It first opened its doors in the fall of 2013, but never appeared to be particularly busy. As one Smith Street resident told PMFA, Pazzi Pasta "seemed to mostly get families with little kids in daytime and not the night business."
Certainly, the space seemed more set up for a take-out business and never seemed inviting enough for a sit-down dinner.
What do you think? What kind of business would do well at this location, in your opinion?
And who remembers Halycon, Amazon Café and Mandy's Health Café, the previous tenants at 227 Smith Street?
And who remembers Halycon, Amazon Café and Mandy's Health Café, the previous tenants at 227 Smith Street?
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23 comments:
The last day of the year made for a very sad walk down Smith Street. Pazzi Pasta was one of a few closing on that day including the Pet Store at Bergen Street, Roux Roux, the Video store (moving to Alamo Drafthouse), El Milagro, Prana Yoga, etc.
How empty does the street need to be before landlords realize they are overpricing the market? Or are they all just holding out for the next TJ Maxx?
Does anyone know what's moving into the big new gray building on Smith and Baltic, where the old Met Foods used to be? Probably not the best place to ask—sorry to hijack the comments.
Sure is a depressing walk along Smith Street. Jake, that building will supposedly have two floors of commercial space, none of which probably will be a supermarket.
I hated that Met Food, but, boy, do I miss it.
I went there quite a lot with my small child and we did really like the staff and the food, however it was slightly grubby (the bathroom door never locked) and the owners seemed to not really care. Despite that, we'll miss it.
I kid you not, I heard from a very good source that the old Met Food on Smith is going to in fact, be a TJ Maxx.
Bummer—I was holding out for another supermarket, as an article from 2015 reported a rumor that that's what it'd be. Beyond the convenience, it'd help bring back some foot traffic to Smith, which could stop all these businesses closing.
The gray building will be a TJ Maxx.
http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/39/53/dtg-smith-street-met-foods-becomes-tj-maxx-2016-12-30-bk.html
That sucks....
A pretty underwhelming Marshal's just opened on Atlantic Avenue and there is already a TJ Maxx on Fulton Street.
I loved TJ years ago when one could find some heavily discounted designer items. These days, it feels more like a K Mart.
If you haven't cashed out your home or building by now, good luck!
I counted over 20 empty storefronts between Warren and President this weekend.
If we don't want a TJ Maxx in the neighborhood, don't shop there! I know they're a huge chain and can take the profit loss, but maybe some well placed bricks through those large windows will make a difference too?
Only joking... no vandalism...
...but we should advocate for what is needed in our area. A grocery on Smith street is needed. How do we make that happen? How about a food co-op on the dilapidated block between DeGraw & Douglass... turn all of those empty storefronts into one big affordable and healthy food mecca.
//Daydream over.
Four million dollar brownstones & tj maxx? Doesnt make sense
We loved the food at Pazzi Pasta but from the very first week the service experience was horrible. It tasted like the family had great kitchen experience but no front office experience. It always took way too long to get your food. It started with the pre-cooked pasta being weighed every time, the frequency of errors, the frequency that staff would get distracted, forget the pasta being cooked etc. The staff were nice, but the "system" let them down. And the space just wasn't cozy, just a place to stop in when you wanted a bite on the go. Still, it was a nice option but somewhere we frequently thought of visiting but then decided otherwise when we decided we didn't want to deal with the service.
I for one am pining for an authentic Sichuan food joint. There is no decent Chinese in the nabe.
To the four million dollar Brownstone comment, not everything is 4 million at that end. There are gowanus houses and many rentals.
Must my rent or presumably your's dictate who can afford rent on smith street? Look. Probably but it wasn't always like this. I remember Halcyon. What a great creative and fun place.. I remember when Patois was packing them in at brunch. And Banania. I may be nimby but keep big box at that end of Smith street. More logical. Closer to the courts And downtown and Atlantic Ave transpo. The theme joints show up because the rich are thick and have no creativity. That pasta place looked more like a steam room than a place to eat food. There is no Smith Street Merchants association. Because there are no services. Too bad we lost the pet stores on smith. Too bad the little hardware didn't just sell the store to a different owner. Smith was a ghost town in 89 then it got going. Now, it's done. Heading towards Pottersville.
It makes sense when you consider that behind the four million dollar condos is a massive housing project. Still though, I agree that TJ Maxx doesn't "feel" like a fit for the same street (or neighborhood) as Roux Roux.
And Roux Roux has closed, of course.
Wow, @JonCoifman, I was thinking of counting the other day, but didn't. I knew it was bad but didn't realize it was so dire. That's insane.
Short of calling the individual landlords, what can we do to register our discontent? Call Lander's office? (718) 499-1090 Any other ideas?
an Apple store?
A lot of those shuttered stores fronts, including the new TJ Maxx, are in Steve Levin's district. His number is 718-875-5200.
Someone told me the Pasta Pazzi place was moving to South street Seaport? I appreciated their effort to be involved in the community, plus the food was very healthy and good!
Memories: Halcyon, Patois, Banania, the Argentine steakhouse, Fall Cafe, the old Spanish bakeries, countless others I cannot recall off the top of my head. What I do recall was the creativity and how fun Smith St was. Not sure what Brad Lander can do - he doesn't seem to be invested in this community. It's a shame there is not a BID or Smith St merchants group. That's where Lander could and should step in. Alas, not that MAC has arrived, and (ugh) TJ Maxx, Smith St, the little street that could, did - and now it's over.
Ironically, there was a Smith St business development org that repaved and redid Smith St years ago, which changed it from a sleepy backwater to a destination. Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves...
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