It's been a sad state of affairs for years on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Third Street, as one restaurant after another has tried to give it a go and failed. The most recent occupant of the space, Casa Ventura, opened with much hoopla and generally good reviews a little over a year ago, and even though it was run by well-intentioned locals, it's been closed more often than not lately, and has been placed on the market for a monthly rent of $9,500 (the listing actually uses photos that I took during their opening party and included in the article linked to above). It also mentions that it's back on the market after a previous deal fell through.

Several of Casa Ventura's owners opened Loli's Taqueria just about a month ago, and that space is already on the market as well. Even though it was generally well-liked and inexpensive,  the off-the-main-drag location of Sixth Avenue and 7th Street didn't do it any favors, and it's also only been open very sporadically lately. It's on the market for a rent of about $4,000 per month.

While there's no such thing as a "cursed" space, it's certainly been incredibly challenging to find a winner for either of these two storefronts.

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Many thanks to a tipster for sending over the above photo, of what looks like the next tenant to take over the storefront at 200 Seventh Avenue, between Second and Third Streets. The last occupant of the space was MetLife Home Loans, and oddly enough this appears to be the exact same type of niche business but from a different company.

This building has an interesting history. It's been the longtome home and studio of artist Mark Ravitz, who hung sculpted "drips" out of the windows for over 30 years. The ground floor has been occupied by a bookstore and his pop-up gallery, and the building has been vacant since a fire ripped through it in November of last year (MetLife moved out about nine months prior to that). It's been undergoing repairs since then, and this seems like the first step towards its recovery. No word on whether Ravitz, or his drips, will return.

Odd that over a year after one home loan office moved out, another one moved in, but so be it.

Le Pain Quotidien, the Belgian "bakery and communal table" chain, will be opening tomorrow in the space that was last home to Moutarde, on the corner of Fifth and Carroll, according to a sign that went up over the weekend.

Reps from the company, which have 185 locations in 17 countries, confirmed the rumor that they were moving to the neighborhood in March, and the location was confirmed via a Craigslist post shortly afterwards. Construction moved pretty quickly after that, and after a paint job and interior renovation they're ready to open.

It looks like the front room will sell to-go items, coffee, and packaged goods, and the back room, which seats about 35, will have the communal table as well as some other seating.

It's best known as a breakfast and lunch spot, with a menu that includes pastries, muffins and other baked goods, soups, salads, tartines, and quiche.

The neighborhood's second Premier Care urgent care center will be opening in the space that was last occupied by Sushi Tatsu, at 347 Flatbush Avenue between Carlton and Sterling. The storefront has been vacant since August of 2011.

Premier Care has another location on Fifth Avenue between Seventh and Eighth Streets, which opened in July 2012. These urgent care centers, which handle everything from colds to broken bones, cuts, and minor burns, are a good alternative to the emergency room when it's a non-emergency, as there's always a doctor on hand and they accept just about all types of insurance and also treat the uninsured. There are currently about a half-dozen other locations of Premier Care, most of which are in Long Island.

Places like this are good to have around, especially when there are kids in the house. It'll obviously be much smaller than the Fifth Avenue location, but will probably get just as much business. 

Lululemon, the Vancouver-based high-end athletic clothing shop on the stretch of Bergen Street between Fifth and Flatbush and the brand's only Brooklyn location, closed down last weekend.

The yoga gear "showroom" (smaller than most of its other 200-plus locations), was one of the first shops to move onto this block--which is owned by neighborhood uber-landlord Michael Pintchik--after its full-scale renovation into a high-profile, high-rent retail stretch. It's joined by Bark, Bergen Street Comics, a bike shop, a couple clothing stores (including a maternity shop), Babeland, and Sun in Bloom. Pintchik has always been selective in his choice of tenants, and this stretch is as diverse as any.

Storefront space on this portion of the block doesn't open up too often, so it'll be interesting to see what comes into this space next. As for Lululemon, there are eight other locations in Manhattan, and they'll soon be opening a location much further down the street, on the corner of Bergan and Smith.

The former check cashing place at the northeast corner of Fifth and Union and its neighbor to the north, a former pizzeria, have both been shuttered for years (Checks and More has been closed since October 2011 and Fifth Ave Pizza for much longer than that). This prime corner has been sitting vacant for too long, but it looks like there's finally something happening there: the two storefronts have been covered by a sidewalk shed, and apparently those two storefronts will be merged into one.

The fact that not one but two of the priciest retail spaces in the neighborhood are being merged might indicate that a major company has leased the space, but in fact the initial permit to combine these two spaces was issued in 2011 right after the check cashing place closed. The interiors of those buildings are currently gutted, and this most likely is just the next step toward merging the two.

When all is said and done, that is going to be one hell of an expensive retail space!

SweetWolf's, the modern American restaurant that opened with much buzz on the corner of Sixth Avenue and 12th Street in November 2011, closed down for good on May 31. The restaurant confirmed the closure via a brief Facebook post:

"It is with regret and some sadness that I say to you SweetWolf's closed June 1. Short but memorable run, but I want to thank everyone who supported, and enjoyed this little neighborhood joint. Love Park Slope, I hope I was able to add a little character, and good times for those who came and checked us out."

The restaurant featured classic American comfort food, much of which was cooked in a custom-built 700-degree wood-burning brick oven. It had a lengthy and expensive buildout, and offered a menu of simply prepared dishes like roast chicken breast with radishes, shallot, fingerling potatoes and orange rosemary pan sauce, a very solid bacon fat-infused wagyu beef burger with sweet chili onions, aged gouda, and duck fat fries, and several dishes like barbecue pulled tempeh and gluten free mac and cheese geared torward those with dietary restrictions (indeed, they crowdsourced menu item suggestions via Facebook). The goal was to be the ultimate neighborhood restaurant. 

Even though the food was widely regarded as being worthwhile, it had an off-the-beaten path location that didn't do it any favors, and the communal table-style layout was a bit awkward. It got a reputation for being pricey early on, even though over time the average entree pride dropped from about $25 to closer to $15. Co-Owner Tim Judge, who opened the restaurant with Eric Wolf, also left the restaurant last year. 

Forty Weight Coffee Roasters, which operated the restaurant as a coffee shop in the mornings, also left about two months ago. Their coffee is still available at several bars and cafes, however, including Supercollider, which opened recently on Fouth Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets.

Photo via South Slope News

Many thanks to a tipster for sending along word that temporary signage has gone up on the window of the storefront on Seventh Avenue between Lincoln and Berkeley that was last home to Noella for The Walk-in Cookbook, announcing that it'll be the space's next tenant. 

Not many details are forthcoming, but according to the business' Facebook page it'll be a specialty grocery store. "Walk in our store, choose one of our delicious recipes, pick out your ingredients and unleash your inner chef!," the description reads. It certainly sounds like a novel concept: providing the exact ingredients you'll need to prepare specific recipes. 

Noella Brew Bar, which was owned by former Ozzie's owner Melissa Rapoport, was located in this space from December 2011 to March of this year. 

It's been well over a year since Southpaw, the ten year old music venue on Fifth Avenue between Sterling and St. Johns, shut down, and NY Kids Club announced that they'd be moving into the space.

Construction on the "children enrichment" center has taken longer than expected (they were originally supposed to open last September), but it's been chugging along at a brisk pace of late. The plywood that went up over a year ago has come down, and the new facade has been revealed.

Where Southpaw's storefront was almost entirely comprised of black metal, this new facade is almost entirely made of glass. There's also an automatic door (an interesting decision), and it's clearly an improvement over its predecessor.

When the club, which has additional locations in Manhattan, opens, it'll cater to kids aged 2 to 12, hosting afterschool and preschool programs. There'll also be a playground on the roof.

The ghost signage for a "69 cents and up" store, which preceded Southpaw, is still up.

Scaredy Kat, the popular card and gift shop on Fifth Avenue between Carroll and President Streets, will be closing its doors for good in July, as owners Damond Gallagher and Nora Yockey have decided to move down to Asheville, North Carolina. Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store, a similar shop located in Boerum Hill, has been lined up to move into the space in August.

The duo opened the first Scaredy Kat a couple blocks away in 1999, and moved into their current location in 2009. It's known for its great selection of unique cards, gifts, toys, and vintage items, and was one of the first pioneers on the avenue back when it was far from a prime retail drag.

Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store is on State Street, and will be moving into the storefront later this summer. Ann Cantrell opened it in 2007, and it's a quirky shop with a wide selection of gifts, toys, home, kitchen, and office supplies, wall art, and other knick-knacks.

In discussing the impending closure, Gallagher made it clear that this was their own decision, and that the landlord has been nothing but great. "Asheville is a town that reminds us a lot of Brooklyn, and we'll be opening a new shop and buying a house," he told me. "It was just the right time to make a change."

While it'll be sad to see such a unique and beloved store close, it's good to know that they're going out on their own terms and that it'll be replaced by what looks like a great independent shop. Here's their full statement:

"To all our fabulous customers and friends on 5th Avenue,

When we opened in July 1999, we couldn't have imagined in our wildest dreams how Scaredy Kat would grow as a business and all of 5th Avenue would grow into such an exciting destination! What changes we've all seen through the years!

After a fantastic 14 years, we would like to announce that we're loading up our wagon train and heading down to Asheville, NC. We are very sad to be leaving Park Slope and all our wonderful friends and customers, but also excited for the new adventures that await us. We are eternally grateful for all of our Scaredy Kat memories and will miss all of the folks we have come to know throughout the seasons.

Which brings us to say…  we are pleased to announce that ANNIE'S BLUE RIBBON GENERAL STORE will be opening in  August right here! She has been gracing Boreum Hill with her wondrous delights for the last 6 years and we are sure she will delight you as well.

We can't say “thank you” enough to everyone who has supported us over the years. We have always been touched by the kindness of the Park Slope community and of our many visitors. We know that we would not be here without you.

We will be supplying you with fun goods from now until near the end of July. After that, please come on down to Asheville and visit us at WHIST, our new retail venture!

Damond & Nora"

Nora and Damond