So Depressing! 'By Brooklyn' On Smith Street Will Close At The End Of April

Gaia DiLoreto in her 'By Brooklyn' store

The past few months has not been good for Smith Street as stores and restaurants have been closing one by one on this once very popular commercial strip. Sadly, you can now add 'By Brooklyn' at 261 Smith Street to the long list.
PMFA was alerted to the closing by a reader who simply said: "So depressing."

'By Brooklyn' owner Gaia DiLoreto confirmed the end of the road for both her Smith Street store in Carroll Gardens and her Williamsburg store on her business' Facebook page.
She writes:
"Thank you to everyone for making the past 5 years such an incredible adventure. It's been a wild ride and we are glad you could be part of it."

This closing is not only sad for Gia, but also for the community of artists and craftsmen she helped support by selling their Brooklyn-inspired wares in her store.

By Brooklyn is inviting people to stop by the store on Saturday, April 23 for a farewell party.

Yea, this is totally depressing. Gaia and 'By Brooklyn' will be very much missed on Smith Street.



Read more

'By Brooklyn' On Smith Street Hosting Art Pop-Up Series Every Saturday Through March

By Brooklyn, the wonderful boutique stocked with products made by artists and artisans in our fair borough, will be hosting an Art Pop-Up Series every Saturday in March. According to the store:

Each week a different Brooklyn artist will occupy a little pop-up shop within By Brooklyn.  The artists will sell prints, original artwork, jewelry, housewares, and other wonderful items.
So stop by often, check out the items and help support a local artist.

Here is the schedule:
John Tebeau
Saturday, March 5
12pm-5pm

Kristiana Pärn
Saturday, March 12
12pm-5pm

Faune Yerby
Saturday, March 19
12pm-5pm

Grace Baley
Saturday, March 26
12pm-5pm

By Brooklyn

261 Smith Street

Monday - Wednesday: 11am to 7pm 

Thursday - Saturday: 11am to 8pm 

Sunday: 11am to 7pm

Read more

To Catch A Thief In Carroll Gardens

Gaia DiLoreto in her "By Brooklyn" store

The purported "money clip thief"

footage from By Brooklyn's security camera

Gaia DiLoreto of "By Brooklyn", a small store on Smith Street that sells products exclusively made in Brooklyn, is asking help in catching a thief who stole a $68 money clip from her store on Tuesday, April 22. When she noticed that the leather clip was missing from the display shelf, she first checked the store sales receipts, but realized quickly that it had not sold. So she watched the security camera footage and saw a customer putting the item into his pocket in the video's 20-23 second mark.

I stopped by to see Gaia yesterday and she informed me that she has filed a police report with the
76th Precinct.The clip was hand-stitched in Red Hook by artisan Alfred Stadler.  "This is small neighborhood store," she told me.  "By stealing it, the person not only stole from my store, but also from the craftsman who made it."
Gaia is determined to catch the thief.  She has posted the video on the store's Facebook page and is asking for help in identifying the person.



Read more

Checking Out The New 'By Brooklyn' On Smith Street

Everything is made locally at By Brooklyn, the small boutique that just opened two weeks ago at 261 Smith Street. From the wooden cutting boards to the batik t-shirts, from the lavender and lemon soap to the gourmet mustard, everything is produced in our fair borough.

The idea for By Brooklyn came to owner Gaia DiLoreto when she realized that locally-grown and hand-made products available at local farmers market and venues like the Brooklyn Flea, were not easily found in her Cobble Hill/Boerum Hill neighborhood. She decided to give Brooklyn craftsmen a more permanent space to sell their wares. Besides, the Santa Fe, New Mexico native was planning a career change to " unwind and reset." What better way to do that than to create a community for artists and to offer their Brooklyn-inspired wares to the neighborhood?

The small boutique just opened two weeks ago. Check it out.

By Brooklyn

261 Smith Street

Monday - Thursday: 11-7pm

Friday - Saturday: 11-8pm

Sunday: 12-6pm 

www.bybrooklyn.com

Read more