photo credit Tim Reed
Sad news! I just received news from Tim over at Chemical Cake that Sweet Melissa, the patisserie on Court Street near Douglass Street, has closed its doors as of today.Sweet Melissa has been a part of this community since 1998, starting with one storefront and then expanding into the neighboring store a few years later. Melissa's will be missed by many.
According to a note in the window from owner Melissa Murphy, she will be combining this location with her store in Park Slope (175 7th Avenue).
She writes: "We have been a member of this community for many years, and have thoroughly enjoyed being part of your family's special occasions. For many of you, I have made your engagement cake, your wedding cake, your baby shower cake, and your baby's Fisrt Birthday cake. Having been part of your life in this way has truly been an honor, and I look forward to being a part of many wonderful event in the future."
I suppose Park Slope is not too far to travel for Melissa's delectable baked goods, but It sure isn't the same as being able to stop by the store on Court Street.
.JPG)
12 comments:
I love the BS letter that explained the move... Who is that naive? What is the real reason? Another greedy landlord? Or a slowdown in business? Or both...
Anyway, I liked the place, but please keep it real, even on the "goodbye note"...
i will certainly miss the yummy chocolate cakes, but wont miss the crazy attitude or prices
Not that the idea of Sweet Melissa wasn't good, but they really didn't deliver on their brand. I can only imagine that alienated some customers.
The times I went, the service was bad and the food was not the level of quality that I expected from such a cute looking place.
I hope the next tenant is up to speed with other neighborhood establishments.
More kids in park slope. And not many bakeries.
I have a 150 dollar credit there that they just can't seem to honor or find. Even tho they said it was good for ever. Good bye. Their stuff was always stale anyway. Didnt they try and open a branch in soho? Surely it is much easier
To consolidate. Maybe Baked will take the space. or Betty.
Who knows? I'm
Not going to traipse up to PS looking for my 150.
I'm not much of a bakery person but I really haven't been back since their labor problems were exposed. Not a way to treat an employee.
We neighborhood peole saw right through her - Poor Service, Day Old Cakes - So Goodbye & Good Ridence.
i could be wrong but i think the bldg was just sold. anyway, was in there only once & the cake was awful.
I agree with the comments that the cakes weren't always fresh. What I did like there was their lunch - salad with smoked salmon and capers. The portion was very generous -so you could share. And their back yard was really pretty, too - one of the first back yard dining areas. I have been going to the Chocolate Room across the street - but I think I'll stop that - they're good, but expensive.
This thread is simply evidence that this neighborhood never really appreciates anything good and has just filled up with the infantile, whiney & entitled out-of-towners who "want their cake and want to eat it, too", ironically.
The way all of you have slandered Melissa on this thread is disgusting and just gives me another reason to want to move, if things get any whinier than you lot.
Melissa did a fine job and at this point I don't think any of you deserve her down-to-Earth atmosphere anyway - you're all probably better off at the new places like Frankie's and Prime Meats where you can massage each others' egos with how wonderful the new places are.
You spoiled brats will wind up with big crappy places, like CVS, Dunkin Donuts, Union Market, and Chase up and down Smith and Court eventually.
Granted, the old-timers in the area are morons - and they are largely still the building-owners and the ones who greedily pursue more money, rather than healthy relationships. But some of you new people who do nothing but complain are in the same league of intelligence and lack of appreciation as the old-timers. You'll never realize what you have until it's all gone.
One thing some of you may not know yet, in the wake of losing Melissa: Every other bakery in the area is Mafia-owned. So now you can buy your cakes in bakeries where your money is funneled into organized crime.
You get what you deserve. And you reap what you sow.
5:29 Michael,
I would argue that our criticism of Sweet Melissa is exactly the opposite of what you propose. We like these places because we DO appreciate their quality. Prime Meats, Frankies, Smith Canteen, Fragole, etc. arguably all go above and beyond. The food is consistently delicious and inventive, the service is outstanding. Sweet Melissa was substandard particularly for what they appeared to offer.
I think any of us would have wanted Melissa to shape up rather than ship out. We like having places in our neighborhood to enjoy and be proud of. I think it's laughable to think that anyone want's the chains. We want and demand quality and chains don't equate by any stretch of the imagination.
I would also argue that neighborhood politics have nothing to do with which restaurants people appreciate. Good food, atmosphere and service is just that.
The store was amazing when it opened. her success was her undoing. as she expanded, the quality and freshness of the baked goods suffered... and once the ice cream store opened the service was just awful. I stopped going there several years ago and I don't know how she could have survived this long with the uneven quality and snarky service (esp from her husband).
Post a Comment