Papél New York Celebrates Its Ninth Year In Cobble Hill By Starting A Maker Collective

Papél, New York, the wonderful Cobble Hill-based paperie at 225 Court Street has opened its retail space to a collective of local makers to bring 'unique and attainable' goods to this already fabulous neighborhood resource.From Raegan, Papel's proprietor:

"Next week marks my 9th year in Cobble Hill with Papel New York; much has changed since our grand opening and I wanted to share with you some happenings about the shop. I recently started a Maker Collective which includes a rotating display of Artisan-made unique goods. The Makers all happen to be both local to Brooklyn and Female Owned companies as well. While I cannot say that my next group of Makers will indeed be local or Women, I can say though without a doubt, that as with all of my products, they will certainly be curated and hand crafted with love by artisans both near and far. We will be having a Meet the Maker night in the next coming weeks, details to follow, for folks in the community to take a snoop at all that is new, have a brew or two, and support these amazing artists that we are featuring over the next few months. We hope you are just as excited as we are."

Yes, indeed, we are.

Currently, the collective included jewelry designs by FrogAspect and Diana Mitchell, leather handbags by Shana Luther, natural fiber garments by Diana Arge, and surfer girl apparel by Surf Far.

Stay connected with Papél and its collective through Instagram.

A Certain Jolly Bearded Gent To Attend Tonight's Holiday Tree Lighting Event In Carroll Park

We all know that Santa is a busy guy this time of year. Yet, he is taking time out to attend the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in Carroll Park.
The decorated tree is already standing in the Court Street border, but lighting it in the company of all the little ones in the neighborhood is magical.
So, tonight, Friday December 7th at 6 pm, come to sing carols, have some refreshments, and say hello to the bearded man in the red suit.

Don't forget to bring some canned food to contribute to Friends of Carroll Park's food drive to help feed New York's hungry.

Carroll Gardens' PS 58 To Host Holiday Market This Sunday

PS58 at 330 Smith Street is planning its second annual Holiday Market/Craft Fair this Sunday, December 9th from 10 AM to 4 PM. The event is a wonderful way to support our local school and our local artisans, while doing some gift shopping. Proceeds will go to the school's PTA funded programs.
Remember to shop locally this Christmas!

Good-Bye, Olive And Rae's: Two Sad Closings On One Court Street Block

Rae's in 1986

(photo courtesy of Rae)

  Rae's in 2018
(photo courtesy of Rae)

(photo credit: Kassie)

It pains us to report not one, but two closings of long time Carroll Gardens businesses...and they are right next to each other.
Last night, reader Kassie reported that Rae at 432 Court Street and Olive's Very Vintage at 434 Court Street will be closing their respective stores.

Rae, a popular clothing boutique, has a fixture in the neighborhood. It's owner, Raina Passo, confirmed the closing with us by saying that after 32 years in the same location, she had not been given an option to renew her lease. "I have had an overwhelming amount of customers coming in that are so so devastated," she told us in an email.

Everything in the boutique is on sale from now till closing.

(photo courtesy of Olive Vintage) 

(photo credit: Kassie)

Right next door, Jen McCulloch is getting ready to close her vintage clothing and accessories boutique "Olive", which she opened 17 years ago. Signs in the window encourage people to stay in touch via Instagram or her online page.
Jen will continue to buy vintage and high end designer pieces, and host pop-ups and shopping parties. She will also continue to participate in vintage shows.

Jen and Raina, we will miss your presence very much here in Carroll Gardens. 

10th Annual "Eat Pie And Shop" Holiday Festival At P.S.29 Scheduled For This Sunday

Now in its tenth year, the popular "Eat Pie and Shop" event organized by PS 29 is scheduled for this Sunday, December 2rd, 2018. Take part in the pie contest, buy holiday presents from local artists and enjoy kids activities. The proceeds go to the P.T.A. of this neighborhood school. Doesn't get any better than this, does it?

EAT PIE and SHOP

www.eatpieandshop.org

Sunday, December 2 from 11am-4pm

425 Henry Street, between Baltic and Kane

Now in its 10th year, PS 29′s beloved event will again include a Holiday Gift Fair, Pie Social and celebrity-judged baking contest, with proceeds benefiting the local school’s PTA funded arts and enrichment programs.

-Home-baked Pie, $ 5 per slice
-Baking Contest with Celebrity Judges;
-Kids Pie Contest with Kid Judges
-Artisan Gift Fair; Toys for Tots Donations
-Professional Portraits
-Crafts and PS 29 Artistic Revue

The pie competition will be an afternoon highlight, as bakers are invited to bring pies to be judged by parents and a panel of celebrity judges. The winner will receive a gift and bragging rights for the year! The winner will be announced at 1:30 pm.

Local bakers – both amateurs and professionals – will supply a wide variety of pies, for $ 5 per tasting ticket. Pies will range in flavors, from fruit to creamy, savory and nut, so shoppers can come to shop, eat lunch and get dessert.

The Artisan Gift Fair will highlight local artisans, craftspeople and merchants, and promises to provide a huge variety of handmade, local and sustainable gift-giving choices, from jewelry, to exclusive eco-friendly Brooklyn clothing to handmade and classic toys. More than thirty different vendors from the local Brooklyn flea markets will be displaying and selling their handmade goods.

And while you shop, children can make gifts the whole family will cherish by participating in free crafts. Or give a smile! Professional photographers will be holding a holiday portrait studio, with all proceeds going to PS 29.-

And Just Like That, It's Looking A Lot Like Christmas In Carroll Gardens And Cobble Hill

It always amazes us how quickly our lovely Brooklyn neighborhood makes the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas.  The turkey leftovers were barely tucked into the refrigerator, the last dishes washed and put away, when the first live trees made their appearance on Court Street and Smith Street.

On every block throughout Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill, people started to decorate the front of their brownstones and strands of lights twinkled from stoops and windows by Sunday evening.

This is the start of one of our favorite seasons here, despite the cold and the occasional snow.

Have you decorated your home yet?  Have you already bought a tree?

Happy Thanksgiving 2018 To My Carroll Gardens Community

Happy Thanksgiving to all my wonderful Pardon Me For Asking readers.

May you be surrounded by family and friends, good wine and great food.

I am so humbled by all of your support and encouragement throughout the year, 

and grateful for our Carroll Gardens community.

the 

It's Official: Copy Cottage Staying Open Under New Management

It is now official: Copy Cottage will remain open under new management and the transfer of ownership has been seamless. Though many in the community probably have already heard the good news, PMFA wanted to wait till we could confirm ourselves.

When former owner Melissa Hansen announced that she would be closing the store she had been operating for the past thirteen years at 249 Smith Street, many wondered how they were going to be able to ship packages, buy postage stamps, send and receive faxes, and covers their printing needs without heading to the dreaded Red Hook Postal office.

Thankfully, Melissa was able to hand over the business to Omar Ali of Cobble Hill Variety Mailing on Henry Street.  Omar's brother Suhaib has been running Copy Cottage since the transfer and all has been running smoothly.  Suhaib told us that additional services will be added soon.

So, let us make sure that Copy Cottage continues to thrive for years to come on Smith Street.

Please Contribute To Carroll Park's Holiday Food Drive This December

As the Holidays are approaching, we all should take time to think about the meaning of the season. Lending a helping hand to those in need is, after all, so much more gratifying than shopping for gifts that none of us really need.

In that spirit, Friends Of Carroll Park, the non-profit organization dedicated to improving the park for everyone, is launching its annual City Harvest food drive campaign to collect non-perishables to help fight hunger throughout New York City.
The items most needed are:
- canned fruit - canned vegetables
- peanut butter (plastic jars)
- macaroni and cheese (packaged)
- hot and cold cereal (packaged, family-sized)
(Please note that City Harvest cannot accept glass containers or dented cans.)

So, on your next shopping trip, pick up an item or two to share with hungry neighbors this holiday season. Please drop it off at Carroll Park's Bob Acito Parkhouse on:

Saturday, December 1   1pm-4 pm
Saturday, December 8   1pm-4 pm
Saturday, December 15 1pm-4 pm
Saturday, December 22 1pm-4 pm
Saturday, December 29 1pm-4 pm

A Moment In Carroll Gardens: The Bridesmaids

(photo credit: Triada Samaras)

A joyful moment captured in Carroll Gardens by my friend Triada Samaras this past Saturday.  A white limousine and a big bus parked on Second Street and Smith Street were waiting to take a bride and her bridesmaids to church. "This is the part of Carroll Gardens that is so precious," Triada wrote to us.
We could not agree more. To the bride and groom, we send our congratulations!

Picture Of The Day: Early Snow

Not sure if any of us are ready for snow,

but it did look nice on Court Street as big flakes fell from the sky today. 

Nordic Edge: Cryotherapy Coming To Smith Street In Boerum Hill

Well, here is something completely different coming to Smith Street in Boerum Hill.  Nordic Edge, a cryotherapy and modern wellness studio will be opening soon at 200 Smith Street in the space formerly occupied by french eye wear company Anne et Valentin.
According to its web site, Nordic Edge offers a "cutting-edge modern wellness experiences that help people look and feel their best." In addition to cryotherapy, salt, infrared, vibroacustic and compression treatments are also offered. So are facials that consist of applying "cryogenically cooled air vapors to the face, neck, and scalp to help create a youthful glow."

Nordic Edge operates quite a few studios in airports nationwide, including John F. Kennedy. This is their first Brooklyn location.

It remains to be determined if cryotherapy something that our neighborhood needs. What is your opinion? Have you ever tried it?