Is Black Forest Brooklyn Planning A Beer Garden At 181 Smith Street in Boerum Hill?

 181 Smith Street when it was Tony's Hardware Store

Tony in his now closed hardware store in 2014

 More recently, 181 Smith Street when it was El Milagro

photo courtesy: Black Forest Brooklyn

181 Smith Street's New Tenant?

 Courtesy: Smith Hansen

Many in the neighborhood will remember #181 Smith Street as the former home of the beloved Tony's Hardware Store, which closed in 2015 after decades in business. It was briefly followed by El Milagro, a jewelry, gift, and home decor store, which lasted until this past fall, when it too, closed.

Local realty Smith Hanten has been marketing the 2,000 square foot retail space for $12,500 a month, noting that the space also includes a rather large 1,200 sqft outdoor lot, that has a separate access and 20ft frontage on Warren Street. The listing includes a plot diagram of this unusual L shaped property.

Apparently, the space has found a new tenant, according to a Smith Street resident, who reached out to PMFA to report that "a notice has been posted in the window of 181 Smith Street, noting that Black Forest Brooklyn is opening in this location and is applying for a full liquor license."

Black Forest Brooklyn already operates a "German Indoor Biergarten and Kaffeehaus" in Fort Greene. the business has just applied for a liquor license for 181 Smith Street.

" Obviously that raises concerns for neighbors, due to the prospect of a raucous outdoor beer hall atmosphere," the resident told us. "Also worth noting, the Cobble Hill School for American Studies is directly across from the back lot on Warren Street. The idea of a beer garden across from a public school is interesting to contemplate!"

The concern over the potential use of the outdoor space as a beer garden is certainly understandable given the fact that it is entirely surrounded by residential dwellings on Warren Street. Though commercial use is, of course, permitted facing Smith Street, the use of the backyard space may considerably impact the quality of life for those living nearby.

We all love a beer garden, but let us all remember that this is a residential neighborhood with a commercial overlay, intended to serve the community and should not, ideally, subtract from it.

Community Board 2's Health Committee will meet on April 5 for a preliminary discussion on this topic at Brooklyn Hospital, First Floor Dining Room; 121 DeKalb Avenue at St. Felix.

Community Board 2 contact info: (718) 596-5410 or cb2k@nyc.rr.com.

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Mavi Jeans Says Good-Bye To Smith Street

Not only mom-and-pop shops seem to have a hard time staying open in Carroll Gardens. Even chain stores seem to be struggling these days.

Mavi Jeans, which boast of having "over 310 retail stores with flagships in New York, Vancouver, Montreal, Istanbul, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Hamburg and Moscow",  has recently vacated its location at 90 Smith Street. It had only opened at that address in the fall of 2013.

The storefront is listed with Smith Hanten Properties. It is going for $13,000 a month.

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Two Contiguous Properties On Smith Street Up For Grabs For $13 Million

Smith Street between Warren and Baltic Streets

191 and 193 Smith Street

191 Smith Street, currently housing Ceol, an Irish pub

Since the one story brick building housing Met Food at 205 Smith Street between Warren and Baltic Streets was just sold in May for $18,500,000 to a group of investors to make way for a new two-story retail building, the owner of two properties on the same block must have decided to put them on the market as well.

The two contiguous buildings at 191 and 193 Smith Street are being sold through Smith Hanten Real Estate for $13,000,000. Both buildings are 25 feet wide, which would represent a total of 50 feet of commercial frontage on a high foot traffic street, along a subway line.

Number 191 currently houses Ceol, an Irish pub that has been at this location for quite a number of years. Spice, a Thai restaurant just moved into number 193 this past January.

One has to wonder what all of this will mean to the small one story building and the deli at 189 Smith Street. How long until it, too, will be sold and probably demolished.


This particular block was rezoned as part of the Carroll Gardens contextual rezoning and is zoned R6B with a commercial overlay and a 50 feet hight limit.

189 Smith Street

Just recently, the building at 195 Smith Street, also on the same block,  has gone through a rather sad re-muddle that left it void of any character. Sadly, it used to be identical to 193 Smith Street.
It is safe to say that Smith Street between Warren and Baltic will look very different very soon.

193 and 195 Smith Street in January 2014

The façade at Number 195 Smith Street was altered just recently.

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Available For Rent On Smith Street: A Glimpse Inside Former Medical Office

This has to be one of the larger retail spaces on Smith Street! Once a medical office, Number 229 has been available for rent for just a few months for $6,500 by Smith Hanten Real Estate.
The 2,250 foot space, between Douglass and Butler Streets, used to be divided into smaller offices, but a glimpse through the window revealed that it has recently been gutted. It actually looks quite amazing.
The real estate ad states that a food business would be permitted. No doubt. Only a restaurant could pay that kind of monthly rent and turn a profit.
But Smith Street would be so much more interesting if there were less eating and drinking establishments, I say.

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After Many Years On Court Street, India House Closes Its Doors

"Are you closing your restaurant?" I asked the owner of the India House restaurant at 139 Court Street back in February, when I saw that his place of business was being advertised by Smith Hanten Real Estate. He seemed bemused and assured me that, no, he was not going anywhere. But he added:
" The owner of the building has tried to rent it out for a long time. I don't have a lease anymore. He wants too much money."

Well, obviously, something happened, because India House is closed now. It has been at that location for as long as I have lived in the neighborhood (25 years.) I am kind of sorry to see it gone, though I have to admit that I only set foot into the restaurant once.

The storefront is for rent for $7,000.

On Smith Hanten's Web site

Court St in Cobble Hill

- Very busy intersection
- Across the street from a new "Trader Joe's"
- Three (3) blocks to Express trains @ Boro Hall
- Basement Included
- Sorry - no food or Liquor allowed

Related reading:

Space Occupied By Indi(a) House For Rent, But Restaurant Owner Not Worried

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