Park Slope Reader

Park Slope Life

Pablo Forever: Memorializing a Brooklyn Native, While Planting Seeds and Learning to Ollie.

By Filed Under: Park Slope Life, Sports

Pablo Ramirez. © Pablo Ramirez Foundation.

“Pablo wanted people to live in the present,” said New York City skater, Erik Rivera, during a phone interview. “The one time I skated with him was like magic. He just had this positive energy— and he made people more positive about their vibes.”

Pablo Ramirez, known to the skating community as “P-Splifff,” was a New York City native, musician, artist, and professional skateboarder. He was raised in Park Slope, where he lived with his mother, Loren Michelle—a chef, business owner, and world traveler. His father is a New York City attorney. Ramirez excelled at friendly and competitive sports, including ice hockey, cycling, and street-skating. His friends can’t recall a time when he was without a skateboard. High-impact sports provided Ramirez with true autonomy. He often said that he felt “alive” while gliding through urban environments and pushing his body past its physical limits. Through the visual and performing arts, Ramirez was able to find creative freedom and individuality. At a young age, he discovered the philosophy of expressionism through music, particularly through the language and melodies of classical jazz. He studied music at Edward R. Murrow High School, and later on, at The New School. As a teenager, Ramirez asserted his knowledge of music into the public sphere by playing at jazz clubs, bars, and venues. At the time, Brooklyn’s DIY music scene fluctuated between jazz and new wave punk. 

“He really understood the language of music and was able to read music from an early age,” Loren Michelle told me, over the phone. Michelle purchased a drum set for Ramirez when he was a child. 

“We played a lot of shows together,” said New York City musician, Sammy Weissberg. Weissberg is one of Ramirez’s oldest childhood friends. The two formed a close bond over a shared appetite for classical jazz. Sammy remembers Ramirez as both a “magnetic” person who was beloved by everyone who met him, and an “adrenaline junkie” who was often testing the boundaries of whatever obstacle blocked his way to the next great success. 

“Pablo was this really energetic person who made a lot of noise,” Weissberg said. “His confidence transcended past skating— it was just how he lived his life. He was not afraid of failure.” 

Sammy Weissberg later played a tribute to Ramirez at his memorial. 

Pablo Ramirez moved to San Francisco in his early 20’s and quickly broke into the West Coast skate scene as one of the fastest and most fearless skaters in the city. He was recruited by the novel GX1000 crew— a band of loosely structured amateur and professional skaters— all living in Northern California’s Bay Area. The Crew is internationally recognized for their clothing label, signature stunts, and daring hill bombs— a high-speed and downhill skating move that is synonymous with the city’s topographical rollercoaster of cemented one-way streets and iconic steep hills. The art of hill bombing is unrelenting in nature. The result, if not done methodically, can be brutal. Riding with a full squad provides a marginal safety net for skaters. “Spotters” stand at the bottom of the hills, timing traffic lights and obstructing motorists’ routes. Employing spotters allows skaters to ride through busy intersections without hesitation or fear of collision. One of the defining moments of Ramirez’s skateboarding career was when he ollied over the hood of an El Camino to avoid an accident. 

“Pablo fell in love with San Fran,” said Michelle. “The skate scene is like nothing else.” San Francisco is commonly referred to as the “Mecca” for street skaters and bombers. “They [GX1000] studied the roads and the hills; they timed the traffic lights. They really understood speed,” she explained. 

Photographs and online video releases of GX1000 members, racing down winding roads, crossing residential streets, dodging traffic, and sliding through busy intersections, can be found on the group’s Instagram account, and in publications like GQ, Awaysted, Lowcard, and Thrasher. 

“I remember saying to Pablo, ‘Dude, you’re on freaking Thrasher!’” exclaimed Jon Fitzgerald, during a phone interview. This was a critical moment for both Ramirez and Fitzgerald— who suddenly recognized the staunch confidence and raw talent that encompassed Ramirez’s bold skating practice and “life is beautiful” attitude. His uniquely gifted ability was suddenly coupled with fame. Thrasher, the San Francisco-based magazine company and “Bible” of all skateboarding publications, is known for being brash. The magazine’s website routinely features amateur videos of body slams and violent falls from stairways and elevated rails. 

Fitzgerald is an experienced chef, veteran skateboarder, and longtime friend of Ramirez’. The two met at a Brooklyn skate park in their late teens and maintained a close friendship even after Ramirez relocated to San Francisco. It wasn’t long before Ramirez received sponsorship from national brands and traveled the world to skate for major companies and various crews. 

“Pablo was mad good but anyone could skate with him. He just had that type of energy,” said Fitzgerald. 

Loren Michelle and Herve Riou. © Pablo Ramirez Foundation.

On the morning of April 23, 2019, Jon Fitzgerald sent Pablo Ramirez a text. As the day progressed, Fitzgerald questioned why Ramirez had not responded. It was not in his nature to ghost his friends. Ultimately, a coworker showed Fitzgerald a major news headline that would forever change him. Ramirez had been fatally struck by a dump truck in San Francisco’s SoMa district. He was 26.

Ramirez’s death shocked the skating community. Thousands of love-filled messages appeared on his Instagram account. Soliloquies of grief and gratitude were met with anecdotes from those he loved and inspired. Tony Vitello, the publisher of Thrasher magazine, said of Ramirez: “Very few skateboarders change the way we see skateboarding. Pablo did just that.” 1

Thrasher later hosted a post-memorial block party in honor of Ramirez’s extraordinary legacy. 

“In the shadows of loss, grief can turn into love,” wrote Loren Michelle, in an Instagram post, shortly before inaugurating her plans for a foundation, dedicated to the life and legacy of her adored son. The Pablo Ramirez Foundation is a space that fosters healthy living, positive vibes, and self-expression through the arts, culture, and skateboarding. The Foundation has hosted public events, including skate park cleanups, skateboarding lessons, art openings, and concerts; and also provides grants and scholarships to kids and young people in need. Inspired by Ramirez’s ethos of “giving more and taking less,” the Foundation aims to use its resources to make lasting changes in the lives of Brooklyn’s youth. Recently, the Foundation teamed up with Homage Skateboard Academy to offer a free week of skateboarding camp and a complete new skateboard to one student. 

One of the earliest undertakings of the Pablo Ramirez Foundation was painting a memorial mural at Washington Skate Park located behind MS 51. The mural, titled, Pablo Forever, is the beginning of many future murals and public art events. A second mural, in collaboration with contemporary artist, Steve “ESPO” Powers, is currently in development. The mural will be installed at Golconda Skate Park in Dumbo. 

Pablo Forever Mural in Brooklyn. © Erik Rivera

The murals are a powerful tribute to Ramirez whose life was shaped by the visual arts. Not long before his passing, Ramirez’s work hung in San Francisco galleries. He created over 2,500 artworks in the last few years. 

A leading project of the Foundation is to create an all-inclusive skate park and garden, ideally located in central Brooklyn. The project, called Brooklyn Skate Garden, is inspired by the lifestyle Ramirez led. Peace, good vibes, kindness, gratitude, and environmentalism are embedded in the spirit of the project. The multifaceted skate park and gardens will serve as a space for youth to find community while skating, creating art, listening to live music, and planting seeds. The idea for the skate park initially came from a group of teenage skaters who envisioned an all-encompassing park in the heart of Brooklyn. 

“Skate parks are kind of an afterthought,” Michelle remarked. She explained how NYC skate parks are often uninviting and unmaintained— and commonly located on the outskirts of cities and under bridges. “The fundamental question is, ‘how can we make a skate park, not like a skate park? How can we make a skate park that is for everyone?’” As a skater herself, it is paramount to Michelle that skaters of all ages feel a sense of belonging in the skate community.

“Skateboarding is the energy behind the skate garden, but it’s really about culture, music, and art,” she told me. “The park gives kids a place to come and to be part of a community.” 

Earlier this year, the Brooklyn Skate Park received an endowment of $300K from Council District 39’s participatory budgeting ballot. The response to the conceptualization of the park has been overwhelmingly positive. 

“Pablo would be so happy to see the whole community, not just the skate community, come together to do something for the youth,” said Rivera. “We [skaters] want to leave a good path for them. Pablo would be astonished. He would want to reciprocate that energy.” 

“Pablo would think the skate park is sick,” said Fitzgerald. “He doesn’t want us to be sad, you know? His energy is still here.” 

Fitzgerald’s voice grew quiet at the remembrance of his friend. Pablo Ramirez, one most intrepid skaters of our time, was so much more than a professional athlete. His attitude and lifestyle influenced the entire culture of skateboarding by making it more accepting— more inclusive. Compassion for others was the only thing to exceed his talent on a skateboard. 

I thought about what Pablo meant when he told others to “live in the present.” I thought about the definition of failure and wondered how he, a man I would never meet, wasn’t afraid to fail. How liberating that must have been for him and for those around him. 

Softly, Fitzgerald whispered, “I do miss him.” 

1 Sullivan, Denise. “The Legacy of Skateboarder Pablo Ramirez.” San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Examiner Media Company, 23, May 2019,https://www.sfexaminer.com/news-columnists/the-legacy-of-skateboarder-pablo-ramirez/.

We Don’t Deserve Dogs: Park Slope Documentary Filmmakers Connecting The World

By Filed Under: Park Slope Life, The Arts Tagged With: , , , ,

What connects us? What makes us different? What’s it like being a shepherd in the isolated mountains of Romania? Or an evening with a dog walker under the streetlights of Istanbul? And how does listening to these stories help us grow together?

From Park Slope filmmakers Matthew Salleh and Rose Tucker the new documentary We Don’t Deserve Dogs travels around the world beautifully capturing the lives of everyday individuals and their dogs. While we may never truly know what we did to deserve the unconditional love of our four-legged friends, there are sure to be life lessons in this special relationship.

The filmmaking duo of Urtext Films began their career in their home city of Adalene, Australia; and soon began developing and perfecting their own DIY hands-on way of documentary filmmaking. “When we started doing the documentary work we realized how much we could achieve just the two of us,” reflects Producer Rose Tucker. During production, Rose also manages Sound Recordist, while Matt takes the role of Director and Cinematographer. Together they’ve traveled the world intimately capturing the daily lives of individuals you may not normally see on screen. With just the two of them and sometimes a local translator as the crew, Matt and Rose are able to create a non-disruptive and personal filming experience, which reflects greatly in their work. The small, quiet details as incense smoke fill a prayer space. The rhythmic jingles of a dog’s collar tag. The friendly looks between patrons at a local pub. These natural moments make Matt and Rose’s first-person filmmaking style that much more mesmerizing, unique, and maybe a bit familiar.

Familiarity is always a starting point for Matt and Rose. Subjects that people are passionate about, things that get people talking. Their previous award-winning feature film, Barbecue (2017) covered BBQ culture across the planet. By capturing how everyday things manifest they can explore contrasts in cultures, while simultaneously connecting the things humans have in common. “It’s important to me because I come from a mixed-race background, so I’m always questioning what comes from each side,” says Director Matt Salleh. “We live in a seemingly very fractured world, and post-pandemic even more fractured. We can give insight and show commonalities in people’s lives while celebrating our unique differences.”

Of course, Park Slope is no stranger to the connective joy between fellow dog lovers. “One of the inspirations for this film is just looking out our window in Park Slope,” Rose remembers. “There are always people walking their dogs. People having relationships with each other based on their pets, visiting each other, and going to Prospect Park together.”

Filming for We Don’t Deserve Dogs took our fellow Park Slopers around the world. Traveling to 11 different countries in 9 months finding remarkable stories that would normally go untold. From Italy, Turkey, Uganda, Pakistan, Chile, Finland, Romania, Peru, Vietnam, Nepal, and Scotland; featuring 10 different languages, including some rarely seen on screen like the Acholi/

Lou language of Northern Uganda. “I think traveling when making a film is so different than traveling for tourism because you get that insight into what real life is like for people. You travel to neighborhoods you wouldn’t normally go to,” says Rose, who coordinated their travels and connections in each country.

By working with locals as tour guides, translators, and researchers they successfully sought out interview subjects and narratives. These tour guides, dubbed ‘fixers’ came from all walks of life. Some journalists, photographers, or students, all people who were embedded in the local community in some way and offered a bridge into that specific culture. For example, Matt tells about working with a female street performer in Santiago, Chile. “She created these street tours that took us to hidden parts of the city. She knew the lesser popularised history, like LGBTQ history, which meant she had to talk to people, understand the culture and people’s stories.”

Spending about 2 weeks in every country, the duo worked tirelessly, on foot, by car, and even on motorbike to capture the immersive terrains, complex soundscapes, and individual narratives. They didn’t seek to create the cliché cutesy dog film, nor interview celebrities or the boldest of personalities, but rather everyday individuals and their canine companions. Whether energetic or melancholy, spiritual or quirky, We Don’t Deserve Dogs shifts with each location’s distinct rhythms and pace of life. In Miraflores, Peru, you’ll meet young women throwing birthday parties for their adopted dogs. In Turku, Finland, support dogs for the elderly and disabled bring needed joy and cheer. In Gulu, Uganda, former child soldiers help rehabilitate street dogs as a form of trauma therapy. While directing Matt trusted subjects to share their experiences in their own voice and view. “We are not a voice-over saying what people should think about other people’s lives, we just want to show people’s lives as they are.”

While Matt and Rose feel privileged and bless to have their nomadic filmmaking lives, they have continued to find comfort in returning to Park Slope. A place that again brings together community and familiarity within the much larger New York City setting. Having immigrated to the United States four years ago, Rose expresses her appreciation, “We are lucky to have landed in Park Slope. We joke that we are more connected with our neighbors here than we were in a smaller city back in Australia. It’s a different kind of community living. In Australia everyone is in their house or in a car, here everyone is walking, sitting outside, everyone knows their neighbors and knows who works at the shops.” This aspect has also influenced the couple creatively. Not only reflecting on the immigrant experience, but the ability to find affinity, support, and friendship through genuine connection with those around us.

So here in their one-bedroom apartment, the editing process commenced for 3 months; reviewing hundred of translated transcripts, determining detailed story structure, meticulous color grading, and adding the beautiful score by composer Blake Ewing. Matt and Rose emerged from the editing cave in February 2020 (unfortunately only to return a month later for quarantine), and We Don’t Deserve Dogs made its virtual world premiere at South by Southwest 2020 Film Festival. The film is now digitally available for everyone to enjoy.

And it’s the perfect film for Park Slopers. Yes, of course, because of the dogs; but equally the showcasing of different cultures, religions, genders, and generations. “I think people in Brooklyn have a strong interest and deep respect for other cultures and want to know what’s happening around the world,” says Rose. “We made a very intentional decision to not film stories in Western countries like the U.S. or Australia. All of the stories are coming from lesser-known places. And I think people in Park Slope would be very interested in seeing for example what the relationship between a Muslim woman and her dog in Karachi [Pakistan] is like, and how that can relate to their own experience back here.”

There are no doubt commonalities seen right here in the melting pot that is Brooklyn. Every corner has a little – or more likely a lot – of history, culture, and influence from around the world. Matt expressed, “I don’t think Brooklyn would function in the way it does without all these different cultures coming together.” Matt and Rose even express how that if they find a food dish they love while traveling they have good faith in Brooklyn’s diversity they’ll be able to get it when they return home. “In filmmaking, we have this love and opportunity to travel and meet people from dozens of cultures, and they are all also right here in Brooklyn.”

If there is something special to be said about our ability to come together and blend cultures in our neighborhood, there is equally something to be said about how we can distinctly set each other apart. “We always start our films off with this positive hypothesis that there’s more good in the world than bad. Over and over again we meet people who prove that and amaze us with their stories. Their courage, their bravery, their insight into the world, how they preserve their history, how they celebrate their cultures,” Matt says when reflecting on what he hopes people will get out of the film. “So the fact our film is just listening to people talk about their lives, where they come from, and what is important in their culture, I think it’s a good first step to greater cultural understanding.”

In documenting these genuine stories, valuable kinships, and heartfelt moments from around the world, Matt and Rose’s film We Don’t Deserve Dogs follows the thread that connects us to the humanity, companionship, and unconditional love we may have with dogs and with each other.

Visit wedontdeservedogs.com to watch

Follow @urtext

The Battle for 227 Abolitionist Place, part two

By Filed Under: Feature, Park Slope Life Tagged With: , ,

In This Fight to Preserve History, Black Lives and Black Landmarks Matter

READ PART ONE HERE

In mid July, the Landmark Preservation Commission of New York City held a public hearing. It took place over Zoom due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. It it had been in person, it would have been a packed room. For nearly three hours, members of the community gave testimony in support of Item 1 on the docket, LP‐2645, also known as the proposal to give landmark status to 227 Duffield Street.

The battle for 227 Duffield Street has been ongoing (a deeper history is chronicled in part one of this series.) During a virtual Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) meeting at the end of June, the commission calendared 227 for an official hearing on whether it should be given Landmark Status. They then set that hearing for just two weeks later. It may sound fast-moving for those familiar with NY bureaucracy standards. On the other hand, those who have had a stake in this fight might say it took closer to two decades.

In her testimony during the hearing, the Attorney General for New York, Letitia James, said, “I’ve been involved in this effort to preserve 227 Duffield Street,” before stating that the building is “actually known as 227 Abolitionist Place.” As previously reported, Duffield Street was renamed Abolitionist Place in the Fall of 2007 to commemorate the numerous buildings and people on the block active in the anti-slavery movement during the Civil War era. As for 227, the building was the home of two prominent abolitionists named Harriet and Thomas Truesdell, and is long thought to have been part of the Underground Railroad. That same year, the building was saved from demolition when its owner Joy Chatel (lovingly known as “Mama Joy”), narrowly won a court settlement in which the city agreed the property wouldn’t be taken by eminent domain as part of the Downtown Brooklyn Development Plan. However, the LPC’s decision to not landmark the home left it vulnerable for future developers to try the same thing again. And that’s exactly what’s happening now.

So what’s happened between now and 2007?

In 2014, Joy Chatel passed away. A longtime champion of 227 Duffield’s preservation, Chatel was responsible for drawing many activists and organizations to the cause. Leading up to the 2007 settlement, Chatel and Lewis Greenstein— whose property on Duffield Street was also at risk of being seized and was also thought to be part of the Underground Railroad, formed the Duffield Street Block Association. They also connected with the activist group Families United for Racial and Economic Justice.

Of those who spoke during the recent July hearing, few went without mentioning “Mama Joy” Chatel in their testimonies. “She treated me like a son. Her compassion is why I’m here right now,” said Local activist Raul Rothblatt. In her fight to save 227 Duffield, Chatel created a legacy of her own. “I believe her history should be included in the LPC designation of 227 Duffield,” said Rothblatt.

In 2017, Samiel Hanasab, a developer, brought the property under an entity called 227 Duffield Street Corp. And as feared when the building was initially rejected for Landmark Preservation Status, Hanasab applied for a demolition permit in the summer of 2019, citing plans to replace the two-story building with a 13-story mixed-use structure.

Though Chatel was no longer there, the momentum she helped build had not lost steam. Those still dedicated to 227’s preservation held a rally outside of the Landmarks Commission building on Centre Street in Manhattan in August 2019. In a Facebook event, organizers called it an “Emergency Rally” and provided instructions on how to contact Lisa Kersavage, the LPC’s Executive Director. As it Read:

“Tell her:

– Please do not demolish 227 Duffield Street, located in Downtown Brooklyn
– We need to landmark 227 Duffield, because it is well-documented that it was used as a meeting house for the abolitionist movement as well as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
– We strongly believe that the site needs to be turned into a museum to preserve this important historic contribution to the fight against racism in the US.”

Calendaring a building for consideration is the first official step the LPC takes in granting it Landmark Status. The Buildings Department had approved Hanasab’s demolition permits, and the LPC hadn’t calendared the Duffield home. So the sense of urgency was palpable. And the campaign persevered on. A petition was created, a GoFundMe page was set up, and the marches continued.

On February 22 of this year, during Black History Month, activists organized another rally outside the Barclays Center. Together they held a large sign that read, “Black Landmarks Matter,” with the hashtag #Save227Duffield. On May 25, 2020, almost exactly three months later, George Floyd was killed.

In that June meeting that took place over Zoom, the LPC voted on calendaring 227 Duffield Street. The decision to do so was unanimous.

And that led to the July hearing.

Of the dozens of people who spoke and wrote letters, there was one who testified on behalf of Hanasab: His lawyer, Garfield Heslop. Heslop asserted that “no one is more attuned to historical significance of the building as we are” and that “part of the development of the property was the creation of a museum that would honor the legacy of the building.” Rothblatt, however, disagreed, stating that “the new owners have never reached out to any of the historical advocates.” He added, “We have a vibrant community of people willing to save this history and they have not shown any interest in that…as far as I can tell they’ve had contempt.”

The hearing was a monumental step in this story. And, as the outpouring of support it received made evident, one that many have been waiting on for a long time. It was maybe best summated by a man named Michael Henry Adams from Harlem, who was there at the beginning. Adams said, “I’m gratified by the outcome today, finally, after 17 years.” But he didn’t neglect to mention the kind of destruction that can be done when steps aren’t taken to preserve important landmarks in a timely manner. Referencing recent comments made by Mayor de Blasio about systemic racism throughout city departments beyond the Police Department, Adams said he hopes this designation can be an acknowledgement that, “justice delayed is justice denied.”

The timelines of the LPC hearing as it converged with the George Floyd protests was undeniable. “Of course Black lives matter, of course, Black landmarks matters,” Adams said, continuing, “They matter because Black people are not just Black people. We are Americans. we are the people who built this nation and so our history is second to none.”

Homeschooling In Brooklyn

By Filed Under: Park Slope Life Tagged With: , ,

Artwork by Christian Dellavedova

These days it is safe to say that homeschooling is more and more commonplace. We are certainly moving away from the days of homeschooling being “strange” or “weird”. There is a growing number of parents in Brooklyn ditching the traditional educational system and seeking homeschooling clubs, co-ops, mentors and online educational groups. Additionally, in Brooklyn, there are many resources dedicated to parents and their homeschooled children of various ages such as Brooklyn Apple Academy or Cottage Class, Brooklyn. 

I have had many conversations as a parent about this topic and I have to say the homeschooling families I have met in Brooklyn are like any other traditional educational family. Nothing out of the ordinary. The primary difference to me is the amount of time the homeschooling family puts into their children’s education/curriculum and their reasons for doing so. “I wanted to create an environment where my child would never feel held back if they were advanced or pushed too fast if they needed extra attention” said Michelle R. from Crown Heights (Mom to a three-year-old). Parents are very involved in the direct material their children are learning from and contrary to popular thought, the parent(s) are not always the “teacher” in their children’s lives. What is more, is that many parents feel that the emotional development in the traditional system sometimes can be overlooked. The parents of homeschoolers can zero in on the emotional development of their children and decide how to best support their individual growth.

Personalization is fundamental to academic success. Engaging children holistically is the key to raising success and many Brooklyn parents are opting for a different educational method. There are roughly 7 main approaches to homeschooling such as unschooling, Montessori, classical to name a few. If Brooklyn parents need support as newbies or seasoned vets looking to gain more resources, Meetup and Park Slope Parents provide a community to do so and Brooklyn Queen LEAH provides Brooklyn Christian families homeschooling resources. In true NY spirit, Brooklyn parents are coming together and creating resources and micro-communities for homeschooling families. 

How do you know if homeschooling is right for your family? Is it something you have thought about prior to having a child? Perhaps, your child was in a traditional school and you came to realize the environment was not supporting your child’s growth and development. You might be on board with homeschooling your child, but have questions like, how will my child make friends or how will I find a mentor? All of the homeschooling parents I spoke with either made the decision prior to having a child as Michelle R. states, “ I have always known that if I were lucky enough to have a child, I would attempt to homeschool” or parents that quickly realized that their child was not thriving, but rather declining in a traditional educational environment for whatever reason in various grades: academically, socially, emotionally, etc. 

Homeschool is not for all families and not all families will love the homeschooling lifestyle. It is important that we give all children the chance to thrive in the best environment for their individual needs.

When it comes to homeschooling children, there is currently no lack of solid options today. Thanks to online programs like Time4Learning, K12 and Calvert Education, etc. guessing and scrambling for the curriculum is not necessary. “I get a lot of resources from Facebook groups where the kids are in just about the same age group as mine,” said Nicole D. from Prospect Height (mom to a 7-year-old). “I felt like my son was slowly becoming uninterested in learning and this was concerning.” Several parents expressed how the world and the environment was their classroom. Real-world and life experience are great teachers in addition to their chosen educational platforms. “My child stays curious now about learning and shows no signs of boredom like before,” says Nicole D. Another tip is to really take a look at your child.  What are her interests? What style of a learner is she? Understanding these particulars about your child will assist you in the direction you want to go in.

Some of the homeschooling highlights from parents I spoke to have included: Family bonding changes from homework anxieties and social stresses to flexible start times or spontaneously taking the day off to visit a museum to learn about something new or different. Travel becomes much easier. Instead of cramming vacation in the summer months, you now have the flexibility to take vacations at different times of the year which might be better for some families in terms of the cost (flight tickets) or the time/availability to take off from work. Shared values are not compromised. Parents can educate their children according to their own values and/or religious beliefs. Schools may not foster the emotional/spiritual support you wish your child to have. You decide and set the environment. Lastly, there was an emphasis on safety and freedom from bullying in addition to accommodation for special needs children.

Let’s look at the academic side of homeschoolers. Parents, in general, feel their children are thriving and excelling as a result of homeschooling. I would like to note the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) has stated home-educated students typically score 15 to 30 percent above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests. They also achieve better outcomes on the SAT and ACT tests. A lot of the parents I spoke with feel the independence and personalized curriculum has added to the academic success of their children. Often, they are learning through doing and learning through subjects they are interested in learning about. 

It was wonderful to talk with homeschooling families of Brooklyn. They want the same thing all parents want for their children: The best possible education and environment. Of course, homeschool is not for all families and not all families will love the homeschooling lifestyle. It is important that we give all children the chance to thrive in the best environment for their individual needs. Today, we have options and homeschooling is no longer for child actors or school-aged Olympic athletes. Life is fluid and sometimes homeschoolers do go to traditional schools at some point and vice versa. Whatever you decide, keep in mind that your decision on how to educate your child is not etched in stone, it’s not final. If it does not work, you can take another route and try something different. 

Eating Local: Going To The Greenmarket

By Filed Under: Park Slope Life Tagged With: , , ,

Article and Photography by Emily J. Davis

When I first emerge from the Grand Army subway stop, I am greeted by a blue sky and green trees hanging overhead. I first gaze upon the large classical arch in the middle of the plaza. Cars whiz by, circling the regal structure. Across the way, small peaks of white tents line the horizon, the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket.

Body and Soul Bake Shop

Strolling with coffee in hand, I’m hungry for something sweet and flaky on this bright Saturday morning. Entering the market, I pass by long tables of colorful flowers and vegetables, a man playing the saxophone, and cyclists wheeling yellow bicycles. A newbie to NYC, I’m excited to discover the regional treats. Most of the vendors came from hours away in Philly, upstate New York, or Long Island. I imagine the vendors packing their trucks in the wee hours of the morning, preparing to drive into the big city, the sun rising over the sky-scrapers beyond. Today, the market is full of food samples and upbeat Brooklynites. After the cold and rainy spring season, the warmth and sunshine has everyone in a cheerful mood. Here are just a few of my favorite vendors:

Lost Bread Co from Philadelphia, PA, is the perfect stop for a hearty loaf of bread or morning snack to go along with your coffee. Rustic loaves, available for purchase and sampling, include Milk Bread, Deli Rye and Sunflower Potato just to name a few. The Homadama Loaf, a unique take on a traditional New England-style bread, combines nixtamalized blue corn and maple syrup. The result has a slightly sour flavor and a spongy soft interior, perfect for dunking into your favorite bowl of soup. If you’re beet obsessed like myself, the Beetroot Rye is made from 100% rye flour, plus each loaf contain 1lb of beets. The taste is heavenly. For a snack, pick up a package of Pretzel Shortbreads or Burnt Toast Biscotti. The name Lost Bread Co comes from the French tradition of Pain Perdue. When loaves go unsold, they are not wasted, or “lost”. Same goes for any straggling crumbs, nothing goes into the garbage. Instead, they are twice-baked and ground up for shortbread or biscotti cookies. Unlike sweet Italian biscotti, the Burnt Toast Biscottis are savory, crumbly, and remind me of a crackling campfire. If you have more of a sweet tooth, the rum soaked Emmer Maple Cannele pastries are adorable little treats that taste like baked creme brulee, custardy dough enshrined in a slightly caramelized crust. The Canneles sell for $4 apiece, or 2 for $6. You’ll definitely want two. 

The New York Cider Company is located in Ithaca, NY. There are two ciders for sampling and purchasing, the Hedgegrow and the Smokehouse. These dry ciders come in an elegant glass wine bottle, perfect for bringing to your next gathering. Ithaca, as owner Joseph Steuer refers to as “the land of fruit,” is known for it’s 100-plus year old apple trees. These dry ciders are slightly effervescent and light in color, resembling a nice dry champagne. The Hedgegrow blend is made from over 40 types of apples gathered from farmland, wild trees, and abandoned orchards. The Smokehouse blend is made of 4 types of apples; most notably the Smokehouse apple, an old apple that grows sparingly. Unlike it’s name, it is not smokey in flavor. Instead, this yellowish apple was named after the legendary seedling that sprung up next to William Gibbon’s smokehouse in the early 1800’s. Because the cider goes through wild fermentation, Steuer explains, each batch can taste a bit unique. With no added yeast, the bottles of cider rely on natural elements, like the sun, to reach their desired flavor. Bottles sell for $16 each. 

Feisty Acres Farm is located in Southold, NY on the long arm of Long Island. First-generation farmers, Abra and Chris, own just over 8 acres of land. Up at 3am to pack their truck, they are obviously passionate about their product. “We have full and utter control over the products, all birds are raised in pasture from chick to plate”, says Abra, who is tending the booth with her father, Eli. Colorful jars of pickled quail eggs and frozen game birds are available at this booth. I am immediately drawn to the jars of eggs, there are two types available for purchase. The purple colored jar is filled with quail eggs that have been pickled in beet juice, vinegar, garlic, sea salt and dill. The yellow jar is filled with quail eggs that have been pickled in ginger, turmeric, vinegar, garlic, sea salt and spices. When I ask her why they choose quail over chicken eggs, Abra informs me that quail eggs are higher in protein, vitamins and omega 3’s, and have a higher yolk-to-white ratio. “They are richer and smokier,” Abra says. She recommends serving them on a charcuterie plate or skewering them in a martini. Decorating the booth are photos of the small game birds, roaming what looks like a grassy paradise. Jars of pickled quail eggs are $15 each. 

Far Out Cactus offers a variety of succulents and cacti to liven up your home or office. All of the plants are grown in their Chester County, PA, greenhouse. For those intimidated by growing plants, Jesse Lenat, tending the cactus stand, recommends purchasing a Jade plant. Jades are especially hardy and only need minimal water once a week. Jesse can also give you specific recommendations on which cacti will do better in sun or shade, depending on your situation. On his business card, the words Son Of A Cactus Farmer are spelled out in bold red ink.  I met Joey Ludolph, a Brooklyn Heights resident, picking out 3 succulents at the stand. She enjoys having plants because “It’s nice to have other living things in the house… and learn what’s best for them without using words.” Ludolph also enjoys growing herbs at home, not only for eating, but also for the scent. Basil is her favorite. Far Out Cactus doesn’t offer herbs, but there are plenty of other vendors at the market for all your planting desires. Prices vary depending on size and type of cacti. 

Divine Brine offers a wide variety of pickles, relishes and chutneys. In 2008, chef and owner, Robert Schaefer, found himself with an overabundance of pickle-cucumbers growing in his backyard garden. He started gifting the pickles to friends and family, and the rest is history! 10 years later, he now produces over 2,000 pounds of pickles per week and his products can be found in over 200 stores. The products offered are free from preservatives and artificial colors and flavors. Schaefer believes in the healing power of natural foods and eating a vegetarian diet. Large white buckets line the market booth, each filled to the brim with different pickles. Flavors range from Spicy Wasabi (a crowd favorite from my observation) to the more traditional Bread & Butter. Colorful jars of other products, such as peach chutney and beet caviar, can be purchased and taken home. Worker, Nikki Jamison was all smiles as she packaged pickles for shoppers. Purchase a pickle individually, or buy a container for $6.99.

Body and Soul Bake Shop stands out from the rest of the surrounding tents, not only for its bright yellow roof, but because its products are 100% vegan. There’s always a small line for these baked goods, and today is no exception. Savory turnovers, cookies and muffins stack up behind a glass partition. Uncommon flavors, like Sweet-Potato Cinnamon-Roll, Chocolate Sunflower Cookie and Spelt-Bran Carrot Muffin jump out at my hungry eyes. Even though I’m not vegan, I’m intrigued by the interesting flavors. I opt for a Lemon-Vanilla Cornbread Muffin, which is refreshingly zesty with tiny pieces of dried lemon rind sprinkled on top. The baked goods are made in small batches in a Brooklyn kitchen, with organic and seasonal ingredients whenever possible. I ask Scott, the man hurriedly tending the stand, what kind of ingredients they use that made their products vegan. He responds simply, “It’s what we don’t use.” Muffins are $3.50 each. 

Furnace Creek Farm hails all the way from the Oley Valley in Berks County, Pennsylvania. As I walk up to this stall, it resembles an old-timey apothecary shop. Bottles of mysterious brown liquids are labeled with words like Courage, Sleep, and Resilience. I’m skeptical at first, but after chatting with founder, Grace Galanti, it starts to make some sense. Since I’m battling seasonal allergies myself, she directs me to the line of respiratory products. Her recommendation for clearing the lungs and cold/flu prevention is Elixir #2: the Breathe serum, which contains raw local honey, white grape vinegar, white pine needle and Elecampane root. This root, prevalent in many of her products, is known for relieving congestion in the lungs and helping boost the immune system. Although the root itself is rather bitter, the raw honey sweetens it just enough to smooth out the flavor. You can also purchase a candied version of the root itself, which Grace recommends chewing or steeping in your tea or coffee. Stop by to talk with Grace and sample her medicinal and herbal products.  A bottle of elixir is $18 and a jar of candied Elecampane root is $8.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket. Whether shopping alone or with a friend, the market is a fantastic spot to spend a Saturday morning in New York City. You can enjoy your purchases under the shade of a nearby tree or take them home for later. The vendors are exceptionally passionate and eager to tell you about their products. Everything is made with love and respect; to my knowledge, all the products are free of artificial coloring, flavors and preservatives. The animal products all seem to come from happy and beautiful farms, which is a definite plus if you consume meat or dairy. My only other recommendation is getting to the market early, as vendors start to pack up and leave by 2pm. Oh, and one more thing, come hungry!

Park Slope Nature: Spring In Park Slope

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It isn’t hard to get the impression, reading into the signs of the natural world, that every flower, tree and squirrel is as excited for the coming of spring as we humans are.

Take a walk in Prospect Park to do as the horticulturalists do and monitor the first blooms of our common perennial flowers. Snowdrops, the hearty little white bells, pushed stubbornly through snow drifts as early as February this year. In March you can expect to see tight purple bouquets of crocus sneaking out of the ground, accenting the forest floor and giving us hope that the city’s windiest month will soon be blowing in the familiar waft of warm air.

What better way to usher in a new season than by eating like it’s spring. Help jumpstart the pulse of local green markets by picking up some early spring greens like lettuce, spinach or coveted garlic scapes and ramps. Colonial settlers and modern-day wildlife would agree that the charmingly chilly days of spring can be a tricky time to meet caloric requirements. Pair the old with the new and cook up some of the staples that have been long forgotten in your pantry then finish them with leaves of spring. A quick mosey on down to Grand Army Plaza on Saturday or Bartel Pritchard Square on Sunday can pay dividends in farm-to-table fresh greens. 

If you want to eat your way through more than one hundred local and regional food purveyors than find your way up to Breeze Hill in Prospect Park for the return of Smorgasburg. The lines are long but the inventive and tasty snacks on offer come with a view. You can take your meal to go and trek down the rustic trail at the back of the market to the quiet Lullwater where herons may also be searching for a meal. Just do everyone a favor and pack out your trash. The feast begins on April 7th and continues every Sunday from 11 AM to 6 PM. 

Spring really encompasses two seasons: the abatement of winter is marked by a sticky mud season and the thirsty joy for those first sips of warm, fragrant air; then summer is around the corner.

Maybe cooped-up kids are the priority, their energetic limbs itching for activity after a winter short on sledding opportunities. Little Leaguers won’t have to wait long to start lapping those bases. The opening day ceremony hosted by the Prospect Park Alliance and the Prospect Park Baseball Association arrives on Saturday, April 6th. Park Slopers might remember the opening day parade by the throng of children marching down 7th avenue in baseball regalia, outstripping the marching band and posse of civic leaders. Anyone can join the parade which works its way to the ballfields, (best accessed around 9th street, 11th street, or Bartel Pritchard Square,) to watch the first pitch get thrown out. The day coincides with the seasonal opening of the lawns for ball players, picnickers and frisbee enthusiasts alike. 

Those who are looking to ring in the spring with something a little more grueling can sign up for one of the near constant barrage of races that loop Prospect Park starting in the warmer weather. The Brooklyn Spring Half Marathon (http://www.citytri.com/brooklyn-spring-half-marathon ) is just one option to tour the park on four consecutive loops of its 3.35 mile track. For the less competitive runner our local tri-sport provider, JackRabbit, will continue to host community runs through the park for all paces. You can meet at their 7th Ave. location on Mondays and Fridays at 6:30 PM.

Spring really encompasses two seasons: the abatement of winter is marked by a sticky mud season and the thirsty joy for those first sips of warm, fragrant air; then summer is around the corner. April is a month of transition, manifest in the fleeting, show-stopping flower blooms. Daffodils dot woodland borders and blanket the 3rd street berms in sunny yellow. Tulips add a diverse color palette to the ground, their rainbow blooms sometimes surprising the gardener who planted them. The rotund buds of magnolia trees pop open and promptly the park is a pastel wonderland. Delicate little flower nubs run up the thin branches of the redbud, wide open dogwood flowers look up to the sky, lilacs perfume the air and a score of perennial flowers from hyacinths to bluebells join the floral fray. These and more are on display in Carmen’s Garden, just in front of the Litchfield Villa on 4th street and Prospect Park West. But nothing gets the casual flower enthusiast as excited as the sight of an allée of flowering cherry trees as they burst into fecund bloom, thick cotton-candy canopies of silky pink, purple and white petals. The display at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to the park is hard to top. A loop around the long meadow will offer a more complete collection of impressive blooming plants and trees.

By the time earth day rolls around on April 28th the bees will be buzzing and the park staff will have all hands on deck planting spring trees, shrubs and flowers. Engage with the environment by coming out to Prospect Park on that Sunday for citizen science exhibitions. The Prospect Park Alliance is making it easier than ever to get involved as a student of nature with their Audubon center educational programming. Earth day also starts off the park’s volunteer season. One of the most rewarding ways to give back to your community is by volunteering with the PPA’s volunteer corps (https://www.prospectpark.org/get-involved/volunteer/) and donating your time to repair trails, pick up trash and remove invasive weeds, among other ecologically-minded projects.

If you’re familiar with It’s My Park Day, a regular May occurrence, you may be surprised to find that this year the park has upped the ante. Spring Fling, encompassing the weekend of May 18th and 19th, is a celebration of the park and all the opportunities that come with nice weather. You can still volunteer in events sponsored by REI as in previous It’s My Park tradition, but now you can also expect a family fair with educational activities at the Audubon Center and the historic Lefferts house, ensuring the weekend has something for everyone. 

By late spring the park is in full leaf, busy soaking up the sun’s rays and growing dense with greenery and life. Parkgoers are busy playing sports, taking walks and enjoying the most beautiful weather of the year. Brooklyn’s back yard is rife with opportunities from taking a kayak out on the lake to rollerblading around the drive. My personal recommendation is to simply explore the grounds. I’ve lead locals on tours that left them saying there’s an entirely different park inside of the heavily trafficked loops and zones they were used to. Getting lost in the Midwood or trying to catch a view from the top of lookout hill make Prospect Park one of the last places in the city where you can forget, for a few peaceful moments, that you are in New York City.

Fishing by the lake house Earth Day Celebration Prospect Park Alliance at the Audubon Center for annual Earth Day celebration. Enjoy fun-filled activities for all ages from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Urban Park Rangers and the Prospect Park Alliance Landscape Management team.

Park Slope Life: How To Build Your Village

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Artwork by Heather Heckel

“It takes a whole village to raise a child”.  This is what I had heard prior to having a child of my own.  I knew the phrase, but really didn’t understand the meaning or it’s profound necessity.  Its origins may be rooted in Africa and some believe it’s a Native American Proverb.  Clearly, these wise women knew its value. 

 I figured as NYC transplants we had made it here successfully for ten years.  We had our “family”- the friends we had chosen.  We would gladly take this challenge of having a baby in a city with no immediate or extended family.  We had our friends.  Wasn’t this enough?  Turns out in many ways it wasn’t.  We found ourselves Googling “Baby grunting every morning at 5 am when pooping.  Normal?”  Or figuring out how not to pass out and drop baby at 3 am while sitting upright in the rocking chair trying to comfort baby.  It was ridiculous.  We needed to ask questions to others to decide what was normal and simply talk with others who have gone through this or were going through first time parenting angst.  That sweet proverb, it takes a village, started to have the power of a warning.  Seriously, we parents need help raising our babies.  It’s not meant to be done alone.

Our friends were great individual supporters.  We would see our friends for brunch or a cocktail, however, they had their own schedules and lives.  Often, I would see a friend and my husband would care for our son and vice versa.  However, the day-to-day support for me was nonexistent, and I found myself isolated and a bit sad.  I found the beginning of my son’s infancy to be a bit challenging.  I was alone a lot and unsure if what was happening in my feelings was “normal”.  I had no one to talk to as many friends of mine did not have kids.  As time passed, I found myself like many mom’s who stay at home: Lonely and in need of human connection.  By choice, I took off a year.  During that time, I found myself increasingly craving some adult interaction and conversation as well as a break.  I just needed a moment to take for myself. However, I did not have anyone who could come watch my infant son while I took a shower, made dinner, cleaned up my nails or ran to the corner store.  I was not seeking full-time childcare, but a few hours here and there I knew would be enough to bring relief.  What’s more, because I took of a year from work, we didn’t have the finances to hire a “mother’s helper” on a regular basis.  Finances were tight and I was keenly aware of this.  I was a happy new mom, though I was suffering from isolation and lack of support that my husband could not provide as he was working during the week.

What’s a mom to do?  I had to start to build my community.  I was tired of the isolation, loneliness and lack of adult conversation.  I wanted to get out, laugh and find more joy in my daily life.  I craved community.  I had a sudden realization that if I were feeling this then there must be other women who feel the exact same way!  I wanted to find other stay-at-home, work-from-home, part-time working moms who too were seeking support emotionally as well as hands-on support.  Other moms who craved adult conversation, wanted laughs and to share a meal together.  I needed to find them and together we could build a support system with each other.  Together we would build our community where we would bring together our love and compassion to create a system that supports and builds each of us up.

You don’t have to do this alone, and shouldn’t.  You never know what lifelong friends are waiting to make a connection with you.

I’d like to share with you how I built my village.  First, I started going to my local libraries and bookstores to attend the free baby/toddler story time events.  These events we wonderful for my son, however, I found that I was mostly meeting the nannies of the children.  I didn’t meet many moms that were in my situation.  I’m sure they were there, but I didn’t meet them.  While out seeking my village, I had noticed a mom in my neighborhood who was out in the mornings and afternoons who had a small child like mine.  We exchanged smiles.  We kept running into each other, and I finally spoke up!  I said if we run into each other again, we must exchange information.   Not much time passed, and we bumped into each other again.  As suspected, she was a stay-at-home mom.  We became fast friends assisting each other while one ran to the store or did laundry uninterrupted, worked a bit (me) or had lunch all together.   Though she and I went back to work eventually, we built a friendship that still exists to this day.  The take away here is that I spoke up and befriended her.

Feeling confident that there were other moms like me, I decided to take my quest online to expand my Mom Tribe.  There are several Facebook groups dedicated to New Moms, Moms with Babies Born in January 2016, 17 etc., Crunchy Mom, Moms over 40, Breastfeeding moms, Moms who work part time, Homeschooling moms, the list goes on.  Joining a Facebook group opens doors in your neighborhood and beyond.  Often these groups will have a meet up weekly or monthly.  I joined a group for parents in my and the adjoining two neighborhoods around me to meet moms with similar interests, schedules, and kids about the same ages.  What’s great is that the moms I met were like-minded and we hit it off and so did our kids.  In addition, there are several apps now that are like mom dating apps.  You set up your profile and search for other moms that share common ground with you.  You can be very specific with theses apps regarding your needs and what you are seeking.  Hello Mamas has an algorithm that connects local mamas with similar interests, schedules, families, challenges, and personalities.  Peanut is designed to create lasting relationships based on motherhood.  Mama Leave is a great app for moms seeking a play date.  You can post where you are going or to see where are other mamas.  If you want to get out of the house now, this is a great app to join you with mamas out and about.   There are also fantastic community groups such as: Babywearing groups, Le Leche League, Moms of Multiples, Attachment Parenting and so forth.  If you are a sporty mom there are groups:  Fit4Mom, No Excuse Mom, Mommy and Me Workout Groups on Meetup or Mommy and Me Yoga at various Yoga studios.  There are open play studios like Kidville, Powerplay or Gymboree.  Here you can take your little for an hour or two of romp, clap, and play while you soak up some human connection.  Another good place to meet mamas are play cafes.  South Slope has Good Day Play Café.  Your baby can bounce around and you can relax, chat, and have a cup of joe.  Another place to spot moms is Whole Foods on Third and Third.  You can grab a bite and head upstairs to the designated baby/toddler play area.  They have tables and high chairs so you can eat and when baby is done, she can play, and you can chat.

It is all about finding moms that are like-minded and you have a natural connection.  Your village is meant to be supportive and joyful, comfortable and rewarding in friendship.  Decide what you want.  A large group or small.  Do you want them to all know each other or does that not matter?  Are you seeking a mom group focused on specific parenting fundamentals, do you want a mix of online mom support as well as local or just local?  Let go of any insecurities you may have when meeting new moms.  I know this may be a challenge.  However, you are on a new adventure and you never know what kinds of new, beautiful friendships are waiting for you if you don’t say yes.  You can’t always meet a mom and expect it to blossom.  It really is like dating.  If you want to develop a great friendship, then you must put in time and action!

My son is almost three now and we have fallen into a groove.  Things lightened up as I gained more experience and knowledge.  I must say this was one of the most wonderful intuitive decisions I made as a mama: Building My Village.  I have made some lifelong friends who were there for me not only with support with my son, but with support for me – when I received unwanted news, had challenges, or felt homesick.  I have felt great happiness when I have been able to step in for my mom friends when they were in a crunch for childcare or simply needed a break.  I have had may laughs, great conversations and sparked inspired ideas with my community of moms.  Remember, you don’t have to do this alone, and shouldn’t.  You never know what lifelong friends are waiting to make a connection with you.

Barbès: The Challenge of Making Art in a Changing Neighborhood

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Fairly small and sparsely decorated, Barbès is unassuming, but the bar and performance space has grown into a Park Slope institution since its opening in May, 2002. 

Barbès is well-known and well-loved locally for staging a unique combination of jazz, avant-garde, world, and classical music. Yet going into its 17th year of operation, the owners of Barbès, Olivier Conan and Vincent Douglas, are counting their lucky stars that the bar is still open. In May, 2017, the bar was nearly forced to shut down after accruing over $70,000 of debt. Like so many other local institutions in Brooklyn, Barbès had nearly fallen victim to ever-rising rents and changing demographics in the neighborhood it calls home.

In a last ditch-effort to keep the bar open, Conan and Douglas launched a crowdfunding campaign and hosted a series of benefit concerts from musicians on their record label. In an incredible show of support from community members and local musicians, Barbès managed to raise the $70,000 they needed to continue operating. 

Nearly two years later, Barbès is still chugging along and making ends meet, but its owners still express concern for the future. 

Conan and Douglas, a pair of French musicians, opened Barbès on May Day in 2002 with the goal of creating a grassroots performance space.

“It was based on an idea–we wanted to have a place that was very community-oriented,” said Conan. “The community at the time was very different from what it is now. There were a lot of musicians, a lot of artists who lived in Park Slope and we wanted to created a place where the people we wanted to play were also the people who hung out or who wanted to see the music that we brought.”

From the beginning, Conan and Douglas were committed to programming an eclectic variety of performers, representing different cultures and musical traditions from around the world. Barbès is named after a neighborhood northern Paris known for its large North African population and for the record stores that helped introduce Raï music, a form of Algerian folk music, to Western audiences.

Like its namesake, Barbès is defined by its multicultural character. In the same night, you can see Andy Statman, a prodigious Klezmer-influenced mandolin player, and Guinean Afro-jazz courtesy of the Mandingo Ambassadors, who play every Wednesday night at Barbès.

“We had an almost generalist cultural offering, but with a very special identity, and often we didn’t do the kind of bookings that most people did at the time,” said Conan. “We really tried to bring creative musicians who would want to come back and start projects at Barbès. A lot of things were born there, a lot of projects started. [It functioned] kind of like a lab.”

Recurrence is something that Barbès has prioritized over the years. The bar has given a number of artists weekly residencies over the years, creating a comfortable and communal dynamic between space, performer, and audience. “The idea of place is very important, and the audience would come see people specifically at Barbès because they thought something special would happen,” said Conan.

Barbès has also prioritized keeping costs low for its audience. Unlike many jazz bars and performance spaces in New York, Barbès does not have a drink minimum. The modest cover charges–most events are $10–go to the performers. Conan and Douglas prefer not to operate by the profit motive, though that business model has been increasingly difficult to sustain in recent years.

“The New York economy has obviously changed tremendously [since Barbès opened],” said Conan. “The model that worked in what was then an outer borough don’t work anymore. Rents have gone up, the price of doing business has gone up, the kind of clientele has changed. We still cater to the same kind of people, but they don’t live in the neighborhood anymore.”

Conan, a Paris native, moved to Brooklyn in the mid-80s. His first rent was $200 a month, a price that is pretty much unfathomable nowadays. “[Cheap rent] enabled you to be a slacker, and being a slacker is what enables you to be a good artist.”

He said that he has noticed something of an exodus of artists and musicians out of Brooklyn. There are increasingly few spaces dedicated purely to creative endeavors, and many of those that are have been pushed further into Brooklyn or into Queens. 

New York has long been known as a creative hub and a cultural center of the United States, but Conan said that he has noticed many artists fleeing city’s ever-rising rents to live in more affordable cities in the US and other part of the world–cities like Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Berlin, and even LA.

“It’s hard for young musicians to live in New York, or artists in general–people in general if they’re not in finance,” he said. “It’s become super hard to move there and actually make a life there. A lot of people are moving to New York and spend two or three years and get hungry and move on to wherever.”

The compounding pressures of doing business in Park Slope nearly forced Barbès to close in 2017, but the bar managed to stay open due to an incredible show of support from the local community.

“We were wondering whether we could continue, because we owed like $70,000, which for people like us is a huge amount of money,” said Conan. “We decided to do a crowdfunding campaign, which worked beyond our wildest dreams.”

Conan and Douglas started an Indiegogo campaign, offering vinyl and CDs from the Barbès record label and concert tickets in exchange for donations. Over 800 people offered contributions. They also organized a number of benefit concerts with bands that often played at Barbès, the biggest of which took place at DROM on June 9, 2017.

“We brought in like 300 to 350 people I think. It was an amazingly beautiful night for me personally,” said Conan. “There’s something very humiliating about going to people and saying, ‘Hey, I need money, I’m broke.’ The response was just amazing, it was, ‘No, we’re a community and we care.’”

Between the Indiegogo campaign and benefit concerts, Conan and Douglas were able to raise the entire $70,000 dollars needed to lift the bar out of debt and keep it running for at least five more years. Their lease runs out in 2022, and it is still unclear whether they will be able to keep it open beyond then. They want to avoid transitioning to a more profit-oriented business model, fearing it would change the atmosphere.

“In order to be successful financially, we’d have to get bigger players, for one thing,” said Conan. “We’d also have to impose a lot of drink minimums and rules about how much you should spend and how quickly you should spend it. We’d have to get more capitalistic than we are and that would totally change the vibe, it would totally change the way people play, and the kind of talent we would get.”

Conan said that he is unsure if they would be able to keep Barbès open beyond 2022; the bar’s survival depends on how much their rent goes up when it comes time to send its next lease. 

So Barbès looks ahead to an uncertain future, but for now it is still going strong and supplying the Park Slope community with unique musical offerings on a nightly basis. The back room is still bumping. Check it out while you still can.

Park Slope Living: ShapeShifting Brooklyn Style

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7 years ago, ShapeShifter Lab was opened with a vison of bringing jazz music to a family oriented community. Now, if you swing by almost any day of the week, you could find not only live music of many genres, but art, exhibitions, fundraisers, or special event. ShapeShifter Lab has grown into a versatile performance space with a friendly reputation for showcasing up-and-coming artists.

The expansive, raw space in Park Slope/Gowanus was co-founded by musician Matthew Garrison and administrative director Fortuna Sung. The goal of the opening a dynamic venue in this location was to bolster both local and worldly musicians. Although their initial visions for the use of the space and endeavors have evolved, they always have the Brooklyn community in mind.

“We want to keep the neighborhood family friendly,” Fortuna Sung said as she sat down in their office—escaping the loud noises from a dozen small children attending the ‘Dapper Flapper Birthday Bash’ on a Saturday afternoon. ShapeShifter transformed into a toddler safe place with tables for parents, props, mummy masks, and an open area for the young ones to dance.

The business partners remain selective with the artists they allow in and do not solicit anyone to work in their space. With decades of music collaboration under their belts, especially Garrison, they have concrete methods for helping artists progress their careers. Garrison is an actively gigging bassist who has worked and recorded with several prominent names in the jazz scene, such as Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny.

Garrison and his staff know what a versatile venue like ShapeShifter Lab means to musicians. “We take each and every event with the utmost seriousness and importance,” Garrison said via email. “It’s always been my personal vision to have a place where your art and creations are valued and given the proper space.”

Patrons can attend shows without extravagant cover charges and drink minimums. Musicians have noticed and spread the word around town; ShapeShifters main source of getting artists involved is word of mouth.

“We do a lot of recordings here and help people release their music,” Sung said. ShapeShifter Lab notably recorded Snarky Puppy’s album, “groundUP,” in 2012 in front of a 40 person audience, for instance. The band is now a Grammy winning ensemble.

Being an integral part of the Brooklyn community has allowed the space to be active with special, extremely worthy causes such as weddings or awards ceremonies. At the end of September, for example, Shapeshifter will assist in hosting a gala that benefits Camp Sunshine, a year round program that aids children (and their families) who have life threatening illnesses.

“That’s why I really like Park Slope and now Gowanus, because it’s tightly knit,” Sung remarked about the power of non-profit generosity. “People really donate…people are very supportive.”

Looking forward, the ShapeShifter Lab team intends to put out more educational programs and invest in new recording efforts. You can look to software platforms in the next year for a new company development that melds production with live performance. They are also headed towards bigger and better production projects in the future. “We are constantly upgrading our equipment,” Sung said, “and we want to help musicians, mainly, to make money. It’s not an easy thing.”

Supporting diverse local businesses is a small part of what makes this community unique. ShapeShifter Lab has been a shining demonstration of support. Helping local musicians and artists thrive and feel like they have a versatile space and continuing support of this Brooklyn neighborhood. “If a project needs some Shape Shifting, we try our best to meet those demands.” Garrison writes.

As for why making your way to 18 Whitwell Place is a great idea, Garrison says it best, “We’ve ultimately built a place for people of all walks of life to gather and celebrate the human experience.” Who wouldn’t want to experience that?

Living Local in The Slope: The Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District

By Filed Under: Park Slope Life Tagged With: , ,

This coming January will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District. An outgrowth of the former Fifth Avenue Merchants Association, the BID is a full-fledged, non-profit organization that works year-round to help Fifth Avenue’s businesses thrive.

The BID covers Dean Street to 18th Street, spilling a little into 9th Street and Union Street as well. As are all New York City BIDs, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID is largely funded by a special tax assessment billed to property owners inside the district. Additionally, the BID organizes fundraising events to supplement this funding. The BID’s founding and continued development are a result of the meticulous consideration that it gives to several interested parties, including city officials, property owners, merchants and residents who make up its board of directors. The BID’s main focus, however, is to advocate for small businesses located within its district and promote all that these businesses have to offer.

The BID’s advocacy work may involve anything from addressing local laws that affect businesses to educating merchants about how to best navigate New York CIty’s business world. Workshops the BID hosts include topics such as signing and renewing commercial leases and understanding employment law.

Helpful to both merchants and property owners on Fifth Avenue are the BID’s consistent clean-up efforts. It currently hires a cleaning crew to work five days a week — Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Recently, the BID initiated a process through the city to increase funding in order to keep the crew on with an increased minimum wage. These additional resources will also allow the BID to carry out possible beautification efforts in the future, such as flowers or new garbage cans.     

A Taste of Fifth

Another major component of the BID’s work is organizing and coordinating special events. These invite the community to come out and enjoy the avenue and interact with the neighborhood’s small businesses. Summer Strolls takes place several times a year, an event that clears the avenue of cars to allow for a variety of activities, from salsa dancing to pizza eating contests to bouncy castles for children.

In April, the BID coordinates A Taste of Fifth, which invites 40-50 restaurants every year to bring samples and is held inside the Grand Prospect Hall. The BID brings beer and wine sponsors, as well as entertainment to create an event that gathers together businesses and community members and also raises funds for local charities and schools.     

Nunu Chocolates is a regular participant in the BID’s Taste of Fifth event. Says co-owner Justine Pringle Laird, “We do the Taste of Fifth every year with them. … It is a wonderful opportunity, not only to meet the public face-to-face, but it’s an opportunity to see every other small business owner that’s on Fifth Avenue. … There’s a huge camaraderie, and I think that has been instigated by the BID. They create a sense of community, which is really wonderful.” Laird adds that the BID provided important support and advertising for her company’s Indiegogo campaign as well. 

Ann Cantrell, owner of Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store, speaks of the stark contrast between the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID and her store’s previous location in Boerum Hill. Says Cantrell, “Previously we were in Boerum Hill for six years without the support of a business improvement district, and the differences are night and day. Not only do we feel constantly supported as merchants, the BID is advocating on our behalf for things like integrating a new postal delivery system for small merchants to provide in-person delivery service. … Also, they are tirelessly drumming up business for Fifth Avenue with inventive ideas that are now classics like Summer Strolls, Dine in Park Slope and festive ideas during holiday times.”   

Ann Cantrell

Coming up November 24 is Small Business Saturday, at the end of which the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID does the first holiday tree lighting in the city. However, as the BID’s deputy director, Joanna Tallantire, points out, “Shopping small on Small Business Saturday isn’t enough. You got to do it every day, explore your community, see what’s around.” Through its events and other efforts in the community, the BID encourages people to get to know their local storekeepers and see that their businesses are about more than products. An owner may be someone who is giving to a local fundraiser or a parent with a child at a school in the community.

Mark Caserta, executive director of the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID, also serves as secretary of the board for the New York City BID Association, which assembles representatives from BIDs located across the city. Says Caserta, “We work together for the good of small businesses and the BIDs. … We look out for each other and help each other out. … When the city is doing things that may hurt small businesses or BIDs, we all gather together and fight hard for our interests and the interests of our businesses.”

In New York City’s daunting business climate, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue BID and its partners provide crucial support to small and growing businesses throughout the city.