Maria is a contributing writer at Bklyner, with a focus on human-interest stories. An archive of these stories, as well as articles written for other publications, her blogs, and family-friendly recip
Business
Ajwa grocery. Maria Newsom/BklynerOn ordinary days, the AJWA Grocery at the intersection of Coney Island and Foster Avenues in Midwood, does a lively business. Catering to a largely Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indian clientele, and a growing Uzbeki community, customers come for the well-stocked shelves of grains, beans and basmati
Business
Jazeeba salon, Maria Newsom/BklynerMIDWOOD—The mixed-use architecture which defines the stretch of Foster Avenue from MacDonald to Ocean Avenues, pairs storefronts below, with apartments above, and hums with humans from Azerbaijan to Zambia. There’s a Bengali bakery, a Central Asian specialty market, a Dominican convenience store, Mexican bodegas,
Arts & Culture
Artist and sculptor Emin Guliyev helps student with the body of a horse. Photo courtesy of My Way CenterKENSINGTON – When a mom from Moscow suggested our sons try an art class together, I thought: Why not? Maybe he— unlike the rest of us Newsoms—can actually draw more than a
Business
Marine Florists [http://www.marineflorists.com] at 1995 Flatbush Avenue, where Flatlands meets Marine Park at its northern tip, has been delivering flowers for every imaginable occasion – as well as “just because”- for 120 years. It’s 6 o’clock on a Sunday evening, and co-owner George Tsentzelis starts
Events
Thank you to our reader Lori Goldkind for suggesting this interview. Know a neighbor you’d like to see recognized in Bklyner? Let us know! We’d love to tell their story too. Cathy McDonnell LaCognata, president and sole owner of Training for Warriors BrooklynMARINE PARK – A good fitness coach
Business
“CrossFit is very primal. It stimulates the central nervous system.”Photo by Lisa HaefnerMaria has been doing epic profiles for us of places like George’s Diner [/georges-restaurant-neighborhood-diner-going-strong-six-decades-later/], JoMart Chocolates [/confectionately-conversation-son-son-candymaker/], Leo Lee [/leo-lee-serving-our-community-for-66-years-from-the-kitchen-of-new-toysun-to-the-aisles-of-discount-plus-ditmas-park/] , and The Moshmans. [/always-smiling-three-generations-dentists-
Big Story
(left to right) Dr. Andrew Moshman, Dr. Howard Moshman, Dr. Stanley Moshman (Photo by Margaret Wheeler-Frothingham)BROOKLYN HEIGHTS – I wanted to make life easier and find a new dentist, but mom balked: “You can’t give up the Moshmans, just because you moved to Midwood.” I’ve been making this
Business
Jomart Chocolates, 2917 Avenue R, Brooklyn NYMARINE PARK – I pull in front of an unpretentious ‘60s modern storefront at 2917 Avenue R, and enter what I momentarily mistake for a toy store, because of the explosion of color and playful form, except then there’s that aroma… No mistaking it.
Big Story
George’s Diner on Coney ISland Avenue (Photo Liena Zagare/BKLYNER)DITMAS PARK: George’s Diner on Coney Island Avenue is legendary. It was the first in Brooklyn to open 24 hours. And at a time when we seem to be reporting on the closure of one old-school diner [/neighbors-bid-farewell-bensonhursts-vegas-diner/
Business
It’s rarely a simple transaction when you visit Yakhil Yakobov, the cobbler of Foster Avenue. You don’t just hand him two sawbucks to get your Timberlands resoled, or a five dollar bill for a new watch band. It’s a conversation with Yakhil too. The store is small.
957 Coney Island Avenue
Photo by Maria Newsom/Ditmas ParkCornerMy niece is graduating high school. I want to send a card. The kind that you lick to seal, the kind that can hold a check from a proud Auntie. I pop in to see Leo Lee at Discount Plus [http://www.yelp.com/biz/