That having been said, they seem sturdy, and would be a great starter apartment as you can purchase them fully furnished from IKEA. Not sure how the furniture will hold up over time, or whether that esthectic will still be in vogue in another 5 years, but starting out as a first place, its not bad.

My philosophy is this – change is coming to CHN, whether us relative old timers like it or not. You can either work with it, get to know those who are affecting it, try to modify it if necessary, or stand around and complain while it runs over you. Our community is beautiful, and has a rich architectural and cultural history that need to be preserved. But it also has problems and some things could use some improving. A coffee shop is a good thing, a quality of life thing that is missing on the Nostrand corridor, especially near the Pacific, Dean, Bergen area. Bring it on!

I’ll check in and see when I can add a comment or two. Spent a little time going through your archive. Good blog!

If you ever have any other insights about the Crown Heights of yore, we’d love to feature them on the front page. I personally would love to hear more about Nostrand/Franklin Avenue back in the day and even your take on the changes. You can email us at nostrandpark@gmail.com.

Anyways, to answer your question the coffee shop is on the north east side of Pacific.

I’ve visited Pacific Street between Nostrand and New York three or four times in the past 25 years — most recently a few months ago. The street’s undergone a lot of change. Years ago it was in very bad shape. Now, with the new condos and the renovation of a few formerly-abandoned buildings, it seems poised for its next era as a mixed-income block of families and singles. A good thing, I think, as long as there are enough affordable rents for both old-timers and newcomers looking for reasonable places to live.

Where exactly is the coffee shop? On my last visit, there was an empty shop just shy of the northwest corner of the block, not on Nostrand but on Pacific. Back in the day it was a shoe repair shop, one of my favorite places in the neighborhood because of all the machinery and noise (and the nice old guy who ran it).

I have met at least one current resident of the block and my guess is she’ll be pleased with the coffee shop. Nostrand Avenue used to be a diverse retail street, with pretty much everything families needed. It’ll be interesting to see if it can provide an alternative to the "upscale" places on Vanderbilt and Fifth Avenues as the neighborhood’s demographics change.

Thanks, NostrandPark, for focusing on Crown Heights.

I hope to drop in from time to time.

it is also like 6 blocks from anything that would possibly be considered prospect heights.

honestly, i preferred the empty lot. at least that was not aiding gentrification and the displacement of families that have lived in the area for generations.