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Colleen K.
Hometown:
Brooklyn, NY, 11201
Insider ExpertRank: 2,592
First Reviews: 38
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the victory cafe
this place is my corner cafe and in the past i have given it very regular and pleasant (on my end) business. however, probably about 2 years ago now i realized the owner was giving me major attitude. to anyone else who came in, he would greet them heartily with a smile and ask after their loved ones/pets/vacations/etc. when i got up to the counter, his demeanor would take on an "oh, it's you" tone and he'd go "large with soy?" so he def knew who i was but was not going to be friendly, even though i was smiling and polite. so i decided to boycott except when i was out of my coffee at home, or needed an quick empanada before leaving for somewhere. so today i went in for an iced coffee on my way to work and was on the phone with my mom, normal tone of voice, nothing loud. then i was putting my sugar syrup in my coffee, literally seconds away from leaving, when patrick said something like "take the cell phone call outside." i looked back and he grimly tapped ther sign with the "no" symbol over someone on a cell phone. i left, furious. i hate that guy! what did i ever do to him? it's not like i was parked in there for hours with my laptop yakking away on my phone, and by the way he allows everyone's special dogs in there all the time which probably is actually illegal since they prep food there, whereas talking on a celly is not illegal in businesses.
so now it is full-on boycott forever, i shan't give him one more penny, i shall give him dirty looks, i will tell all my friends not to go in, and i recommend that y'all also do not go there.
Video Free Brooklyn
Great name, not really sure what it means, bored clerk, and good (though not huge) selection of indie-type fare on DVD. All I know is they had Grey Gardens there, so props to this shop.
Lunarbase Incorporated
This is a neato little gallery that shows work by upcoming Japanese artists, so it's very sort of anime/kawaii looking stuff and (depending how known the artist is) some of it is even priced within reason. The gal there is helpful and pleasant. Worth a visit!
Govindas Organic Market
Boy, am I glad this place just opened in my neighborhood, Boerum Hill. The staff is friendly and helpful, and they actually have good prices! (You know how you usually have to pay through the nose for natural stuff.) They have a little juice bar and they are still adding the produce section so I can't comment on that. My only complaint is that they don't really have a refrigerated section--only two small cases. Maybe they'll add that too.
Perelandra Natural Food Ctr
This gem of a market is located in the downtown Brooklyn area near the government buildings. They have a bulk foods section which is in a cooler to keep things fresh and worm-free. They always have a monthly sale flyer. You can count on some brand of natural juice to be a few bucks off, and a lot of the sale items are displayed on endcaps for quick access. They also carry natural vitamins, supplements, makeup, beauty and bath products. Oh, and they also have a fresh hot -foods corner in the back, which always has vegetarian and vegan options.
Beastly Bite Inc
this place i think also offers free delivery like nearby smith pet food, and they also carry numerous lines of natural pet foods, but where this one is lacking is the service. the dudes here do not give a crap whether you are there or not, i guess you are just another gentrifyer with a fancy pet to them.
other music
this is one of those record shops where the clerks know their music in high-fidelity levels of obsession. there's a real college-radio-music-director vibe to it. probably at any one time there are at least 3 music directors in there. they carry all kinds of indie music, not just the indie rawk, but also stuff like avant garde, free jazz, krautrock, and so on, arranged by category, including categories you might not have known existed but really want to check out. you can also buy tickets to certain shows here and it somehow feels much more personal than getting reamed on the ticketmaster website.
Housing Works Used Book Cafe
Housing Works is a high-ceilinged but cozy bookshop with a cafe in the back. they have reasonably priced copies of many of the titles on the times bestseller lists as well as the kinds of unique finds you can only get in used book stores. you can loiter here with a book in one of the chairs or at a cafe table. the staff is all volunteer and proceeds go to house and job-train people living with HIV and AIDS. so why in the world would you go to one of those jerkass big-box bookstores?
Obscura Antiques
this place is CREEP-OLA! it is so much fun to browse here and check out all their macabre antiques and collectibles. one time they had a stuffed two-headed calf in the front window. that should give you an idea of what they carry here. also old photos of dead people (babies included), medical models and oddities (gross stuff in formaldehyde in jars) mason fezzes. if this sounds intriguing and not totally repulsive, you must check this place out.
St Marks Bookshop
if you're like me, you may feel like that one twilight episode where the guy only wants to read and then the world ends and he survives and can finally read everything he wants to forever, when you enter or even pass by this shop. they have so many titles just in the window display that i want to read that i have to hand it to them. they have sections for film theory, music history, etc. they're all new books going for retail but i think there's a sale tabe in the back