Possible Changes to our District and Ports

The Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association has shared two pieces of news about our neighborhood's future. 


There are concerns about a proposal to split up the Columbia Waterfront District on the State Assembly map, giving us two different Assemblymembers and splitting our votes. Read here for the whole story: 
http://cowna.blogspot.com/2012/01/redistricting-blues.html

You may have heard that American Stevedoring is no longer the operator at the container port. Council member Brad Lander has organized a meeting to update the neighborhood on these developments and, hopefully, help us understand what the future may hold.


Date: 9 February 2012
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Postgraduate Center, 177 Columbia Street


Learn more on the COWNA blog:
http://cowna.blogspot.com/2012/01/brad-lander-to-present-overview-of-port.html

Improvements to the B61

Good news for the B61!

Monday, the MTA board voted to add buses to Brooklyn’s B61 route during the evening rush hour. The move, part of a package of changes to bus schedules citywide, will mean that buses on the route will come more frequently and follows a study on the bus line released by Brooklyn elected officials and community groups in December.

Read the rest of the news here: 
http://bradlander.com/news/updates/following-study-mta-adds-buses-to-brooklyn-s-b61-bus-route


Big thanks to our City Councilmember Brad Lander and all the volunteers who collected data on our overpopulated bus route. 

A New Garden on Columbia Street?

Brownstoner reports on a proposal to transform the vacant lot on Columbia and Sackett, next to MikNic.

http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2012/01/columbia-street-residents-looks-to-transform-lot/?stream=true

Lingerie, clothing & sparkly things

I never thought I'd find beautiful, sexy lingerie nearby until I walked into Winkworth.

The store is magic and Susie, Sonya and Carla are the ladies that make it happen. I spoke to Susie, one of the owners of the shop about things you'd talk to a woman who sells lingerie and makes made to measure clothing.

The first question asked was "What do you think all women should have?" The answer? "A bicycle, really good underwear and a dog that you love." A woman with brains and a sense of humor who also has x-ray vision when it comes to sizing bras? She is amazing.

I asked Susie what she thinks is sexy, "Someone who is confident enough to be super silly, Sofia Vergara is off the charts." What about if you don't look like Sofia Vergara? "Everybody's got at least one thing that is fabulous, the trick is knowing where that is and how to accentuate it." Susie's favorite piece in the store right now? "The feather belts which are beautiful, silly, goofy and flirty." Don't get me wrong, there's seriously beautiful lingerie here that I haven't seen in other places. I own a bunch of pieces and they have all held up beautifully.

These ladies are pros and they make you feel comfortable enough to prance around the store in your skivvies. They're also extremely honest, if something's not working they'll tell you immediately and find something else to try on. Not all bras and panties are equal, so come with a little time to try on a few things. The stuff is so gorgeous you'll want to anyway.

Besides bras and panties, Winkworth's got half slips, cut to cup size slips, camisoles, baby dolls, nightgowns, sweaters, stockings, garters, nighties and robes, not to mention hats, bags and other lovely necessities. Ask about made to measure clothing, they're wicked with a needle and thread.

Men are more than welcome in the store, bring them along for a fun afternoon. This is where I shop, you don't find service like this often and you leave feeling sexy and gorgeous. How much fun is that?

Winkworth is located at 119 Columbia Street, between Kane and Degraw, they're closed on Mondays.

Meeting for the Planned Columbia Street Park

Nearly a year ago the Regional Plan Association and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative held a visioning meeting to collect suggestions from the community for a new park on Columbia Street between Kane and Degraw. Tomorrow night Brooklyn Greenway Initiative has scheduled a report-back meeting for the planned park. Preliminary renderings will be presented and the community will be invited to comment.  Visit the BGI website regarding the meeting here and RSVP.

Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Time: 6:30p - 8:30p
Location: Union Street Star Theater, 101 Union Street

Thanks to the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association blog for the news!

MikNic Lounge Trivia Night Tomorrow

Test your trivia knowledge and challenge your neighbors at our local watering hole MikNic Lounge! 


MikNic Lounge
@ 200 Columbia Street
Wednesday, December 21
8:30pm

Santa Claus is Coming to Columbia Street

Santa will be paying a visit to our very own MikNic Lounge at 200 Columbia Street (at Sackett St). Santa will take photos with neighborhood kids this Saturday December 17th from 1-4pm.  

By the way, I'm heading out of town for the holidays so you won't see another post from me for a while.

Happy holidays to you all!

Holiday Gifts Pop-up Shop on Columbia Street

Our neighbors are hosting an arts/crafts holiday gift pop-up shop starting today!

Five Questions for Brooklyn Collective

This post will be the first in a series of Columbia Waterfront local business profiles in which we ask five probing questions. Here is an interview with Brooklyn Collective co-founder Tessa Phillips. Brooklyn Collective, on Columbia Street between Union and Sackett, is a beautifully curated shop of art, jewelry, clothing and home goods, all made locally. I scored my favorite black blouse there last year, and every time I visit I see something new. More than just a shop, all the members share the rent and keep 100% percent of their profits. Here's what Tessa had to say about Brooklyn Collective and our fabulous neighborhood.

1. How did Brooklyn Collective come to be in the Columbia Waterfront District?
Rachel & I both live in the neighborhood. We met when I began selling my clothes to her other shop, Union Max in 2000. We became friends, often discussing how we loathe selling to boutiques as they tend to edit out all the good stuff! After several brainstorming sessions we came up with the Brooklyn Collective as an outlet for our work and other artists and designers in the same boat. We both love the neighborhood and really only considered Columbia Street for it's convenience (for us) knowing that the neighborhood was evolving and that we really liked the other small businesses around us.

2. What's one thing locals might not know about Brooklyn Collective?

We have grown considerably in our seven years of business, beginning with just ten artists to the current 35+ we currently house... and we plan to expand the work studio space considerably in the next couple of years offering the public a school of sorts for all types of design and art.

3. What is your favorite spot in the Columbia Waterfront?

Jalopy Theater! It's such a treasure & a very affordable place to hear incredible music!

4. What's your favorite meal in the Columbia Waterfront?

Anything & everything at Mazzat. The food is so fresh and delicious and good for you! Not to mention it is run by wonderful people.

5. Anything to add?
We feel fortunate to part of such a great community...and plan to be around a long time!

Brooklyn Collective is hosting a holiday party this Friday December 9 from 6-9pm with loads of new work plus live music, and wine. They make some nice-looking movies of their events, too! Here's a movie of Brooklyn Collective's seven year anniversary party: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzI9DbNjqNE&feature=player_embedded.

Make a visit to Brooklyn Collective for your holiday gift shopping, and you'll probably find a few gifts for yourself, too. 

Join Plovgh at Dekalb Market this Saturday

For those of you already missing our Urban Meadow CSA or interested in fresh, healthy food, read on:

Plovgh, an online community where farms sell their harvest directly to individuals, will host an open house on Saturday, November 26, 12-3, at Dekalb Market. Plovgh is a marketplace where members place orders from farms for pick-up in their neighborhood, and Dekalb Market is the newest pickup point in the Plovgh network.

The event is being held in conjunction with Small Business Saturday. Stop by to sign up for the Downtown Brooklyn farm pickup, get information about starting a Plovgh pickup point in your neighborhood, and meet some of the farms and other communities that are part of Plovgh.

You can find Plovgh right next to Dekalb Farm at the Willoughby Street entrance to the market.
Go to www.plovgh.com to sign up or come visit Dekalb Market to learn more. For more information, contact elizabeth@plovgh.com.

Anyone interested in starting a pickup point in our neighborhood? :)