January 13, 2007 / Fort Greene–Clinton Hill / Perspective / Greene Acres

Babies storm Fort Greene

By Dana Rubinstein

The Brooklyn Paper

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In their insatiable desire to devour all of Brownstone Brooklyn, the Babies are infiltrating Fort Greene.

Chubby, gurgling, and seemingly innocuous, the Babies — who have already conquered Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights and Carroll Gardens — are surging from their parents’ loins into the once–hardscrabble neighborhood.

And, like a suburban guy who must drive an SUV, these tots need their space.

As a result, just the other day, L’Epicerie, a neighborhood grocery store, refashioned its tofu-laden interior and widened its aisles to make more room for the little ones and their high-priced wheels.

“They have every type of stroller,” said Jean-Battiste Caillet, owner of the Vanderbilt Avenue store.

“They have double strollers. There are a lot of those jogging strollers, which are kind of big, with big tires. They have the four-wheel strollers — I call them ‘stroller Hummers.’

“I’ve lived here 12 years, and I’ve definitely seen a big change,” added Caillet, who is personally contributing to the baby invasion with the impending birth of a third child.

The alterations at L’Epicerie aren’t the neighborhood’s only concession to the smaller-in-stature.

There’s Beezu, the new children’s boutique on DeKalb Avenue, not to mention the early-bird crowd at Graziella’s Restaurant on Vanderbilt, with its tot:grown-up ratio of 4:1.

Andrew Simon, a still Baby-less magazine editor who has lived in the fast-gentrifying neighborhood since 2003, said that even Tillie’s on DeKalb Avenue, one of the few neighborhood spots where once can sip a cup of joe and read the paper, has become lousy with children.

“I know one person who was in Tillie’s with her laptop on a weekday,” said Simon, “and she couldn’t even work because of all the child noise.”

The horror! Even her office — Tillie’s — had suddenly become a Baby stomping ground.

And more change is surely on the way. After all, the Babies are often the death knell for formerly edgy neighborhoods. Just look at DUMBO.

But lest you worry that Fort Greene is becoming so young and uncool that it’s the next Park Slope, at least it’s not as whitewashed as its uphill counterpart.

“Fort Greene is the Mecca of mixed-race babies,” said Simon.

Mixed-race babies with big strollers, that is.

The Kitchen Sink

In a rush to take advantage of the neighborhood’s thicker wallets, a flurry of new entrepreneurs are setting up shop along Myrtle Avenue — the formerly (very formerly) Murder Avenue. There’s Shalena’s Jewelry between Clermont and Vanderbilt avenues, and (we hear) a new wine shop called Gnarly Vines between Carlton Avenue and Adelphi Street. For those trying to get rid of that extra holiday cellulite and aren’t big Crunch Gym fans, there’s a new dance and yoga studio called Moving with Grace between Washington Avenue and Hall Street. For those who don’t give a damn about their weight, there’s a new burger and waffle joint called the Little House of Clinton, on Clinton Avenue between Myrtle and Park avenues. Finally, for those smart enough to save their money, rather than spend it, a new Bank of America branch has opened on Waverly Avenue. … We hear that Ruthie’s Soul Food, beloved anchor of DeKalb Avenue in the pre-gentrification era, is opening a second outlet on Myrtle! Ruthie’s Sunrise, a brunch joint between Emerson Place and Classon Avenue, is expected to open on Jan. 15. … We now hear that Broken Angel may be broken for good. Arthur and Cynthia Woods, owners of the beloved Downing Street ziggurat, are reported to have reached a deal with local developer Shahn Andersen to turn most of the building into condos. The Woods have also promised to submit plans for how they’re going to take down the top 40 feet by next Wednesday. So much for local efforts to save the place.

©2007 Community Newspaper Group