What’s in this locked steel box on the corner of Classon and DeKalb?

(photo by David Velez)

Reader and local photographer David Velez spotted a mysterious camper parked at Waverly and Park, with parking tickets piled into its windshield.  Anyone know what’s up with it?  Is it still there?

Last week, I noticed that the space formerly occupied by the Healthy Body vitamin shop (478 Myrtle) has been transformed into a bike shop!  I remember the space was once a makeshift bike shop and repair outfit, and now it seems to be back.

The folks at the Myrtle Ave Partnership confirmed that it’s the same operator as before (and the owner of the building).  No word yet on whether the shop is temporary or permanent.

A few years ago, I noticed a mysterious structure that looked like a greenhouse skeleton on Clinton Avenue north of Myrtle.  Readers informed me that it belonged to the church on Waverly north of Myrtle.  They also noted that the church congregation was very noisy (and not just to newbies, either).  When I used to park on that block I often found the road blocked off by members’ cars (my own personal annoyance).

Brownstoner reports that the church is finally ready to finish this place up.  The discussion over there centered mostly around the anticipated aesthetics of the structure, and the idea of smaller churches renting space in beautiful old churches in the borough, thus helping those buildings stay open (and preserved).

So?  Have these folks still been noisy?  What do you think about their new digs?

The mysterious new storefront on Fulton now has a sign up!

Thanks, Dahlia, for tweeting it to me!

The old Bonita space on DeKalb (nr Vanderbilt) has a hand-made sign on the door that says “Roman’s” and “OPEN.”  The door also boasts a stop work order.

Inside, the place hasn’t changed much.  The bar area has been fully stocked, and a decorative wall has been added in the back.

So, are they operational?  Are they in fact open from 5-11?  Or did that pesky stop work order stall things?

I’ve noticed it a few times and a reader recently called it to my attention – the carriage house that used to house a preschool, and that was once a candy workers’ union, is undergoing a rehab inside:

whats up in the space on vanderbilt next to the yellow carriage house — looks like a new school or something? betw, dekalb and lafayette.

For some reason, I assumed it was a residential renovation.  I thought maybe I saw it on Brownstoner, but I couldn’t find it just now when I did a search.  Anyone know for sure what’s up?

There’s been some activity in the former Little House on Clinton space (Clinton just north of Myrtle).  I’ve seen some folks working while driving by, but haven’t been able to catch anyone when I was walking by on foot.  Recently, this sign appeared in the window:

It could, literally, be a candy shop (which would be so fun!).  A reader who emailed me about the space hypothesizes it will be a children’s clothing store.

Have the scoop?  Email us!

The mysterious storefront on Grand and Clifton has some new signage in its side window, suggesting that you’ll be able to both eat and shop in the space:

A few months ago, a worker in the space speculated that the space was to be a coffee shop.

I cannot wait to see who is behind this and what they have in mind.

My boyfriend was on his way to the C station recently and as he headed up Franklin Ave. he saw something puzzling and, as he put it, “so f—ing cute,” near the intersection of Monroe and Franklin. Remember that old house that was profiled in the City Section of The Times a few months ago? It was the cover story, and was written by the woman who lived in the house? She found century-old objects in a tunnel underneath it? Well, now she and whoever else lives there are gardening and harvesting and selling to the neighborhood…using the honor system.

When I went to check it out, there was no one around, just an adorable farm-stand set up, some basil and sage in water, a big bushel of light purple kale, a very large fennel stalk with a small bulb and a huge bushel of lemongrass. (It said “figs” on the sign, but I didn’t see any.) I waited around to see if a person would appear, but they didn’t. So I put a dollar in the mailbox, chose the fennel after many (what felt like minutes) of uncertainty, and hopped down the street.

I hope the experiment in community friendliness works. I watched from afar for a few minutes and I didn’t see any funny business. I didn’t see anyone buy anything either.

But I’ve got a beautiful fennel stalk with soft leaves! What will I do with it??