The Sound of Small Donut Balls On Smith Street
According to an unamed neighborhoodite and reader, there's a very Dunkin' Donuts looking building going in on the SW corner of Smith Street near Bergen Street. It's right across from what appears to be a new organic market and natural foods store (and near the new bahn mi sandwich place Hanco's). I've enlarged the photo to show 
what appears to be the Dunkin' Donuts steaming coffee cup logo inside. Is Boerum Hill copying its Carroll Gardens neighbors with a DD? As the tipster opines, "A Domino's and a Dunkin Donuts on the same corner. Just great. Keeping it local, the Ratner way."
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Yeah! Soon they will have to widen and supersize everything because the 'hood residents are as chubbed out as suburbanites.
at least it's not another disgustingly overpriced women's clothing boutique that sells $400 shirts. please, am i the only one that's excited about the prospect of a nice, inexpensive "cool-latta" on a hot summer night?!
about a year ago, i remember a sign on the scaffloding at that corner which said "coming soon: dunkin' donuts," so i think you're probably right!
Yep - unfortunately Peter Ungaro (the man behind the Carroll Gardens Dunkin Donuts) has had plans for a while to put in 2 more in the area - one of which will be nearby on Smith Street. Oh well.
Peter Ungaro is laughing maniacally from his secret compound on Staten Island.. "Muhahaha! BoCoCa is my oyster bar! Today Smith St., tomorrow, the world!"
At least they're all concentrated right there on that one corner...
With the exception of Caruso's Pizza I don't know that there's a single store at Smith and Bergen that was there 10 years ago when I lived on that block...
Let there be a Dunkin Donuts. I’d love to have another Taku or Grocery or bring in a good Vietnamese noodle joint (though that would take much needed wind away from the new, good Vietnamese sandwich place on Bergen with the disadvantageous location). I love seeing my scrappy block gentrify into a kinder, more charming place. I also howl when rampant displays of development take place. But at the same time, I feel a bit self-conscious each time an old-school storefront is replaced by a hipster boutique or resto. The people and reasons that made Brooklyn enticing to many of us in the first place are not being serviced, and we just have to remember: not everyone likes sashimi, French bistros, and prix fixe menus (sometimes pronounced ‘pricks fix’ in this neighborhood). The landlord who gutted and renovated this building at Smith and Bergen has been there longer than any of us…he’s a Puerto Rican grandfather who has lived here through much of the bad times, playing roulette in these bad times by buying up properties when few in his neighborhood financially could or would. He’s one of the old-timers who you see sitting on the corner shooting the breeze with his buddies (especially now that one of the social clubs was turned into Sample—‘wine bar serving gourmet canned and jarred foods’…terms that only us newcomers can understand.) If anyone has a right to cry ‘NIMBY,’ it’s this group of men who probably grumble that us yuppies with highbrow food tastes have made it impossible for them to hang out inside when the weather is bad (no more social club), find a donut for less than 50 cents (or however much they are supposed to cost—I get my donuts from Donut Plant)…Us newcomers could be idealistic, optimistic, and self-righteous and say that our infusion of good food tastes would spread into the local communities, and soon enough, everyone will partake in the joys of Saul’s $30 prix fixe menu. But as time goes on and as the neighborhood gentrifies, it’s clear that there are 2 camps with very little interaction. Newcomers rarely eat at the rice and bean joints; originals are not going to decide to venture into new realms of food one night to give sashimi, sake and soba noodles a chance, and on top of that, at $50 a head. A Dunkin Donuts at Smith and Bergen will not threaten any other donut shop in the area, because there are no donuts to be found, except on Court Street at Bagel World (a world and a slight uphill walk away from Smith Street, in terms of find-a-donut distance.) Actually, I think they serve donuts at Gravy, but I’m sure they are many times the price of a Dunkin Donut.
One thing to remember is that this corner is pretty much smack dab in the middle of one of the city’s neighborhoods with the highest rate of disparity between lowest (around $3500/household) and highest ($100,000+/household) average income. That means there are a lot of people in the area who cannot afford going to hipster joints. Changing peoples eating habits is a totally different (and maybe futile) subject. Besides, the all-organic Café Kai has been open across the street for several years, and these guys still want their donuts and cheap coffee. Plus, the landlord has lots of friends. If he OK’d a Dunkin Donuts, I’m sure he has a lot of support from his buddies.
I would prefer that the Domino’s Pizza (on the opposite corner of future Dunkin Donuts) would be much more charming if it were not a chain, and that a mom and pop donut shop where you could stand outside the window and see Mr. Donut Maker making his donuts would be so ‘Smith Street,’ but it’s not that easy to create the perfect equation of Mom and Pop finding this location, having a business plan, and making their handmade donut shop work. Besides, evolution: if people in the neighborhood don’t want it there, it will close down and turn into something else. Maybe yet another Thai resto (I love Thai food, but one more thai resto, we really don’t need.)
IMO, I think our ‘no chains’ cries should actually be diverted from this Dunkin Donuts and directed towards the Starbucks-in-Indie-Disguise (a.k.a. American Apparel).
I don't think cheap prices and good food/coffe/donuts are mutually exclusive. It's suburban chains that I dislike. What's next? McD's, KFC, or WalMart? I agrree, every new place on Smith St doesn't need a Pricks Fix menu or $20 a piece sushi. We could use a good, inexpensive taqueria. Opening a suburban chain is just so weak.
if you find "suburban chains" problematic, you'll have to tread carefully - don't go down to the red hook end of smith street, for starters, or you're likely to see a mcdonalds (shockingly, it doesn't seem to be frequented much by the strip's latte/croissant crowd). probably want to steer clear of downtown brooklyn as well. also the fulton mall, atlantic avenue, etc. really, you'll probably want to head out of new york city altogether. safe travels!
The solution is easy: if you don't like it, don't patronize it. I see the Court St. DD filled on weekend mornings, even with D'Amico's and Brooklyn Bread a few steps away. Obviously DD is fulfilling some local need; otherwise it would be boarded up by now.
What made Smith St. palpable to anyone wearing a $100 pair of shoes in the first place was the right to set up shop there.
Yep, that's exactly what I do (or don't).. I don't patronize the McD's, or DD in Carroll Gardens. I rarely go to Fulton Mall (I haven't had need for a new beeper or cell phone in a while). I don't spend all my hard earned cash at Brooklyn Industries, Somthing Else, or American Apparel either..
These chains are everywhere, but they do become more glaring when they are in your own neighborhood, don't they? If their presence really boils people's blood that much, then why don't we see people being more active about it than just commenting on a blog?...open up something that is going to service and appeal to all...(something like Laboratorio del Gelato that is priced like Baskin-Robbins, perhaps...)
i personally believe in darwinism, as i mentioned before...if our neighbors don't want something there, it will die off and turn into something else. also, another important thing to keep in mind, if we want to hang on to our mom and pops, we have to keep GOING to them. we can't just coo at them and cheer them on from the sidewalk. here on smith, there have been several mom and pops that just didn't get the vibe quite right (smitty's, the new Sur), were not ideally located (currysource) or came at the wrong time (the korean resto that is now Tuk Tuk), 'we' didn't go, and they had to shut down. there are several charming places that i fear will close if patronage doesn't increase (hanco, cafe kai, quercy, etc. etc.) so, one active way to keep out chains is to keep going to our mom and pops.
another way to make sure the neighborhoods cater to your taste: when you see a For Lease sign going up, contact the landlord and tell them what you think won't work on your block (nail salons and pharmacies are one example in certain areas of violating the acceptable number level. Montague St has suffered from this sickness for many years.) Notify the owners/management of your favorite places (unless it's American Apparel or Starbucks) that they need a branch on Smith Street (a mini-Sunrise Mart would be great, for instance.)
But one thing to remember is that those of us who do not like suburban chains, we are in the very small minority of Brooklyn. This becomes an issue touchier than just the taste of others; it becomes an issue of cultural conditioning, economic means, education, exposure, etc. We can pat ourselves on the back for being more culturally sophisticated or affluent or worldly than others whose turf we've moved into, but those of us who would do that probably do not live in Brooklyn. An area as diverse as downtown brooklyn and its surrounding neighborhoods has enticed many of us who patronize and live in these areas with their ethnic, economic, and cultural diversity. i hope that newcomers are coming to brooklyn for more than the hip indie lives that can be had as told by Time Out, no regard for the population that gives each neighborhood its character. it irks me when people move to brooklyn and then talk about cultural institutions like Fulton Street Mall (hip hop epicenter of New York = hip hop epicenter of the world) as areas they avoid at all costs. If you think like that, why take up space in Brooklyn? Brooklyn is a borough of many subcultures and tastes, and Fulton Street--like many other neighborhoods in Brooklyn--is a hub for one of Brooklyn's distinct subcultures. Our yuppie-hipster enclaves are small in number, and we share our space with people of different tastes (decision-making landlords included), and perhaps less means or exposure to knowing what is 'good' for our immediate environments. If you want to convert the borough into a paradise of yuppie taste, it's an uphill battle. To change habits and tastes of an entire socio-economic group, you got to catch them while they are young...perhaps someone with enough time and energy will develop a grade-school curriculum where all public school kids learn about the evils of chains, how to avoid the seduction of big brands, how to look for Made in China labels, how to read really fast to enjoy subtitled films, why joining a food co-op will enrich your life, why Target is bad, even though it employs a lot of people in the neighborhood, etc.
Actually, you can join your neighborhood association. That is one major step in the right direction.
Unless that neighborhood association is the CGNA, which likes to whine, but does little about ANYTHING.
I'm no particular fan of Ratner either, but let's be fair, he has nothing to do with this dunkin' donuts.
I'm always with ABL on this general issue, but Bergenite makes some tremendous points. Clearly, both love the 'hood and (most) of its residents. The "sides" come together like oil and water. Or maybe like olive oil and Pellegrine.
Here's the thing with Dunin' Donuts. It appears as one of the few chains in depressed towns; therefore, it gets associated with that down-and-out feeling one gets while living in or traveling through a depressed town. Also, as with any chain, Dunkin' Donuts branches are often dirty and mismanaged. Not saying these are, just saying that we've all stopped at many such donut and hamburger purveyors on our highway trips, and the experience has left a rather bad taste in our mouths.
What confuses me about Bergenite is the comment about the new people (referred to as yuppie-hipsters) having no regard for a neighborhood's character. Maybe I am in the minority, but that's a definite reason why I moved here. I buy my lunchmeat at Caputo's and not Key Food, eat Italian at Fragole and not Frankie's, and go out of my way to buy locally baked bread at the other Caputos and fill up on the heavenly Italian ice at Court Pastry (to be discussed in a future post). I think a lot of people do, so it's simply discouraging to see a Dunkin' Donuts open in your hood. Not the end of the world, but a little blow to the part of you that thought just maybe the pink and orange signage wouldn't infiltrate one's sanctuary.
As someone mentioned briefly, the landlord is the linchpin here. Different types of tenants bring differing amounts of rent. Banks generally pay the least, but are sometimes more desirable because they are secure, quiet, don't smell, and stick around for longer. Chains and fast-food places pay much more becuase of the litter, smell, etc. The landlord has probably made a calculation that the bigger (and potentially riskier, if the neighborhood doesn't like it) rent roll is worth it. Don't patronize it and maybe it will go away, and the landlord will get the hint. But chances are s/he has a lot of construction bills and a hefty mortgage to pay off, so there might be another in its stead.
I just am so sick of indie hipsters complaining about the freaking dunkin donuts!! I've lived in the neighborhood since 1999 (and, no, I didn't buy property - I still rent so I have not profitted from the boom) and have witnessed the gentrification first-hand. Smith Street has become predictable and boring. As for the Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins, chill your anger with an ice cream cone. I already have and, to quote another famous chain, "I'm lovin' it!"
ewww
Damn hippie liberal hipsters, damn you all. I remember when there was nothin' from way over here to way over there... Screw you all... I hope someone tears down that whole block between Union, President, Court and Smith... They should pave over it all and plop down at huge WalMart down in it's place. Hell, we need a Bed Bath and Beyond. We're also missin' an Arby's... GERRRRR!
Totally, curmudgeon!! I know you're not being ironic when you request a Bed Bath & Beyond!! Bring it on! I jest, I jest. But as for Arby's, god bless their deliciously juicy roast beef n' cheddar sandwiches! A girl can dream that one will open its franchise doors close enough for me to grab dinner now and then. Certainly would be better than listening to those annoying French jazz musicians in their dandy suspenders while eating a $12 burger at Bar Tabac!
or maybe we need a Linens 'n Shit Things