The 2015 Edition -- New Businesses on Kingston

nothinlikeabklyngirl

Starting a new thread for the new(ish) year, and because many of the new businesses we were chatting about on the old thread -- http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/38679/new-businesses-on-kingston/p2 -- are no longer new. 

So far in 2015, we've seen the very successful opening of Boeuf & Bun, which got its own thread: http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/45147/boeuf-bun-kingston-and-lincoln-gets-its-own-thread-/p1

We're awaiting: 

1. the in-progress real estate office at 163 Kingston (a long-shuttered variety store)

2. the dollar store at 225 Kingston (formerly a bodega) that @pragmaticguy foretold and @thecosmicrain confirmed

And the big news today is that the Kennedy Fried Chicken at 255 Kingston has closed. The awning came down this morning, revealing a cool old sign for Klinger's Bake Shop.

I'll make a list of the rest of the vacant/in-the-works storefronts sometime soon.

whynot_31

Now, only one Kennedy Fried Chicken remains in Crown Heights: http://www.nychealthratings.com/nycrestapp/browse/3/Crown Heights

dac545

148 Utica? 

EDIT: Whoops, I was looking at Crown Fried Chicken.. how could I have ever confused the two? 

263 Schenectady is the correct address for the one remaining Kennedy. 

morralkan

I was wondering what was going on with this store! I saw the gate partially down a couple of days ago and thought that perhaps the workers were late in opening up. I'm friends with one of the owners of this business, but he's out of the country at the moment. I wonder what happened. 

nothinlikeabklyngirl

Maybe they're just closed for renovations, because on the way home I saw that a brand new Kennedy Fried Chicken awning is up.

morralkan

Perhaps you are right, but I'm wondering, in that case, what those renovations could involve.The insides were not falling apart, for sure. But thanks for updating the posts here, bklyngirl.

pragmaticguy

Spoke to the owner of 225 Kingston today. Told me the guy who is supposed to open the 99 cent store put up the sign and never came back. Tried calling but his phone is disco as well. Said he's going to go to his house and try and find out what's going on but as for now ... to the dismay of all the people in that area I'm sure...no 99 cent store in the near future.

whynot_31

Hopefully the owner does not lose too much money as a result of his tenant absconding.

...hopefully he rec'd a cash deposit, because my gut tells me that going to court to try to get the lease enforced is likely going to be more trouble than it is worth.

nothinlikeabklyngirl

Adding a few more businesses in the works:

3. An organic food deli at 96 Kingston, at the corner of Dean 

4. Whatever's going on at the old Soul Food Kitchen at 88 Kingston, also at the corner of Dean, which has its own thread here: http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/45360/new-restaurant-to-dean-and-kingston-#Item_6 

And another storefront is up for rent: half of the discount store Brooklyn Value Center on Kingston between Lincoln and St. Johns. I believe the address for that half is 260A.

whynot_31

Does Kingston still have visible street level drug dealing?

Last year I noticed some way down by Dean and Pacific, but it was quite contained.

nothinlikeabklyngirl

Spoke to the owner of 225 Kingston today. Told me the guy who is supposed to open the 99 cent store put up the sign and never came back. Tried calling but his phone is disco as well. Said he's going to go to his house and try and find out what's going on but as for now ... to the dismay of all the people in that area I'm sure...no 99 cent store in the near future.

I guess the guy came back, because the 99 cent store has been open for about two weeks now.

pragmaticguy

I'm glad because the owner needs the rent money. Hopefully he gets paid.

nothinlikeabklyngirl

The antiques store at the corner of Pacific, 74 Kingston, is for rent. The sign's been up for a while but I just got a shot of it this weekend. Seems like it will continue to operate until there's a new tenant.

whynot_31

That location has future faux organic bodega written all over it.

nothinlikeabklyngirl

Another storefront up for rent; the hardware store at 109 Kingston (near the corner of Dean). Sign's been up for a while.

nothinlikeabklyngirl

Got an update today on 260A, half of the Brooklyn Value Center, which according to workers is going to be a "Jewish store -- accessories." This pic is from Sept. 10th. A new glass storefront and new security gates have since been installed.  

nothinlikeabklyngirl

Also got an update on the former bodega at 250, although it's not much of an update. Workers said it will be an office. Here are pics from earlier this month and this morning.

whynot_31

I suspect that Kingston will soon get one or more offices for realty chains.

crownheightster

Looks like the Chabadniks are coming north of EP on Kingston. 

whynot_31

Non orthodox Jews have been moving into the area south of EP, so it seems fair to me:
http://www.brooklynian.com/discussion/comment/565004/#Comment_565004

crownheightster

Just observing. For so many years EP was the DMZ. Now things are getting more fluid. 

whynot_31

yup.

In my mind, no map depicts it clearer than this one:

http://projects.nytimes.com/crime/homicides/map?ref=nyregion

You'll need Adobe Flash to make it work, but if you zoom in on the Lubavitch area, you will finds an area virtually free of homicides.

As it and the surrounding areas change, I suspect a more recent map would not show differences that are nearly as stark.

whynot_31

...a walk on Lincoln Place makes this apparent.

pragmaticguy

The diner on the corner of Kingston and St. Johns has finally been sold. They're closed as of now and have until 1/31/16 to clean the place out and get rid of the last remaining tenant who should be gone by then. No idea what's going to be put up there as of now but the building is going to be replaced.