Icky in Brooklyn

While independent shops are still the norm in Windsor Terrace (fingers crossed), I've always been particularly happy to have a full-service butcher on the block. Today we celebrate what most of us simply call "The Butcher." Here you can buy prepacked, custom cuts, fresh ground beef, specialities, and even homemade pasta sauces packed in a quart jar. You'll find the guys on Prospect Park West, just down from Farrell's. They've been there for years. Eat up!

In Windsor Terrace, we still pretty much work on the "one of each" principle. We have one butcher, one cobbler, one card store, one book store (a recent addition), one bagel place, one funeral home. And then we all have the center of our particular universe, "the corner store."

Depending on what block you live on, your idea of "the corner store" could be different than mine. Yours might be Krupa, the guys at 16th, or the bodega next door to Joe's. Mine is "Sondra's" on the corner of Windsor Place and Prospect Park West. (It has an actual name, but I don't think I even know what it is.) Here I can buy milk, eggs, soda, flowers, bread, spices, cleaning supplies, hummus, ice cream, candles, and any number of things. I once even bought the fairly obscure "Bell's Seasoning" I needed for Thanksgiving there. It is a little more upscale than most corner stores, and we appreciate that. (Although I once heard someone say, "I'm at the Gourmet Grocery" into their cell phone. I think that's taking it a bit far. It's not like she carries Fois Gras. Note to cell phone guy: Park Slope is three blocks north.)

You can even buy potted plants and flowers, always in season ... impatien starters in Summer, tulips and bulbs in the Spring, evergreens in Winter, asters and mums in the Fall. I think it's pretty cool.

Need incense? Indian imported incense holders? Binder clips? Spiritual books? A Coke? Magazines? Notebook paper? Lotto? Cigars? Little statues? Three ring binders? Meditation CDs? You need Krupa, possibly the most unusual shop in Windsor Terrace. The run of the mill stuff is always average price (sodas, candy, smokes, etc), but if you need a copy paper for your printer, it's gonna cost you. A lot. However the ultra-kind Messages-From-the-Universe posted all over the store and the fact that Mama Krupa calls everyone "Love" calms my retail ire. You'll find it all near the corner of Prospect Park West and Windsor Place.





A little further South and up the block is our local Hallmark store. It used to smell like cats all the time but now it seems better. Shopping for a card for your mom while you smell cat pee freaks me out a little. I digress. I love this place. Besides the dull-as-ditchwater Hallmark fare, this store always has a quirky selection of things. I've seen hand-knit baby blankets (actually knit by a local), and even "Windsor Terrace" t-shirts. The most recent coolness is a set of Coney Island-like miniatures, including a Parachute Jump.

Many of our shops in Windsor Terrace are very specific. They sell weird things. They have personality. They are reflections of their owners. (I once bought a "Windsor Terrace" t-shirt in the Hallmark Store, which also carries hand-knit baby blankets, created by a grandma right on the block.) Therefore, I proudly present ... Monday Must Haves, a collection of of the cool, fortuitous, and unexpected.

One of my favorite hoots/haunts in Windsor Terrace has always been the fabulously colorful "All For Paws" on Prospect Park West. Jackie, the totally cool old character that ran the joint would say things to your dog like, "You are so fucking cute, I can't fucking stand it! What a little shit! You are so fucking cute!" Needless to say, I always ended up hanging out for at least twenty minutes. Recently, a sign went up in the window letting us know that Jackie had lost her long battle with cancer. The sign also mentions that the shop will continue to operate, and is currently regrouping. Rest in peace, and good for you for having a great time and being yourself.



Wednesdays at Bartel Pritchard Square (corner of Prospect Park) brings us a junior version of Park Slope's Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket (which I suppose, is a junior version of Manhattan's Union Square Greenmarket). Small neighborhood/small market; but, you'll find great fresh stuff here each week and they don't shirk on the heirloom varieties. In addition to the two or three farms that set up here, an organic bakery also puts down stakes.