Well, just a few blocks further South at 481 Court Street, another retail space is currently for lease, and this one has been empty for ten years.
This was once the home of Sparky's Ale House, which closed in 2004, and of the short lived Leo's Bar and Lounge, which called it quits in 2008. Since then, there was talk of someone planning on opening a restaurant at this location, but those plans obviously fell through.
This corner spot at Nelson and Court Street sure could use a well run establishment. However, any new restaurant or bar may have to settle for a NYS Liquor Authority Beer and Wine license only, instead of a full liquor license. This is due to the proximity to St. Mary's Star of the Sea and the International School of Brooklyn.
There are also some outstanding NY City Buildings Department violations stemming from a major renovation on the 481 Court Street building, which might scare a potential lessee.
The retail space does not seem to be advertised by a realtor, but we found the following description on Loopnet:
1200 SF dining room and bar area
Features 1 150 year old oak bar, marble finishes, custom mill work and handmade tiles.
400 sf fully fixtured, show-case kitchen
1600 sf prep-cellar
Long term lease available.
.JPG)
6 comments:
Katia - another building that has been long vacant on the bottom is 405 Smith Street. They have been shaping things up recently and I'm curious to know what for! Ugly Baby, next door, has been doing exceptionally well.
One of my favorite NYC stories happened at Sparky's. It was the best dog bar in Brooklyn. Great beer selection too. I used play pool there and hang out with the dogs (didn't have one of my own). Made friends with a lot of the owners.
One couple had this huge old one-eyed bulldog named Nipper. He looked like he belonged in a junkyard but was a big lazy sweetheart. Mostly he slept by their feet and drank water (and the occasional sip of beer!) from his bowl. Well one evening, a skateboarder crossing Court in front of the bar was very nearly hit by a truck. The screech and the horn spooked poor old Nipper, who leapt up and started running around the bar, barking madly.
The bar patrons tried to calm him down, but it only riled him further. Age hadn't slowed him: suddenly he had his mouth around a pool cue and was running laps around the table! But humor gave way to danger when the cue clipped a player in the back of the knees, spilling his drink and sending him to the floor. This startled Nipper — and everyone else — into silence. That's when we noticed the badge that had fallen out of the player's shirt pocket — he was an off-duty cop!!
The cop slowly got to his feet. Wiping the beer from his badge, he addressed the bar without looking up. "It's a health code violation," he said, "to have animals in a restaurant. When I come back tomorrow with the Health Department, we're shutting this place down." Nipper's owner's were ashen, but the bartender spoke up. "What?! Why? Just for one misbehaving dog?"
"No," came a voice from the floor. "Of course not!" The cop, the bartender, and Nipper's owners, exchanged incredulous glances. "It's to make room," Nipper continued, "for the Shanghainese restaurant that this neighborhood so desperately needs!!"
it's just a matter of time before someone comes along and starts screaming about this location being the perfect spot for the shanghaise soup dumpling restaurant that carroll gardens so desperately needs.
Priceless. Am standing at the Broadway Lafayette F train station and laughing out loud reading this.
Comment of the year belongs to John Longbow. +1
LOVE IT!
MORE SHANGHAINESE RESTAURANT STORIES PLEASE!
Post a Comment