Open for Business: Stoop Juice, 443 Seventh Avenue

Stoop Juice, the juice, smoothie, and healthy snack shop, opened recently on Seventh Avenue between 15th and 16th Streets.

The small shop has a few seats, but is mostly just a place to grab a juice and go. Their menu is about as healthy as humanly possible, all products are made from Greenware, and they're paper-free. They offer a wide selection of juices and smoothies made from organic fruits and vegetables, as well as juice cleanses.

Yelp reviews are mixed so far, with positives including knowledgeable service, fresh ingredients, and loyalty cards, and negatives involving priciness (16-ounce juices sell for around $7) and lack of options for smoothie add-ons. There's certainly a market for this type of product in the neighborhood, though, and there really isn't anything else like it in the area, so in my opinion they shouldn't have any trouble developing a loyal fan base and staying in business.

Signage Up at Park Place Starbucks

It's been a little over a month since Starbucks announced, via construction permit, that they'd be taing over the cavernous space recently vacated by Five Guys, on Park Place between Seventh and Flatbush Avenues. Construction began in earnest shortly afterward, and has been chugging along at a rapid clip ever since. Yesterday morning, signage went up.

It's not too obtrusive; the only element of it that's visible when you're not looking at it head-on is a small medallion next to the doorway. Still, there's no way to miss that this is a Starbucks.

I'm interested in seeing what the final layout for the space will be; there's potential for plenty of natural light and lots of seating, and I'm sure the company has its finest architects on the case. I have a feeling that it'll be open by June.

"Brooklyn SkyBox" Coming to Barclays Area

A new billboard has gone up on top of the building that will next be home to Shake Shack, on the south side of Flatbush Avenue directly across the street from the Barclays Center, advertising Brooklyn SkyBox, "The ultimate sports viewing experience," coming soon.

There's a Twitter handle set up, and the concept already seems to be pretty fleshed out. Looks like it'll be a "stadium inspired restaurant that features sports viewing, roof top lounge, fine dining, food concessions, event rentals, arcades and games," according to the description, and apparently they've already worked out a partnership with Pepsi. It also appears as if it's owned by Drummond & Drummond LLC, a management and holding company. 

This place looks like it's a massive undertaking, but neither the Twitter feed nor Facebook page gives away the exact address. I've called the number on the Twitter page and left a message; I'll update if I receive any more info. 

Kahawa Cafe Re-Opens After Five Months Closed

Kahawa Cafe, the coffee shop/ bakery that opened last August on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 15th Street, appeared to have a good thing going for it. It was no-frills, but was comfortable, served a nice selection of pastries and lunch items, and Illy coffee. That's why it was a bit perplexing when it closed suddenly less than two months after opening, and never re-opened. I wondered what the deal was but had yet to proclaim it gone for good, and with good reason, apparently: it re-opened recently, as quietly and unexpectedly as it closed.

"We were closed for five months, a long time" the counterman told me when I congratulated them on opening back up. "We had a problem with licenses, but that's all resolved now." He didn't care to provide more information, but I didn't press too hard; they had some issues, were forced to close for a while, but are back in business now. And good for them!

Closed for Business: Lilo Custom Tailor, 145 5th Avenue

The small tailor shop on Fifth between St. John's and Lincoln has shut down, a month after it was put up for sale.

Called Lilo (although you wouldn't know it by the sign), the shop apparently turned out some quality work but the operator developed a reputation for rude service and turning potential customers away. The Yelp reviews aren't pretty.

The for sale sign came down about a week before it closed, so we'll most likely know who the next tenant will be soon.