Park Slope’s new organic grocery has a hippie-inspired décor, but there’s nothing mellow about the owner’s all-hours work ethic.
Ivy Garden — a 24-hour shop, run by a hard-working Korean family — opened last week on Fourth Avenue, specializing in organic fruits, flowers and Asian cuisine.
The owners — who have installed a checkout counter shaped like a swingin’ Volkswagen bus — said their all-hours philosophy fits in a neighborhood full of career-driven folks with vacillating schedules.
“We know people are busy all the time here,” said Ester Kim, whose family also runs Pine Tree market in Prospect Heights. “That’s why we’ll be here constantly.”
The new shop fills a long-awaited niche on the border of foodie Park Slope and late-night Gowanus. It also comes about a year before a Whole Foods is scheduled to open a few blocks away on Third Avenue, with plans to close before midnight.
The location, which sat vacant for years at President Street, is now spruced up with a mural of ivy leaves outside. Inside are gluten-free eats, a well-stocked deli and a frozen yogurt bar.
A cup of gelato cost $3.50; a pint carton of on-sale blackberries go for $1 and organic beauty products range from $5 to $15.
The shop will soon sell sushi, plans to cater to kids and are taking suggestions from neighbors.
“We fell in love with this neighborhood — and we hope it fits well,” she said.
