Good groceries and fresh produce can sometimes be hard to come by in Bushwick, which specializes in the bodega. One of the biggest is Food Dimensions by the Myrtle-Broadway JMZ, which requires a big, deep breath before entering: it doesn’t make for the most pleasant shopping experience with its bright lights, long waits at the checkout, and over-amplified music. To its credit, however, if you can see through the aisles of junk food, it sells good fresh fish and has great deals on seasonal fruit (get your $1.50 oh-so-sweet cantaloupes right now while they’re hot).
For a more intimate grocery shopping experience and organic food options, there’s Mr. Kiwi’s, an endearing family-run store with wicker baskets hanging from the ceiling. At Mr. Kiwi’s, you can get a large freshly squeezed juice made in front of you for $3 (my favorite combination is pineapple, apple and orange) and lots of good stuff like fresh fruit on sale at the front tables ($1 blackberries!), Chinese vegetables, cheap salad leaves, cheeses, nuts, tofu, sushi, Ben and Jerry’s, Kettle chips, hummus, Applegate Farms organic lunch meats, and a great selection of beers, including Framboise Belgian beer in raspberry, blackberry and peach. But perhaps the best thing about Mr. Kiwi’s is that the staff are super friendly and kind; whenever you walk in, you’ll feel at home.
Mr. Kiwi’s is located at 957 Broadway Avenue (cnr Myrtle Avenue), Brooklyn, accessible via the Myrtle-Broadway JMZ station. Telephone (718) 453-2640.
A member of the Brooklyn NY News team recently returned from a stint below the Mason Dixon line, and her travels reminded us of the few — but critical — goodies that our dear borough does not provide. (And neither does Manhattan, for that matter.)
What are we talking about? Southern fooderies mostly, like Sonic, Denny’s, Shoney’s, and — wait for it — Zaxby’s.
But while these establishments are sorely, sorely missed, we can think of another Southern staple we’re happy to do without. Unfortunately, it’s knocking on Brooklyn’s door.
We’re talking about Walmart, the super-duper chain that’s tried and failed to forge a location in various NYC locations. The latest site is the Gateway II shopping area in Jamaica Bay, Brokelyn reports.
Could a Brooklyn Walmart survive? Brokelyn posits that residents’ loyalties to local shops (and Target) will prevail, but bargains are bargains.
Also, the combined retail square-footage of the Walmart corporation is apparently larger than that of Manhattan. Ouch.
Many women make it to 27 without ever setting foot (or hip) inside an Oscar de la Renta dress, but the New York-based Operation Fairy Dust has trimmed that figure by about 10 years.
The organization, which offers high schoolers used and donated prom dresses, hosted its most recent giveaway on Saturday, April 17 in Borough Hall. The selection featured hundreds of de la Renta dresses, as well as a strapless number donated by a certain Kim Kardashian.
Tired of trekking into Manhattan for your iPads and Pods? Maybe someday you won’t have to.
Marty Markowitz, the borough president of Brooklyn, is pushing for a BK Apple Store. The Prez recently emailed Steve Jobs from his new iPad, praising Brooklyn as a mecca for collegiate and creative types — two of Apple’s major clientele. Markowitz even included a promo video:
TUAW (The Official Apple Weblog) adds that Brooklyn has continued to prove its retail value over the years; the Brooklyn IKEA, for example, is one of the company’s top outlets in the country. But, as TUAW also points out, many Brooklyners probably pass one of Manhattan’s four Apple Stores on a regular basis.
The already smokin’ Atlantic Avenue shopping stretch in Brooklyn should get even hotter this September, when Barneys Co-op — a division of Barneys New York — opens its doors at this MTA nexus of the universe.
What is Barneys Co-op? Barneys.com describes its hipster branch in a strategically typefaced list of four points:
It’s the wayward offspring of Barneys New York.
It’s always Downtown even when it’s Uptown.
It’s–
Alright, we get the point.
Much of the Barneys merch will cost in the hundreds, however the Co-op does have some nifty sales allowing prices to dip into double-digit territory.
