1) Greenpoint: A reader provides a follow-up report to that Franklin Avenue non-Polish bookstore shocker: "I finally walked home in that direction only to discover this won't so much be a 'bookstore' but rather, well, you see." Indeed. Greenpointians: Say hello to Word, home to all of your stationery and kids' stuff needs. [Storefronting inbox]
2) Upper East West Side: Is the UES deprived of culture? Someone seems to think so: "Just what is the story with the Metro Theatre on the East side of Broadway between 99-100th Sts., by the new Ariel East condo? We had heard that the façade was protected, but not necessarily the interior. The marquee is fully lit up, flashing lights and all, but it reads “Store for Rent” where the movie title belongs. And construction vehicles over the past few days have been pulling out an enormous amount of debris from inside the theatre. Anyone with inside information on what’s going on? The neighborhood is desperate for an art house. Please. Pretty please." [Storefronting inbox]
3) Harlem: Is the opening of a Verizon store at 166 West 125th Street really that big a deal? Yes! Check out the events surrounding the store's opening, reported by Uptown Flavor: ribbon cutting with Mets manager Willie Randolph, a ceremony featuring a $5,000 donation to the East Harlem Coalition Against Domestic Violence and two live radio broadcasts. They better sell some cell phones. [Uptown Flavor]
4) Greenpoint: While New York Shitty was out tracking dog poop, they tracked down a new Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory location at 97 Commercial Street. Sez NYS: "This does not strike me as the most appropriate business venture to pursue this time of year, but then again at least it isn’t (yet) another bank or Thai restaurant. This ‘hood needs more pad Thai about about much as it needs more dog shit." [New York Shitty]
5) Greenwich Village: Curious happenings in the old Kim's Video space on Bleecker and West 10th Street. Altoid's is opening a pop-up store for Valentine's Day, promoting their new chocolate-covered mints. On the 14th, they'll be giving out free cupcakes from Billy's Bakery. That's really all it takes to get us pumped. [Storefronting inbox]