Kickstarter Pick: BushwickBK.com Relaunches As The Community-Funded 'Bushwick News'

 

When neighborhood blog BushwickBK decided to call it a day back in October, it took us a while to break our habit of constantly clicking over to the website for the latest local news. That's because the stories they published usually weren't something that you'd find anywhere else. They opted for locally-focused, locally-sourced reporting, from detailed community board rundowns and fascinating pieces like this global story about 99 cent stores to profiles of area musicians, restaurant reviews (and of course, some features on yours truly.) These types of articles aren't just copied-and-pasted press releases or SEO-maximized blog posts, but real journalism that requires time and legwork.

That sort of intensive, in-depth reporting isn't always the most profitable work, and that's what led BushwickBK founder Jeremy Sapienza decided to take a break, possibly for good. The resulting void was quite a big one, and after a few months of planning, Sapienza and the BushwickBK crew decided to try out a more community-supported approach. Earlier this month they launched a Kickstarter campaign to bring the website back to life as The Bushwick News, and they're offering a heap of rewards for supporters, from beverages at a variety of local establishments for a modest $5 to original works by some local artists and other goodies for more sizable donations.

While the $40,000 that they are aiming to raise is indeed an big sum, it's a testament to their ambitious goal of being more than just a blog:

We know 40K is a spicy meatball. But it's also a test of what can be done. We need to know that the community is willing to support our work. This is a huge undertaking!

For more info and a great visual explanation of what they want to do, watch their fundraising campaign video after the jump. We're huge fans of Kickstarter as a means for funding all sorts of awesome projects, but we think this campaign is particularly exciting, as it's a unique local resource funded by local businesses and local citizens through a new economic model. If that excites you too, help out and get some sweet rewards in return.

Now for the video—we really want to know what's down in that manhole!

-- John Ruscher

ESSENTIAL EVENT // Brooklyn Night Bazaar Returns With A Massive Three-Day Extravaganza Starting Thursday

All images © JDS.

Back in October we told you about the first Brooklyn Night Bazaar, which took over the Dekalb Market for a lively Sunday evening. Now the bazaar is returning to Brooklyn for an even bigger blowout. This Thursday, Friday and Saturday the bazaar will take over a 40,000 square foot warehouse along the Williamsburg waterfront to present more than 100 local vendors, art installations, three solid nights of live music and plenty of local beer and wine. And all of this goodness (except the ticketed music space) is free and open to the public.

Check out the long list of vendors that you'll find at the bazaar here. If you still need to grab some gifts following our Handmade Holiday Craft Fair this past weekend, here's your chance! Pick up a Playbutton, some regionally adapted seeds, a killer skateboard and much more. And of course there will be tons of delicious local food as well.

The music program will include a DJ set by LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy on Thursday, an epic rock lineup featuring Fucked Up, DOM, Big Troubles and more on Friday and a double whammy with The Hold Steady and Titus Andronicus on Saturday. Grab tickets for those shows here.

The most exciting part of this edition of the Brooklyn Night Bazaar, though, is where it'll take place. Renowned Danish architecture firm JDS have designed an incredible masterplan for the huge warehouse, drawing inspiration from Lars Von Trier's Dogville. Additionally, the folks behind Greenpoint's Bring To Light: Nuit Blanche festival will be curating an array of video installations and light projections.

Hit the jump to see renderings of JDS' Brooklyn Night Bazaar masterplan.

-- John Ruscher

WHEELS UP // Brooklyn Cruiser Brings a European Edge to the Borough & Beyond

 

It's no secret that we love design, entrepreneurship and--of course--bikes. So we were quite excited to catch wind of Brooklyn Cruiser, a new line of city bikes based right here in our borough.

Founded by Ryan and Thea Patrick, Brooklyn Cruiser was borne out of the couple's hunt for a ride that would provide the best possible two-wheeled commute, taking into account durability, comfort, accessibility and style. When that search didn't yield exactly what they'd been looking for, they decided to strike out on their own, putting together a design that adhered strictly to those core tenets:

"At each step of the design process, if a feature didn’t either make the bike easier to maintain or enhance its style, it was off the table for consideration," Ryan tells us. 

That vision has produced a slick and sturdy set of wheels, including a hardened steel double top tube frame that'll stand up to the tough streets, a 2-speed kickshift hub to keep things simple, along with leather grips and cream-colored tires to make the bike as easy on the eyes as it is to ride.

Ryan and Thea's extensive travels helped give shape to Brooklyn Cruiser's designs, which are modeled after traditional Dutch and European bikes. "We’ve travelled around the world and biked in most of the cities we’ve visited," Ryan says. "From a biking perspective, the infrastructure in Europe far surpasses anything we’ve seen elsewhere in the world—and that’s part of the reason biking is such an intricate part of the European culture. You’ll see mothers riding with their children, commuters heading to work or the market—they basically ride anywhere you’d take a subway or taxi here in New York." They've also pedaled in places like Cape Town and Buenos Aires, taking in those cities' expanding cycling infrastructures.

Ryan tells us that there are additional colors, sizes and stylish additions on the way next spring, and we can't wait to see more. While we've definitely love hard and fast biking, we're just as thrilled about being able to just cruise along and enjoy the ride.

If you're of a similar mind, you can test out a Brooklyn Cruiser at 718 Cyclery in Park Slope or at Smorgasburg on the Williamsburg Waterfront every Saturday.

-- John Ruscher

BROOKLYN LOCAL // City Harvest Fundraiser Feeds Foodies by the Hundreds

We were a little surprised City Harvest's Brooklyn Local didn't get more press.  75 local food vendors at a benefit for an organization that rescues unused eats from restaurants and stores to give to the hungry? Seems like a no-brainer. Still, hundreds of people showed up at the old Tobacco Warehouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park to eat standbys like Jacque Torres Chocolates, McClure's Pickles, and Ample Hills ice cream, washed down with some tasty Sixpoint. 

In the tasting tent, $75 bought hearty taste tests from Al di La, Asiadog, Benchmark Restaurant (the hilariously named Hot Beef Sundae, made with brisket, mashed potatoes and creme fraiche), Char No. 4, Dressler, Hibino, Mile End, No. 7, Pies 'N' Thighs, Roberta's Bread and Best Pizza (a simple sandwich on soft sesame bread that was, indeed, best), Seersucker, Tanoreen, The Good Fork and Van Leeuwen roasted banana ice cream. A crowd actually lined up for Dr. Pepper ribs from The Brooklyn Star, but even those who skipped the line were able to piece together sizeable meals from the other booths.

In the market area, possibly the most interesting offering was Switzel, a soda made with blackstrap molasses by City 'Lasses. It was spicy, soothing, and bubbly all at once. We also kept going back for more housemade marshmallows from JoMart Chocolates and thought the Meat Hook's sandwich by the inch was ingenious (sometimes an inch of hero is all you need.)

Easily though, the best part of the day--if we can be serious for a second--was seeing how much fantastic, ethically-produced, artisanally-crafted food comes out of our borough and how many relative newcomers are able to succeed based on word-of-mouth (See: One Girl Cookies, another local vendor present.)

We anticipate next year's Local crowd being much larger, so here's to getting you in on the ground floor now.

--Layla Schlack

ESSENTIAL EVENT // City Harvest hosts The Brooklyn Local

Courtesy: Vinegar Hill HouseFoodie heads are bound to explode on September 17th when the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg converge on DUMBO’s Tobacco Warehouse with Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Vinegar Hill House, Al di La, Roberta’s and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, to name just a few. A total of 75 vendors and 15 restaurants (hosted by Franks Falcinelli and Casonovo of Frankie’s Spuntino) will come out for a good cause: to support City Harvest--and Brooklynites get to reap the delicious rewards.

City Harvest calls itself "the first food rescue organization." It collects food from restaurants, wholesalers and retailers to distribute to food shelters and pantries. It also has nutrition training and does grassroots advocacy work to stop hunger from happening.

The Brooklyn Local is the first event of its kind, chaired by such food luminaries as Dana Cowin of Food & Wine, Ted Allen from Chopped and Sue Chan of Momofoku. It goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 9/17, with tickets costing $5 to the vendor area, $60 for the Tasting Tent if purchased in advance, and $75 at the door. We’re thinking of it as our own personal eating challenge. For a good cause, of course.

-- Layla Schlack

ORDER UP // Kickstand Brings Cold-Brew Coffee To NYC's Doorstep

If you’ve ever dreamt of two dashing young gentlemen arriving at your doorstep on bicycle and bequeathing you with some of Brooklyn’s finest single-origin coffee, then your prayers have officially been answered.  Aaron Davis and Neal Olsen are just two nice, Midwestern boys who share a lust for the caffeinated life.  Taking a cue from the milkmen of yore, they spend their Sundays and Mondays bike-mounted, delivering adorable bottles of cold brew concentrate to the city that never sleeps.

Along with Pete Castelein and Ben Schleif, they make Kickstand, a small business dedicated to providing quality coffee to New Yorkers with minimal environmental impact.  The four boys -- all former or current baristas -- first conceived of Kickstand while enjoying a lazy day in McCarren Park.  Wouldn’t it be great if somebody just rolled up with an espresso machine on the back of their bike?  Cue the lightbulb.

According to Neal, a traveling espresso machine is a “logistical nightmare,” so, when they familiarized themselves with the pour-over brewing method, they realized that bike + coffee ='s very simple, very realistic idea.

“It was an epiphany,” says Neal, “that we can serve quality coffee on the go, in the middle of a field if we wanted to.”  By perfecting the cold brewing process, the boys of Kickstand were able to create something magical and buzzworthy and take it to the streets, like the Doobie Brothers (of whom Neal’s dad is a huge fan).

Most remarkable is how they have eschewed tradition at every corner, coupling a totally unconventional business model with a self-described “analog” operation.  Having never purchased a single print or internet ad, Kickstand’s entire marketing strategy relies on Twitter and word of mouth.  While, in a charmingly mom-and-pop fashion, they hand-stamp all of the cards attached to the bottles they deliver.  With a sheepish smile, Aaron says, “There’s a lot of care that goes into this.”

Though they do not have firmly delegated positions within the company, Aaron says that segmented roles are beginning to emerge.  “Ben is the builder,” he says, referring to Ben Schleif who engineered Kickstand’s coffee cart that makes appearances at Artists & Fleas.  

“Pete is the idea man,” Neal adds.  “He’s a mad coffee genius.”

Both Neal and Aaron are quick to point out that Kickstand would in no way be possible without their friends.  “Friends are important,” says Ben, “because if there’s something you can’t do, someone you know should be able to.”

It’s with tremendous pride that they call Kickstand’s operation “super collaborative.”

“There’s nobody on our team that’s a salesperson,” says Aaron.  And yet, they run a very successful business and have attracted the attention of such respected rags as New York Mag and the Sunday Times (and, of course, us.)

While Aaron and Neal both still technically hold down “day jobs,” there is a lot happening on the Kickstand horizon that they are very excited about.  They are hoping to introduce some local mixologists to their cold brew and have it incorporated into cocktails.  They are also working on a joint promotion with fashion website Refinery 29 that involves the boys making coffee deliveries “dressed as gentlemen.”

When asked if they have a special sort of female following, Neal replies, “Not yet.  Though, maybe after the Refinery 29 thing we will.”

We ask: Will you be wearing bowties? 

They nod.

Oh yea, boys.  Board up your windows.

-- Margaux Weisman