally, I resisted the temptation to fetch the lady behind the counter a soda. It was funny, but kind of indicative of the shit as well as a lot of weed smoking that goes on there when the manager's not around.


Hahaha! that is funny as hell.... I need to remember some of the crazy shit that I hear sometimes...

bluedove

Hahahah (oh yeah, that was me, sorry.)

(The "Guest" post, not the person who paged. I wish!)

I haven't witnessed anything sketchy enough to stop me going there, and my clothes always come out fine...once I did end up with a strange pair of shorts, but nothing of mine missing that I ever noticed. (I sometimes get extra stuff from Fresh Direct too, but have only had something missing once...good service karma? Or will it haunt me one day?)

daveb

I do my own laundry there, but I have witnessed a lot of seriously pissed people picking up their laundry and finding something wrong with it. If I'm going to pay for it to be done, I'll hit up the Mom & Pop type places, but just doing my own stuff there works out fine.

bluedove

Hm, good to know.

Are there any good mom-and-pop type places nearby and open kind of late, though? If we're dropping off, it's usually because we've gone away a million weekends in a row and are down to that one last scraggly pair of underpants on a Wednesday night or something...that's also why it needs to be CLOSE to us. I've seriously pulled muscles hauling that stuff. Suggestions welcome! (Besides doing it more frequently: wish it would happen, won't until I own machines.)

arielbl

Use a granny cart! You can buy cart liners (I bought my cart and liner at the hardware store on Washington - they were very helpful), and then its basically a laundry hamper on wheels - I just keep mine behind the bedroom door and wheel it over to Ali when it gets full.

bluedove

We have broken two granny carts. Now we have a collapsible dolly-type cart that we strap the bags to, but that is really not a very good system, and it's too short for my very tall husband to pull, so I have to do it (he carries it up and down the stairs).

I don't think you comprehend the amount of laundry we typically do at one time. It's...obscene. :roll: [/i]