Paper Source Coming to Plaza Cleaners Space

Paper Source, a stationery store with 67 locations throughout the country (including three in New York), will be opening their next outpost in the space that was last occupied by Plaza Cleaners, on Seventh Avenue between Union and Berkeley, according to a job posting that went up on Craigslist last week.

"Paper Source is a premier paperie and online retailer offering a unique selection of fine and artisanal papers, invitations and announcements, personalized and distinctive gifts, gift wrap, greeting cards, custom stamps, and a custom collection of envelope [sic] and cards," the posting reads. "Paper Source offers an original aesthetic, with a color palette and proprietary designs that are developed and created exclusively by us."

The shop has locations in 23 states, and the ones in New York are in SoHo, the Upper West Side, and Cobble Hill. It's an upscale shop with a good reputation and a quality product, but for those who take issue with every new chain that opens just on principle, well, it is a chain. Aside from Lion in the Sun, which specializes more in custom invitations, there isn't much in the way of local competition.

Open for Business: Park Place Pharmacy, 160 Park Place

I first noticed back in January that a pharmacy was in the works in the space that was last occupied by New Happy Taco, on Park Place between Seventh and Flatbush Avenues. It finally opened over the weekend, and it's just a simple, no-frills family-run pharmacy.

It's right around the corner from two giant pharmacies, Duane Reade and Kings, but it has more of a personal touch and is obviously much smaller. Fresh coffee is brewed and pastries are brought in every morning, and there's also a nice selection of herbal teas. The majority of the products available are over-the-counter medicines, shampoo, soap, hand creams, and the like, as well as vitamins. I believe that the owner is also the pharmacist, and it looks like his daughters run the shop.

As the family that owns the shop is Polish, there also happens to be a surprisingly good selection of food items from Poland and Austria. They're mostly chocolates and other sweets, like marzipan and candied and chocolate-covered fruits, but there are also crackers and hot cereals. There's also a dairy case up front with milk, eggs, yogurt, and cheese. Other services include money orders and bill payments, free prescription delivery, and a 10% senior discount.

It would seem as if the bulk of their business would most likely be from folks on their way to or from work, or those who need something in a pinch late at night, but they're only open from 9 AM-9 PM Monday through Friday, from 10-7 on Saturdays and from 10-5 on Sundays. Opening earlier and closing later might be a smart move on their part. There's a niche for this place in there somewhere, though, even though it's surrounded by competition. Hopefully it doesn't take too long for the owners to figure out exactly what that niche is.

Park Place Pharmacy, 160 Park Place Brooklyn NY 11217. Phone: 718-857-4000.

Philly's Melt Kraft Coming to Almondine Space

Almondine closed for good after Hurricane Sandy destroyed the bakery's Dumbo kitchen, and now Grub Street is reporting that a grilled cheese shop called Melt Kraft will be moving into the space, on Ninth Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

This isn't just any grilled cheese shop, though: it's on offshoot of Valley Shepherd Creamery, the New Jersey-based dairy that set up a highly successful cheese shop on Seventh Avenue in 2011, and there's already one in Philadelphia. The grilled cheeses made here will use cheese produced by the creamery, and they'll most likely be delicious.

Le Pain Quotidien Construction Underway in Moutarde Space

In December of last year, Moutarde closed "for renovations," never to re-open. The deathwatch had been on for some time by that point, as the owners of the French restaurant, on Fifth and Carroll, had changed up the menu, oddly decided to only be open during the weekends, and last March put the space up for rent.

Last month word got around that an outpost of Le Pain Quotidien would be moving into the space, and sure enough, the rumor was confirmed and constrution has begun.

The storefront's exterior has gotten a coat of white paint, and as expected it looks like the company has decided to keep the facade's other details intact (which would make sense, considering how French it already looks). On the inside, it's still in the process of being gutted.

As is usually the case with successful chains, the buildout shouldn't take much time at all.

Carlton Park Out, Ideya In on Flatbush

It's been a few weeks since Carlton Park (née M. Helen), on the corner of Flatbush, Carlton, and Park, suddenly closed up shop (under the guise of renovations), and never re-opened. A small sign on the doorway that went up about a week ago mentions Ideya.net, and sure enough, that URL is the website of a SoHo Latin restaurant that recently shuttered and will be re-opening in the space in June.

Ideya Latin Bistro is owned by owner Lauryn Small and chef Isaac Reyes, and their menu is Caribbean Latin, drawing upon Spanish, African, Jamaican, Argentinian, and other cuisines to create a really interesting menu of traditional items like salt cod fritters, pupusas, ceviche, and arroz con pollo, several vegeterian options, and a creative and intriguing brunch menu. Cocktails also look really solid, with seven varieties of mojitos and margaritas available by the pitcher.

Yelp reviews for the restaurant were largely positive, and Brownstoner learned that there will be "a few tweaks" to the previous menu, and some remodeling in the space. Overall, very intriguing.

Carlton Park, a high-end concept from Burrito Bar owner Greg Yerman, opened almost exactly a year ago after a lengthy buildout with a seasonal (if pricey and a bit uninspired) menu, and a rather awkward layout that was regularly being tweaked. It never attracted much of a regular following, even on such a prime corner, and never really filled up. Shame that it didn't work out, but Ideya, with its mojitos and garage-door walls, certainly sounds promising with summer right around the corner.