Taking the big post-pandemic step, by Brian Abate

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, lots of businesses in New York City and throughout the country have had to close down. However, over the past few months, I’ve noticed new businesses that are opening up despite the challenges the pandemic poses. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to the owners of some of these businesses and find out about their experience starting a business post-pandemic. Here are some of their stories.

JUICE MART

Obed recently opened Juice Mart, located at 395 Van Brunt Street, formerly the home of Wooden Sleepers.

“I always wanted to open up a restaurant but right now a juice bar is more on my budget and I think it’s a stepping stone for me,” Obed said. “Despite the pandemic, this didn’t feel like a risk, it felt like a great opportunity as there aren’t any other juice bars in the area.”
Juice Mart stands out on Van Brunt for its bright colors and artwork inside. I pass by it every day on the way to work and I’ve seen them adding more and more art. I can see first hand they’ve been working hard.

“Some days we get definitely get more business than others,” Obed said. “Some days it’s really crowded and other days there aren’t many people at all. Opening up a business during the pandemic has definitely had its ups and downs but I’m still enjoying every step of the journey. One of the challenges is just continuing to believe that even when business is slow that it will pick back up again.”

Obed is also a very goal-oriented person and told me about some of the goals he has set for Juice Mart.

“Even though things have been very tough for the food industry during the pandemic I want to make sure that Juice Mart keeps growing,” Obed said. “One of the big challenges is attracting new customers and I know that it can take a while to gain people’s trust. I know we’re getting there though. I want to open a new location every year and I have some short-term goals too. I want us to have 1,000 followers on Instagram soon [they’re up to 400 so far.] I also want us to have 200 Google reviews.”

He focused on the positives for Juice Mart despite the pandemic.

“My favorite thing is working and becoming a part of the Red Hook community,” Obed said. “There are so many nice people here and a very chill vibe. We’re a young group that’s into health and art and we’re looking to make a positive impact on the community.”

HOOKED ON PLANTS

I spoke with Charly and Chris of Hooked on Plants, which just opened up a few months ago at the corner of Van Brunt St. and Verona St. in Red Hook.

“I started as a contractor but it has always been a dream of mine to do something Earth-friendly,” Charly says. “The pandemic was really tough on everyone but it also opens up your mind… And I thought what better way to give back to the Earth than plants. They kept doing their thing during the pandemic while everything else was shut down.

Charly also opened up another plant shop on McDonald Avenue. He’s hopeful that over time the businesses will grow.

“That’s one of the biggest things for us right now,” Chris said. “We just opened up so the big thing is hopefully getting the word out there so more people know about us.”

“Before the pandemic I was working at a market. During the pandemic, a lot of workers were laid off and I ended up losing my job. I took the chance and I’ve enjoyed learning how to take care of all of the different plants. People stop by to ask me questions and I love answering them.”

WINDSOR TAVERN

The Windsor Tavern is located at the corner of Prospect Park West and Prospect Ave and just opened in September. David and Julia are the owners, and their chef is Peter.

“I’ve always liked to cook and thought it would be fun to have my own place one day,” Julia said.

“I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for 12 years but with my kids going off to college it felt like the timing was right.”

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“I used to be more interested in a deli or grocery store but that’s saturated already,” David said. “I lost my job and that got us thinking about other things.”

“Right before COVID hit, we were close to becoming the owners of an already-established business but suddenly the whole world changed,” Julia said. “Instead of taking over a business, we ended up starting our own.”

They talked about the many challenges that they’ve been facing.“

There are a lot of requirements and the city is enforcing really strictly now,” David said. “The rules have been in place for a while but they now they’re enforcing those rules really strictly. One example is we had to fix the venting system in the kitchen. We’re also still waiting to get our liquor license but fortunately, we have a temporary one.”

“The other really big challenge is we’re short-staffed,” Julia said. “ We’re doing the best we can but right now we’re only open at dinner time. We hope to soon be able to open earlier and serve other meals. A positive is we’re a close-knit group and everyone here is great.”

“One of the things that has helped keep us going is the New York City Department of Small Business Services,” David said. They’ve made a difference and the biggest positive has been the neighborhood. We love being here because it’s a great mix of people who have lived here for a while and others who are just moving in, which reminds me of Red Hook.”

“People here really care about us and want us and want us to succeed,” Julia said. “They tell us ‘we’re rooting for you and hoping for the good things ahead!’”

UNITED SANDWICHES OF AMERICA

Next I spoke to Brooke and Eric of United Sandwiches of America, located right next to Valentino Pier.

“We were both working on Broadway as theater managers and we lost our jobs when the pandemic hit,” Brooke said. “My dad had a restaurant and Eric had a restaurant in Florida [we’re both from Florida,] so it was in our backgrounds. We had this idea where you could get foods from all 50 states and we bought the property from Steve [of Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie.] We opened on July 15th.”

“We learned a lot and did catering while working on Broadway which helped prepare us to put this together,” Eric said. “It’s also been great to have Steve here, he’s been a mentor for us, and he and wife Victoria have helped us out a lot.”

Still, starting their own business during the pandemic certainly hasn’t been easy.

“One of the tough parts is there are only two of us and there are a lot of things we’ve got to do every day,” Brooke said. “We’re also not a Van Brunt St., which is where most people go when they come to Red Hook. We formed an alliance with some of the other businesses in the area to try to make sure people come off the beaten path and find us. We call it the Valentino Pier District and so far that’s been going very well.”

“One of the great things is a lot of local people have been visiting us on a daily basis,” Eric said. “We were expecting to have tourists come here but it’s been a really pleasant surprise to have so much daily, local support.”

“We also love being in Red Hook,” Brooke said. “We lived in Park Slope for 10 years and we had been to Sunny’s here in Red Hook before but we were actually thinking about leaving the city. There’s peace and calmness here and it’s great being right on the water but at the same time, we’re still right in the city. I definitely don’t miss taking the subway to work during rush hour.”

“My parents were always really involved in our community growing up and we’re really happy to be a part of the Red Hook community now,” Eric said.

TAVOLA ITALIAN MARKET

Pascual of Tavola Italian Market, located on Court St. between Douglass and Butler seem to have a hit on their hands.

“We opened up seven months ago and we decided to have the market here because have friends living in this area and we love it here,” Pascual said. “We were living in the Bushwick, Bed-Stuy area and we moved here.

He spoke about the challenges he and his family faced during the pandemic.

“The toughest part is there was so much uncertainty,” Pascual said. “It was a really complicated situation but once the city started re-opening we moved here and opened the store. My wife and my children work here too and my brother-in-law actually co-owns the market. We moved to the U.S. from Venezuela a few years ago and we feel very comfortable and welcome in this neighborhood.”
The toughest part for Pascual was getting through the uncertainty during the pandemic but he has had a very positive experience since opening up Tavola Market in Carroll Gardens.
“The customers have been very supportive and very kind,” Pascual said. “Their feedback has been positive and one quote that really meant a lot to me is one customer said ‘This store is like Disney World for Italian product lovers.’ I just want to say for my family, that we are so happy we changed our lives and moved here. We’re so thankful. The work here for us isn’t work; it’s pleasure.”

Brian Abate