Brooklyn Rock T-Shirts Coming to 454 Dean Street

Brooklyn Rock, the handmade t-shirt company that's been around since 2002 and best known for their pop-up shop in the De Kalb Market, will soon be opening up a brick-and-mortar storefront on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street, directly across from the Barclays Center and in the space last occupied by Little Vinnie's.

The shop, run by the husband-and-wife team of Chris Smith and Yukiko Wada, who make all the merchandise by hand, will specialize in "irreverant" Brooklyn-themed shirts, accessories, and other gear. Here's an article about the duo and their business from the Daily News. T-shirts sell for around $20, and range from a simple red hook to slogans like "Brooklyn: Entertaining Manhattan Since 1646." It'll be open from 11 AM- 11 PM.

With the recent nearby arrivals of Impeccable Attire and Hiho Batik, there's been a bit of a boon recently for high-quality handmade apparel.

Union Market Coming to Sette Space on Seventh

UPDATE: The representative at Union Market I spoke with was apparently not to be trusted, and it looks like they are not coming into the space after all. Apologies for the confusion.

Big news this morning: Union Market's next location will be the space last occupied by Italian restaurant Sette, on the prime corner of Seventh Avenue and Third Street. A rep for the mini-chain of gourmet groceries has confirmed.

The original Union Market is on the corner of Sixth and Union; one on Seventh Avenue between 12th and 13th opened a couple years later, followed by another down on Court Street. Another is in the works on Houston Street. When this opens it'll be the fifth in the growing empire, and the neighborhood's third.

Sette, the once-popular Italian restaurant, closed for good about a year ago, and owner Giovanni Tafuri opened Giovanni's Brooklyn Eats on Eighth and Prospect shortly after.

Brooklyn Central Pizza to Open October 10

While there's certainly no shortage of pizza here in the Slope, there's one pizza-related opening coming up that's worth looking forward to: it's Brooklyn Central, opening Wednesday, October 10th, in the space on Fifth Avenue between First and Second Streets that was last home to Pete's Pizzeria.

What makes this pizzeria different from the others? Namely, the cred: its owners, Matthew Hyland and Roberto Patriarca, met while working at Sottocasa, a Boerum Hill gem that was recently named one of the best new pizzerias in the country by Food & Wine.

The pizza will be Neapolitan-style, cooked in a wood-fired oven, and will be served alongside house-made charcuterie and a selection of local wines. If Brooklyn Central lives up to expectations (and there's no reason it shouldn't), it'll further cement this stretch of the avenue as one of the best restaurant rows in the city (and therefore the world).

Cafe In The Works at Uncle Moe's Space

Construction has been coming along briskly in the space that was last home to Uncle Moe's Burritos, which closed last November after 20 years in business on Seventh Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets. I've walked past otfen in the past couple months, but actual activity in there has been sporadic, to say the least.

I noticed some work going on the other day, however, and was able to briefly speak to a construction worker, who told me that the space would be "a cafe." A peek inside revealed a curved counter, so my guess is that the finished product will resemble Venticinque or Konditori, and be a quick place to drop by for a coffee and pastry on your way to the subway.

Bar Construction Finally Underway in City Casuals Space

Remember back in March, when permits posted in the front windows of the shuttered boutique City Casuals revealed that the next tenant was going to be called "Seven Bar?" The space has laid dormant since, but last week some action finally got underway in the space.

The storefront, on Seventh between Third and Fourth Streets, been completely gutted, so over the next few months we'll probably be seeing a bar developing, the first to open on the avenue in many years if you don't count restaurants with bars. Permits reveal that a bar/tavern is still slated to move in, and they've hired architect Arnold Montag from Great Neck's AM/PM Design to take on the job.