Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Law & Order SVU to Film at Moore Street -- We hope!!

Waiting to hear back from the location manager for TV show Law & Order -- Special Victims Unit (SVU) -- they have been looking at the market as location shoot for one of their upcoming episodes.

If all goes well, they'll shoot a few scenes at the market on October 7th! Keep your fingers crossed -- great publicity for the market.

Also want to report that we have a few new vendors joining us in a few weeks:

  • WOW!, a candy store owned by two neighborhood residents (stall 27, conveniently located right across the street from PS 257!)
  • Eden's Organic Juices -- Stall 28, for fresh-squeezed juices and healthy smoothies, also owned by a neighborhood resident and his wife
  • The Pottery Café -- Stall 9. This store was in Park Slope for a number of years, but owner Evelyn Perez is coming back to the neighborhood she grew up in to offer pottery classes and hand-thrown pottery
We also welcome Haydee Cortes, who took over Latin American Barber Shop (Stall 17) and has already given it his personal touch, with bright new paint and mirrors.

We bid farewell to Luis Ocasio, whose wooden plaques and trinkets have been a staple in the market for the many years. Mr. Ocasio, who is also a minister, will concentrate his time on building his ministry.

And please don't forget to visit Torie's Treasures, Arturo Rivera's gift shop in Stall 16, and also The Rose Thrift Shop, owned by Noelia Vargas, in Stall 29. Noelia had a store on Varet Street for several years until the building was sold and she had to close, so we are pleased that she found a new home with us!

The Public Plaza project is rolling along -- hope to see some real progress over the next few weeks.

Joan Bartolomeo
Moore Street Market

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Great Article in Sunday, 9/1 NY Daily News


Reporter Rachel Wharton did a wonderful piece on the Moore Street Market in her recurring NY Daily News food series, "Eating Along The M Line." It features three of the food vendors in the Market -- American Coffee Shop, Delicias Tainas, and Ramonita's Restaurant.

The article has already brought some new shoppers into the market -- the three vendors reported new customers telling them that they came specifically because of the article! The other vendors also saw an uptick in business.

So many thanks to Rachel for highlighting Moore Street! The link to the full article is below.


http://fw.to/2DkD4Ii

Joan Bartolomeo
Moore Street Market

Friday, August 30, 2013

Humboldt Plaza Progress!

When the heavy machinery moves in, you know that progress is being made! This work, being done across the street, will relocate water and gas lines so they don't lie under the new plaza. Hopefully, we'll see some aesthetic changes in a few weeks!


I'll keep you posted!

Joan Bartolomeo
Moore Street Market

PS -- Farmer's market this Sunday on the Moore Street Farm -- basil is booming!

Vendors get the Fix-Up Bug!!


AC Tropical added a tropical flair with thier vibrant green paint job!

Botanica Esperanza went for a bright cheery yellow theme

La Union Grocery, a new tenant, chose a brilliant peacock blue for their space

Artuto Rivera in his new store, Torie's Treasure (Stall 16)

American Coffee Shop is in the middle of a complete makeover, top to bottom







Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Moore Street Farm is Open for Business!

Yemi and Jon have done a  miraculous job, turning a rubble-strewn vacant lot into a thriving farm! It's been amazing how quickly the vegetables and herbs have grown, and the tilapia are already being harvested. It's a phenomenal turn-around! See pictures posted below.


Yemi harvesting voluminous amounts of basil

Some selections from the farm

A customer!

Tomatoes are growing!

A kid enjoying the garden


Sorry I've been out of touch for some time -- had a little thing to take care of -- namely my wedding in late July! But I'm back at full schedule so hope to be posting some more good stuff soon!

Joan Bartolomeo
Moore Street Market

Monday, July 15, 2013

New Tenants and other updates!

Please join me in welcoming La Union Market at Moore Street Market in Stalls 20 & 21! La Union will be run by Diana and Ramona Rodriguez and will feature high quality fruits and vegetables. You may recognize the name -- Diana and Ramona are daughters of Virgilio Rodriguez, a long-term merchant at Moore Street Market. Glad that his daughters are carrying on the entrepreneurial spirit. This store replaces Abby's Food, which left the market in May.

We also welcome ReConnect Bakery, in Stall 13. Run by the youth who work with Father Jim O'Shea, the bakery will provision the new café that ReConnect is opening on Vernon Avenue in Bed Stuy, but will also serve the general public with artisan breads and other baked goods.  The group has been baking in local convents and monasteries for over a year and really wanted a permanent home at the market. Look for an August launch!

And in Stall 16, where All Stars Cuts closed, we will be welcoming Torie's Treasures, a store run by our flea market maven Arturo Colon -- the store will have jewelry and clothing and other gift items. Look for an August opening.

And we are excited to be talking to two potential tenants -- Lone Star Tacos and Tiberio Custom Meats. Both vendors have sold at New Amsterdam Market and we so hope they come and join us at the market -- if you see them, tell them you want them to come to Moore Street!

We congratulate Body & Soul Bakery, the vegan bakery that joined the market last summer. Deb Gavito tells me that they are now selling at 11 farmers markets in NYC, including Union Square and Grand Army Plaza. Stop by one of her stalls and tell her you're glad she's cooking at Moore Street Market! When she's in full production mode, the market smells great!

Pablo Rivera from Delicias Tainas had heart surgery last week, so we wish him a speedy recovery so that he can get back to selling his delicious Puerto Rican Specialties in Stall 26. Pablo has been  struggling to get FDNY permits for his stall, which has really set back a full opening, but we're going to work with him to see that his stall is properly vented so he can begin making those unique empenadas stuffed with octopus that his customers buy by the dozen!

The Flea Market continues to thrive -- selling out the tables every weekend.

AND THE PUBLIC PLAZA PROJECT IS FINALLY UNDERWAY AFTER 3 YEARS! NYC DOT/NYC DDC have chosen Chelmsford Contracting to do the project and they began preliminary work last week. Hopefully, it will be physically built and ready for planting before the late fall/winter seasons starts. The Plaza will have room for 6 seasonal vendors, so next spring and summer should open up some opportunities for neighborhood entrepreneurs.

The Moore Street Aquaponics Farm has hundreds of tilapia fish incubating in their tank and greens are starting to grow on their floating pods. Thanks to Apple Foundation for their (pending) donation and also to NY Restoration Project for providing in-kind supplies. The concept of urban farms as real producers of local food is growing and we're happy to be a part of that trend.

Hoped to have some pictures to illustrate this posting, but my camera battery died -- next time!

On a personal note, I will be taking time off starting next week, to celebrate my July 27th wedding to Brooklyn Assemblyman Jim Brennan. Jim has had a lifelong commitment to making Brooklyn a better place, and I 'm happy to have found a good man as well as a  soul-mate.

Have a happy summer everyone -- if it gets too hot for you, the Market is beautifully air-conditioned. Come by, eat some good food and cool off!

Joan Bartolomeo
Moore Street Market