Grand Opening, Grand Closing: The Businesses That Came and Went in September

Who's in and who's out this month

This is Brooklyn Magazine’s monthly listing of openings and closings in the borough, a celebration of the birth and passing of local businesses. Have an announcement? Send us the news at hello@bkmag.com.

You don’t need to live here very long to know the general lifecycle of a business, big or small. They open and, more often than not, they inevitably close. You do, however, need to spend more than a moment in NYC to build up some level of immunity to seeing restaurants, bars, coffee and tchotchke shops come and go as quickly as they tend to in this city. Blink or breathe too long and you’ll miss them entirely.

So, as both a public and internal resource, we’ve resolved to finally keep a more thorough record of the borough’s many openings and closings. Starting this month—which marks the end of one historic, borderline miraculous, season of New York programming and the start of another—we’ll be collecting them all in one place, to the best of our ability.

Below you’ll find all of the businesses that arrived or departed in September. If you don’t see something, say something.

Sweet Chick’s Williamsburg location (Courtesy of Sweet Chick)

Closings

Bed-Stuy

The Bureau
279 Nostrand Ave

There is one less jewel in Nigerian chef Ayo Balogun’s crown—that includes Department of Culture and Radio Kwara—now that his coffee shop has closed.

Brooklyn Heights

Peas N’ Pickles
55 Washington St

A beloved 30-year-old market, also known as “All In One,” has closed its doors.

Gowanus

Starbucks
476 4th Ave

For some unspecified reason, Starbucks is attempting to “restore its brand identity” and has closed 250 stores, or 1% of its footprint nationally, including this location and 16 others in New York.

Park Slope

Chicken Feastin’
450 5th Ave

The Greek charcoal grilled chicken restaurant has closed a location in South Slope, but a location in Bed Stuy, on Gates Avenue, remains.

Williamsburg

Oddfellows Domino Park
40 River St

The mad ice cream scientist Sam Mason’s national chain known for wacky, experimental flavors closes its location in the Domino Park campus.

Partners Coffee
125 N. 6th St

The artisanal retail coffee roaster has closed one of its three brick and mortar locations. The one up up Bedford Avenue, at North 9th, is still up and running.

Sweet Chick
164 Bedford Ave

The chicken and waffle giant closes its original location in Williamsburg.

Boil N Bite
148 N. 7th St

The fried and boiled seafood restaurant has closed.

Entrance to Ferguson's Country in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Ferguson’s Country in Greenpoint (Photo by Scott Lynch)

Openings

Bed-Stuy

Peral
105 Saratoga Ave

A daytime cafe and taqueria from the team behind Olmo opens next door.

Brooklyn Heights

Bebo
145 Atlantic Ave

This charming Georgian restaurant on Atlantic is off to a promising start.

Gowanus

Jivamukti Yoga
267 Douglass St

The yoga school, which closed its first location in LA during COVID, is reincarnated in a “bright, warm, urban” Gowanus space.

Greenpoint

148 Noble
148 Noble St

Gabriel Borges, formerly of Chez Ma Tante, is taking over this former wine bar to launch what looks to be a relatively reasonably priced American small-plates restaurant.

Ayune
664 Manhattan Ave

The long-tenured Japanese-Indonesian restaurant Wasabi is gone; in its place is this handroll restaurant.

Kuttley House
216 Driggs Ave

A new Yemeni coffee shop with pastries and a kitchen rolling out breakfast and lunch services.

Limousine
623 Manhattan Ave

A cocktail bar with karaoke and a playful drinking food menu, open until one in the morning.

Santa Chiara Caffe
227 West St

The Long Island City cafe that spins its own fresh gelato every day opens a second location across the Kosciusko Bridge.