(We thank E.C. Stephens from the bottom of our our hearts for taking over production of GL this past weekend and for doing so in a magnificent way. She ran this item on Saturday, and while we rarely pull or re-run items, we think it’s important enough that we didn’t want it to get lost in the weekend shuffle. So here it is on a Monday morning. Damn. Wait. It’s a holiday. Oh well, we still want to make sure that everybody knows she caught these first.)
On a short walk down 5th Avenue in Park Slope we came across two storefront signs that caught our eye. The first was from Press 195.
It reads, “Dear Customer, Press 195 will be closing for the month of Janurary for renovations. We are excited to bring you a sleeker design, quicker service and new menu items….. We look forward to welcoming our customers, old and new, back when we reopen in February.”
Interesting. So, I continued walking and I contemplated why a business would pick now of all times to throw money into renovating. Just then I came across another sign, but this time on Oko the fro-yo place that just opened 2 years ago.
It read, “We will be closed for renovations [January 1st – January 31st] We will reopen Februrary 1st, 2009. We will miss you, see you at the new OKO!”
We can sorta understand Press renovating, but Oko? I mean come on, you’re a relative newbie to the block. At a time when some more established businesses are crumbling under the weight of the bad economy, you are sprucing up the place? All we can say is go figure. I guess frozen yogurt is where the money’s at. I think I need to reconsider my future business plans.
– E.C. Stephens
8 responses so far ↓
1 Gari N. Corp // Jan 17, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Redoing a frozen yoghurt place in January makes a bit of sense, especially if it’s being done to sell something apart from frozen yoghurt.
2 Dan // Jan 17, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Haha “yoghurt.”
Hopefully Press 195 is also installing a new computer system so deliveries don’t take 45 minutes to go 5 blocks.
3 Brenda from Flatbush // Jan 17, 2009 at 10:18 pm
Here’s another one: the Neergard pharmacy on 7th Ave. and Union Street in Park Slope. Huge reno, all blond wood and pricey imported body/bath stuff in front.
4 Best View in Brooklyn // Jan 18, 2009 at 7:55 am
I was thinking the same thing. January is slow for lots of business. I figured it was an excuse to be closed without repercussions. I’ll bet renovations are minimal.
5 Dan Fenwick // Jan 18, 2009 at 8:31 am
It’s actually not uncommon for Frozen Yogurt places to close during the winter months. A couple of the Yolato locations in Manhattan are doing the same right now(including the one by Grand Central). I would imagine there was a cost/benefit analysis done somewhere that makes this an acceptable practice in the fro-yo business. And if they’re actually going to do some renovations over that period, well, good for them, I guess. Though it wouldn’t surprise me if no renovations were done at all, and the owners just felt that “reno” read better than “You know what goes great in 10* weather? Frozen Yogurt! Really? You don’t think so? Yeah, we figured that too. So we’re closed for the month.”
6 jerryfarina // Jan 20, 2009 at 12:22 am
if businesses / people have money (there are actually some who still do!) now is a great time to hire contractors as they are hurting and will give you deals. it’s also a good time to buy a car, a new apartment, etc., again, if you still have money. my brother is one of these people. he’s done very well and has been waiting for a time like this to buy (more) real estate and a new car. anyway, point is, possibly these places are finding deals on renovating. i suppose all of you already knew this.
7 Anonymous // Jan 20, 2009 at 11:16 am
“closed for renovations” is code for “never opening again”
8 Brian Karp // Mar 13, 2009 at 7:25 pm
As owner of Press 195, I am thankful that people have been noticing our renovation. We have been putting an incredible amount of time and money into this project as we are eager to improve our speed of service. Of course, things have been taking longer than usual, (thanks NYC Dept. Bldgs!) but we anticipate an early April opening as we are anxious to open the doors! And, believe me, in our case “closed for renovations” really means that and we look forward to providing not only our previous menu but new salads, new burgers, new appetizers and a full liquor license with 6 beers on tap! If anyone has any questions feel free to email me at press195@yahoo.com
Thanks
Brian
Press195
http://www.press195.com