Permanently Closed: Brooklyn Heights Businesses Lost To The Pandemic

Seven months into the pandemic, most of our local small businesses are hanging on. With pure grit and ingenuity, restaurants turned parking spots into dining spaces, and retail stores went online until their doors could open again. Tragically, not all of the businesses survived the long shutdown, not to mention the loss of tourists and nearly half of the residents who left town for months. Here, we memorialize the Brooklyn Heights businesses that permanently closed since March 2020.

Jack the Horse Tavern (66 Hicks St.)

Jack the Horse Tavern (66 Hicks St.)

JtH Next Door (66 Hicks St.)

JtH Next Door (66 Hicks St.)

Five Guys (138 Montague St.)

Five Guys (138 Montague St.)

Amy's Bread and East & West Wellness

Amy’s Bread (72 Clark St.)

Chocolate Works (110 Montague St.)

Chocolate Works (110 Montague St.)

The Heights Salon of Brooklyn (136 Montague St.)

The Heights Salon of Brooklyn (136 Montague St.)

Scott J Aveda Salon (119 Montague St.)

Scott J Aveda Salon (119 Montague St.)

B.GOOD (141 Montague St.)

B.GOOD (141 Montague St.)

Heights Nail Salon (60 Henry St.)

Heights Nail Salon (60 Henry St.)

Le Pain Quotidien (121 Montague St.)

Le Pain Quotidien (121 Montague St.)

WMA Karate (67 Atlantic Ave.) (Classes moved online and outdoors - wmakarate.com)

WMA Karate (67 Atlantic Ave.) (Classes moved online and outdoors – wmakarate.com)

Blossom Poke Bowl (153 Remsen St.)

Blossom Poke Bowl (153 Remsen St.)

Cafecito (Clark St. Station)

Cafecito (Clark St. Station)

Emack & Bolio (115 Montague St.) (To close permanently on 10/31/20.) (Photo courtesy of BHB reader.)

Emack & Bolio (115 Montague St.) (To close permanently on 10/31/20.) (Photo courtesy of BHB reader.)

The loss of these small businesses is a blow to the community. Some are simply irreplaceable. What could possibly fill the void that Cranberry’s or Jack the Horse left behind? But we can find hope in knowing that there are already small signs of recovery and renewal. Here are three businesses that opened in the midst of the pandemic and by all indications, are fast becoming favorites of the neighborhood.

Cardinal Mkt (44 Henry St.)

Cardinal Mkt (44 Henry St.)

Vineapple (71 Pineapple St.)

Vineapple (71 Pineapple St.)

Ella Crown Bakehouse (149 Atlantic Ave.)

Ella Crown Bakehouse (149 Atlantic Ave.)

Support our local economy. Support our small businesses.

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  • CassieVonMontague

    I’d like to mention a couple of my favorite Brooklyn places not in the neighborhood that have also permanently closed and will be missed:

    Stinky Bklyn (215 Smith St, Carroll Gardens)
    Glady’s (788 Franklin Ave, Crown Heights)

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Both Cranberries and Jack the Horse were North Heights staples for many years. Thank goodness we still have Noodle Pudding and Henry’s End. I suppose we all adapt but my memories run very deep. I miss Jim and Tim and will miss my daily Cranberries coffee and that wonderful bench in front, as well as, Jack the Horse’s incredible Sunday brunch.

    Chocolate Works
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKO4FvfdqEY

    Le Pain Quotidien (bankruptcy)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9fPwXk8nzY

    Jack the Horse
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQhhstiBwIM

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Nice article, Mary, appreciate your efforts. Well done.

  • Jorale-man

    Nice round-up. I’m still mystified by JtH.
    Along with these unfortunate closings, I’d add one in Dumbo: The Brooklyn Roasting Company down on Jay Street closed in July. The branch on Washington Street is still open but even so, a big loss for coffee lovers.

  • Mary Kim

    Great videos, as always, Karl. I wasn’t sure whether Le Pain Quotidien’s closure was permanent. But I’ll edit to add, along with a couple of others that were missing.

  • C.

    Golden Fried Dumpling, a hidden gem, near Metro-Tech closed permanently.

  • CassieVonMontague

    WHAT?! It took me years to find a place nearby that had dumplings close in price and style to what they have Chinatown. Now where am I going to go?

  • El

    Oh Dumplings on Smith& Bergen is pretty good – Xifu Foods on Livingston near Hoyt is also good & I think a bit cheaper, but I just looked on Yelp and maybe they are changing name/ownership?

  • SongBirdNYC

    Both locations of Everyday Athlete, Clinton Street and Pier Six are boarded up too.

  • Knight

    We also lost Supercuts on Montague.

  • Reggie

    The best review I ever saw of GFD was when I stopped in for dumplings on a Saturday and an acquaintance who lives in Carroll Gardens was waiting for his order. How many Chinese restaurants were between his home and Duffield Street?

  • http://www.yotamzohar.com StudioBrooklyn

    Oh Dumplings are good but sadly well above the hole-in-the-wall prices we know and love from GFD and their Chinatown counterparts.

  • AEB

    We don’t live in some outreach–we’re in Brooklyn Heights, for goodness sake! Yet it seems beyond the means of our community and those who would invest in it, to provide, on the one hand, restaurants that offer authentic “ethnic” cuisine or, on the other, a destination dining spot, where one can splurge and get a really terrific meal.

    Why? The money’s here, and so is (forgive me) the appetite. This was the case pre-Covid, which of course will complicate the situation for years to come.

    It’s a wonderment–think what would happen if one caring human took over Fortune House, for instance, installed a real chef and cooks who knew what Chinese food is, cared about ingredients, and got to work.

  • http://www.yotamzohar.com StudioBrooklyn

    Agreed…full disclosure: I work in Chinatown and am spoiled rotten.

  • Cranberry Beret

    Emack & Bolio on Montague is closing for good after 10/31

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    AEB, meet you at Great NY NoodleTown in Chinatown. Could not agree more.

  • AEB

    Date, Karl. Love the place. Wonder if it’s serving now.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    During the pandemic they were serving takeout. Food as good as ever. Have not been there since 25% occupancy went into effect September 30th. I assume they are implementing this new N.Y. policy.

  • Mike Suko

    COVID surely played a role in lots of the closings mentioned here, but perhaps as many as half would have closed in any event. As others have noted, this is a TOUGH TOWN in which to be a viable retailer. Turnover is constant, and one really should consider that things like reaching retirement age, competition with online … and a host of other factors may be even more crucial than Covid in stay-or-close decisions.

    Interesting article in 10/14 NY Times re Pret a Manger in connection with office hubs (incl. Metrotech) probably having way fewer occupants even in the future. I have to think that for people who DO return to office/desk jobs, some of them may – either for reasons of safety or cost or both – bring their own lunch.

    I see from my window most of the Jehovah’s Witness former r.e. empire. Gotta wonder how populated those that are on Prospect [will most of Etsy’s staff ever return?] are these days – and will be 6 months from now. As for the now-gray buildings (LIVWRK) at the NE corner of the Heights, unless Google or Facebook “gobbles,” they look like white (or gray) elephants to me.

  • Mike Suko

    The latest (?) entrant to our upcoming City Council primary is someone named Lincoln Restler … with deep roots in our community.

    He’s got some ideas – similar to those in a recent NYT op-ed – about commercial rents and the role they play in stifling new business formation.

    There almost HAS TO BE some $ figure where a landlord on Montague or Court could get a reasonable return … and people with storefronts would have a reasonable chance of being able to support a family. If not, watch out below!!

    Also, are all/most stores & restaurants current in their rents, and have many of those been “adjusted” down?

  • El

    Yes, I was on Broadway in Soho the other week and every store I ever walked by that I thought ‘how are they open?’ had closed. Felt very strange, but at the same time, not unexpected. Just hoping everyone involved isn’t too burdened by the closings. On the other hand, the Village felt livelier than usual with all the outdoor dining.

    Funnily enough, I feel like I’ve spent more money locally than I ever have before – used to have lunch/dinner and run errands in Manhattan on my way home from work, but now mostly stick close to home.

  • CassieVonMontague

    Is there any place to get good fish and chips? I still miss the Chip Shop

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Nice read, Mike.
    The apartment next to me was vacated and snapped up immediately for $3300/mo. according to StreetEasy. Apartments in my building are all approx. 600 square feet.
    Tiny but great location.

  • Karl Junkersfeld

    Oh my goodness, I love fish and chips. The best place I have found is on Greenwich Avenue off 14th street A train. Incredible. Go there once and you will take the A train to go there on a weekly basis . hehe (see attached link)
    https://www.asaltandbattery.com

  • Mary Kim

    Nearby, you might want to try the fish and chips at Custom House. It was pretty good last time I had it.

  • HandsoffBuddy

    Praying that hidden gem Sushi Gallery stays in business.

  • Andrew Porter

    Ironically, Teresa’s picked a great time to go out of business: the end of January, before Covid could shut it down.

  • Teresa

    FWIW, East/West Wellness was closed before the pandemic, due to conditions that were “imminently perilous to life.” !!! http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/90351

  • CassieVonMontague

    So it looks like someone complained about their sign shining onto the sidewalk and when the DOB went to inspect it, they saw all the illegal renovations done without permits and proper fire exits.

    In August they were found to be working without permits again.

    Thank you, Nosy Neighbor! You might have saved a life!

    http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/OverviewForComplaintServlet?requestid=2&vlcompdetlkey=0002453643

  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7nPOzGeyaw Arch Stanton

    I guess no communal tables now…