Maria Newsom - Bklyner

Essential Business: Ajwa Grocery Carries On

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

For Women, from Women: Jazeeba Beauty Salon

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

The Art Studio Under The El Where Everyone Shines

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 – Carrying on a 120 year long legacy

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

Neighbor Spotlight: Double High Five, Keep it Alive!

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: A Path to True Fitness For Rebels At Heart

“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

Always Smiling – Three Generations of Dentists, Stories and Holiday Cards

(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

Confectionately Yours – Conversation With The Son-Of-A-Son-Of-A-Candymaker

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

Brooklyn’s First 24 Hour Diner Still Going Strong Six Decades Later

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

Yakhil Yakubov On Uzbekistan, Democracy, And Unclaimed Shoes

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

Leo Lee: Serving Our Community For 66 Years, From The Kitchen Of New Toysun To The Aisles Of Discount Plus

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/