Open for Business: Vice Versa Vintage, 550 Fifth Avenue

A sprawling new thrift store opened last week in the space last occupied by Blockbuster Video, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 15th Street. Not only is it the largest vintage/thrift store in a neighborhood chock full of them, it's also the least expensive.

Vice Versa is a branch of L Train Vintage, which operates five other stores, all located near the L line, in Manhattan and Brooklyn: Village Style and No Relation in the East Village, Vice Versa near the Bedford Avenue stop, Atlantis Attic off the Graham Ave. stop, and Urban Jungle off the Morgan Ave. stop. This is their first store on this side of Brooklyn, and also the largest.

There's just about every clothing item imaginable in here, and it's all incredibly inexpensive. Shirts cost $5, pants are $10, jackets $15-20, even leather ones. It's nearly impossible to leave here emptyhanded, and the racks just beg to be explored; you could easily kill an hour in here and have no idea where the time went. There's clothing here for people from all walks of life; it's more along the lines of Salvation Army than Guvnor's.

Unfortunately they don't accept donations, but judging by the sheer amount of merchandise in here their coffers are pretty full.

Vice Versa, 550 Fifth Avenue Brooklyn NY 11215. 

Open for Business: The Monro Pub, 481 Fifth Avenue

The bar that's been in the works in the former Puppets Jazz space, on Fifth Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets, opened last Friday night. In a neighborhood teeming with bars, it's one of only a couple that can officially call themselves a proper English pub, and this one doesn't cut any corners.

Owned by the husband and wife duo of Vinnie Evans and Nicole Fusco (who hail from Liverpool and named the bar after the pub there where they met, which was in turn named after a merchant vessel), The Monro is a dim, comfortable spot adorned with old maps of their hometown, taxidermied deer heads, and a few nautical touches.

Eight English favorites are on tap, including Fuller's, Wells Bombardier, Boddington's, and Bellhaven IPA (served in their proper glasses when possible), and the 15 bottles include Aspall and Strongbow ciders, Old Speckled Hen, and several others that you don't see too frequently. There are a couple food options to wash it all down with, including five varieties of pies from The English Pork Pie Company (served alongside Branston Pickle) Walker's Chips, and Monster Munch. The Monro isn't just an English pub, it's a very English pub.

There are about 10 seats at the bar, and the back room seats about 25 (booths are a very nice touch). There's a Happy Hour every day from $4-8 when all drinks are a dollar off, and a couple TVs in the back to show soccer and other sporting events. There's also free wifi.

The Monro Pub, 481 Fifth Avenue Brooklyn NY 11215. Phone: 718-499-2005.

Pure Bistro Soft Opens on Fifth

The long-in-the-works restaurant that's been under construction in the space last occupied by Calexico, on Fifth Avenue near the corner of Warren Street in the North Slope, soft opened last week. It's a comfortable, bright space, with a solid menu of sandwiches, salads, wraps, burgers, fresh-pressed juice, smoothies, and breakfast items.

The restaurant gives off a decidedly "daytime" vibe (the floor-to-ceiling windows don't hurt), and the menu is inexpensive and geared toward breakfast/brunch and lunch items. Sandwiches, burgers, and salads all average $7-8, and dinner entrees, which include a few fish dishes, grilled chicken breast, and steak, average $14. There's a wide selection of breakfast items, including yogurt parfaits (which are also available in a to-go refrigerator), breakfast wraps, and omelettes (you're also given the option to design your own). There's also a perfunctory children's menu, with the usual assortment of chicken nuggets, mini-burgers, grilled cheese, and the like.

There's an emphasis on healty food: sandwiches and panini only come on whole wheat or multi-grain bread and are heavy on the veggies, eggs are organic, and all meat is grass-fed, free-range, and free of antibiotics and hormones.

Pure doesn't break the mold, but what it does it appears to do well. It's a solid spot to grab a healthy lunch, and my guess is that it will do very brisk takeout and delivery service. Within the next couple weeks they'll be fine-tuning the menu and introducing delivery, and will have a grand opening party.

Pure Bistro, 88 Fifth Avenue Brooklyn NY 11217. 718-622-5314.

Women's Clothing Boutique Opens in Big Red's Retail Space

It took months and months, but after a couple false alarms, the ground-floor retail space at 137 Fifth Avenue, also known as Nine St. Johns, has been rented, and the women's clothing boutique that's now occupying the storefront had their Grand Opening party over the weekend.

There's no visible name to speak of and no online presence yet (and they weren't open yesterday at 5), but with an advertised rent of $8K/month, it's nice to see that it didn't end up becoming a real estate office or Pearle Vision. The merchandise looks nice, but the store certainly has plenty of company on this stretch of Fifth, which is loaded with women's boutiques and vintage stores. Looks like this one is focused on summery t-shirts and dresses.

Open for Business: A Shoe Grows in Brooklyn, 419 Seventh Avenue

An independent, children-focused shoe store called A Shoe Grows in Brooklyn opened up last weekend in the long-vacant space that was the long-ago home of the Minerva Theater, on Seventh Avenue near the corner of 14th Street.

I had a chance to speak with the store's owner, Kelly Robertson, who lives just a couple blocks away and has two children of her own, a six year old and a seven year old. 

"After losing my job in corporate communications, I wanted to do something completely different, and stay in the neighborhood," she told me." I had an idea for a kids' shoe store, because there's really no place to get quality children's shoes around here for a good price; it's either very expensive or Payless. Ours are midprice but still quality."

Robertson describes the quaint, comfortable, smartly-designed shop as a "modern family shoe store," with a wide selection of children's shoes along with a more focused offering for men and women. There's also a good selection of clothing and accessories, with an emphasis on Brooklyn-produced products (the Park Slope-themed tote bags are pretty cool). As many of the products as possible are earth-friendly, including "vegan" shoes from Saucony, made using no animal products. There's also a children's play area in the works.

It's really nice to see a store open up that's from the community, for the community, by the community. Robertson and business partner Jason Moore saw a need in the neighborhood and jumped at it, with stellar results.

And if you mention Here's Park Slope, you'll get 10% off your purchase!

A Shoe Grows in Brooklyn, 419 Seventh Avenue Brooklyn NY 11215. Phone: 718-832-1400