Downtown Brooklyn Is The New 34th Street

Big things are coming to Downtown Brooklyn that may soon bring it up the ranks in city shopping destinations.  With H&M finally breaking ground at the Fulton Mall after two years of delays and Barney's Co-Op opened and thriving on Atlantic, reports are circulating about other exciting shopportunities coming like our very own Shake Shack at 409 Fulton St. (YES!) and an awesome semi-permanent outdoor mall called The Dekalb Market at 332 Flatbush Avenue Extension.  

The Market is to be built on the stalled CityPoint construction site, which has sat quietly leveled for some time now, and Urban Space has a minimum of a two year sub-lease on the space. The Market, I think, should bring a lot of life to the area and some good non-residential foot traffic with overlap from The Brooklyn Flea on Saturdays.  It is scheduled to launch by early Summer, will be open seven days a week year-round, and will be almost entirely constructed out of repurposed 160-square-foot shipping containers.  Markets like these are extremely successful in the UK and I hear one is being constructed in San Francisco at this very moment as well. 

Other exciting news is that the market will boast local restaurants serving up munchies, as well as food retailers selling market basics like cheese, bread, local produce, meats and wine.  I'm told there will be a beer garden with a picnic area, a performance and event space, and an incubator farm that will ideally grow food to support the restaurants at the market.  Also, there will be retail vendors selling everything from antiques to clothing and more.  On the weekends, they have plans to hold their own crafty market where smaller businesses can sell their wares on fold out tables throughout the market space.  

All in all, I think this is a great addition to Downtown Brooklyn where many storefronts have struggled because of lack of interest and traffic.  And while H&M and Aeropostale are good for the community, large chains like these are not totally welcomed because the nearby small businesses just can't keep up.  The Dekalb Market is focused on supporting these local businesses and vendors, giving preference to them in their container lease decision making. This includes Cuzin's Duzin, a donut maker who lost his storefront (that sat in the very location the market will now be built) to CityPoint construction.  With them, we will also be pleased to have offerings like cool cupcakes by Robicelli's as well as threads from Greenpoint retailer Dalaga.  Maharlika, famous for their weekend pop up brunches, will open their first permanent location at the market offering breakfast, lunch and early dinner Filipino-style.  

More newly announced vendors include Sour Puss Pickles and Chozen Ice Cream. The remaining vendors are still to be announced but you can check out a few concepts from the market's Not Just A Container Design Contest to get an idea of what will be offered (think a radio station, bike shop, produce stand and more).  The top five designs were posted on the Dekalb Market Facebook Wall for the public to vote for their fave, and the winner will be announced next week.  

I will be sure to report back about the Market's progress, once they break ground, confirm more vendors and have scheduled their opening day!