Entrepreneurship in this neighborhood seems to be alive and well.
A wooden chair, some leather polish and a few rags and voila, you have got yourself a little shoe shine business.
You have to love the big bright red market umbrella.
And there is good news regarding the 360 Smith retail space right right next door to the subway entrance. As you may already have heard, the rumor that Momofuku Milk Bar will be opening at this corner has been confirmed.
Soon, you will be able to buy pork buns, a shake and get a shoe shine all before you get on the subway.
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3 comments:
I'm sure Gwenyth Paltrow has something to do with Momofuko opening here. She is a huge fan and hasnt she been spotted at park events? I'm all for making money but that shoeshine guy needs a proper chair. All that stooping. It's like the depression or something. Humiliating. But now all those Oliver House tenants can toss coins at the "bootblack", (yes, that is a real word http://www.thefreedictionary.com/_/dict.aspx?word=bootblack,) buy premade, overpriced buns then ride the train after being "greeted by friendly Carroll Gardeners." Ugh. What's happening?
Disgusting, shoe shine and momofuku, just what we need to entice more people to loiter, litter and smoke and soak up the sun like a bunch of sea lions, sprawled along the tiny ledger and in some cases sitting on the topiary of Oliver House. They have no regard for the newly renovated clean space and pretty garden. Nor do the kids who have found this to be a great place to rollerblade, wrecking the concreted in the process, or the dog walkers withe their beloved pets urinating on all the newly planted flowers, grasses, ets. It is not a public dog toilet! Does anybody have any regard for property or display publice decency anymore?
It is becoming increasingly difficult to make your way up or down the Carroll Street station. On the Second Place side, in the morning, beside the pedestrian traffic coming out of the subway station which includes big rough and rowdy kids going to school, parents with younger kids riding bikes and scoters on the sidewalk (the parents do this too!) and why are they coming to Carroll Gardens to attend school when the residents of the neighborhood cannot get their kids in our schools and must send them out of the neighborhood?
We have an assortment of other characters and activities taking place all within the entry way of the subway station. We have the newspaper guy selling papers. We have the Meto guy handing out free papers and a bunch of other guys hanging with him and watching the world go by talking to the ladies and other fans coming out of the station. We also have a contingency of Jehovah Witness ladies sitting ont the entry way ledges chatting and holding up their parphernalia for all to see. Then there are the people who do not know how to follow the rules of the road and bear to the right when going up or down the stairs or walking,a
nd speaking of stairs, has anyone noticed the nauseating Carroll st station? Smells like cheap imitation strawberry air freshner. I think the MTA cleaning lady is using this, or the token booth people are spraying it in their booth. Clorox would be best to kell the germs and keep the place odor free.
Then there is the myriad of "hillbilly" entertainers that have found a stage on the Carroll St platform, we have the one man band who sings, plays the guitar, drum etc all with one noisy contraption, the quartet, the solo artists etc. all annoying on a crowded congested station and all seeking monetary rewards.
In the evening, while most of the aforementioned activity has subiseed with the exception of the rowdy school kids and others going home, we are greated by the "very very friendly" lady/man (HeShe) asking for spare change and wishing us all a good evening. HeShe does the same thing day in and day outh, bohtering and harrasing people for their money. HeShe also hangs out in the Citibank ATM lobby when the bank is closed, begging for money and preventing people from using the ATM in order to avoid HeShe.
I don't use the President Stret exit that often, but when I do, I can always count on that man sitting on the steps in the station, blocking everyone's way as the hoards of people try to make their way out of that timey staircase as well. Are people allowed to loiter and panhandle every single day and make a nuisance os themselves? Why are they not fined and told to leave the area?
Finally, wondering, does the shoeshine guy have a licence or permit to do so or is this a "Front" for something else?
Dude. It's the subway , not the taj mahal. Get over it.
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