Neighbor To Open Arts & Crafts Shop With A Café & Garden At 1219 Church Avenue

Updated March 30: Beth has just unveiled the name of her shop — Kettle and Thread! You can follow its progress, as well as contact Beth, on the shop and cafe’s Facebook page.

Original post: We just got exciting news from neighbor Elizabeth Barraclough, who will be opening what she told us will be “an arts and crafts shop with a café, live music and a garden” at 1219 Church Avenue, between Argyle and Westminster Roads, which was previously home to Richie Rich, a Caribbean restaurant that closed earlier this year.

Our neighbor let us know that she’ll soon have her website up and running, which will announce the space’s name and give updates on the shop’s progress and potential opening date that is expected to happen late this spring or early in the summer. Additionally, Beth said she will be hiring and will soon be posting a help wanted sign at the space.

“I’m putting my heart and soul into this, so I really hope others enjoy it once it’s all set up,” Beth wrote to us.

Before the shop debuts, we wanted to catch up with our neighbor and find out what she’s planning on doing with her new venture.

What kinds of food/drinks are you thinking of selling?

We will be offering home-cooked comfort foods. It will be a simple menu. For instance, there will be made-in-house soups and bread and a very special sweet treat from my German great-grandmother’s recipes. We’ll also have pots of tea, great coffee and some lovely iced drinks for the warmer months too.

As for the arts and crafts, at first we’ll have a nice assortment of yarns with crochet/knitting supplies, some basic sewing and needlework supplies, and some other really cool crafting kits that will encourage the young and old to try something new. I’m even designing a crafting space with a crafting bar, where people can come in, sit down and learn to knit, for example. We’re going to have lots of clubs and classes for both adults and children and my plan is to offer after school fun clubs for the ‘tweens and teens in our hood.

What inspired you to open this business? What do you love about the location?

This has been something that I’ve wanted to do since before I can remember, a childhood dream of sorts. The location is perfect because it is on a wonderful avenue just a couple blocks from the park and in our neighborhood. I hope to encourage all of my neighbors to come on down and linger for a while at the craft bar, by the piano or in the beautiful garden.

What’s your own background? Is this a new adventure for your or have you done something similar in the past?

I have been a stay-at-home mom of three amazing and beautiful boys for the past 11 years. Through these years, I have enjoyed being an Airbnb host for people from all over the world, I have cooked for and served large gatherings of family and friends, and I have sold my creations at different stores in Brooklyn. Prior to being a mom, I had various, really cool careers but I always enjoyed working in restaurants, and at a younger age I learned to sew by working at my godmother’s shop. This is a huge new adventure, both scary and exciting, but truly an opportunity for me to bring all of my experiences together.

Do you think you’ll be holding events in the space (music, literary readings, etc.)? If so, what kinds of events would you like to host?

Oh yes. We’ll have live music regularly. There will be lots of creative stuff happening! Mostly, I want to foster a sense of inclusiveness. My hope is to hold space for topical discussions, as well as host poetry, art and literature events.

You’re hoping to open the space in around May or June? Can you give us a glimpse as to what the inside will look like?

I can’t give you a literal glimpse yet but a virtual glimpse would let you see a combination of old and new, with some gorgeous furniture from Build It Green that I was so lucky to find, all situated in a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere with a whisper of creative buzz in the air, very much like our neighborhood.

When you think of your dream of dreams for this new business, what does it look like?

A community gathering space for neighbors to come together, share great food, listen to good music, and make things.

Many congratulations to Beth, and a big welcome to our neighborhood’s crafting bar and cafe duo!