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Joe and Ann Oh are honored by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz during community gathering after the closing of Trusting Cleaners. |
The End of an Era
A community Icon loses to gentrification
For 24 years, Trusting Cleaners, owned and operated by Anne and Joseph Oh, has been more than just a Court Street business. To this formerly scruffy corner of Baltic and Court in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, where the Ohs landed from Korea by way of Paris and New Jersey, Trusting has long represented the neighborhood’s warm and genteel heart. Customers might drop their keys in the Ohs’ drawer, in case they got locked out of their houses. And pictures of generations of children, from birth to graduation and beyond, lined the walls, along with snapshots of men and women in the military.
The Ohs’ children, Theresa and Stephen, were raised here, doing homework on the tiny, wooden desks in Trusting’s tiny vestibule, as Mom and Pop worked. And so, Cobble Hill watched as this family’s American dream flourished, as Stephen became a doctor and Theresa a lawyer.
Now, Trusting is gone.
Rising rents, sadly, forced the Ohs out of business. It’s an old story in this booming area. But the Ohs will not be forgotten.
On March 30, more than 250 people jammed into the Kane Street synagogue to say farewell. Proclamations were presented to the couple by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and City Councilman Bill DiBlasio, honoring them for their service. District Attorney Charles Hynes, known to bring his cleaning here all the way from Sheepshead Bay, paid tribute.
The bittersweet good-bye was tempered by the knowledge that Mr. and Mrs. Oh will remain in the house they own on nearby Smith Street. However, we all will miss seeing the couple working 12-hour days, six days a week, so that all our lives would be that much sweeter.
Court Street is poorer without the labors of this beloved couple. They will be missed. |
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Mazzone True Value joins The South Brooklyn Network
Launches e-commerce site selling Sutherland Welles products
Mazzone True Value Hardware, a Carroll Gardens landmark for more than 50 years, announces the launch of
mazzonetruevalue.com, their new e-commerce site featuring a full
line of Sutherland Welles Tung Oil products.
Sutherland Welles products are a staple of the local Brooklyn woodworking trade and Mazzone True Value is the largest
distributor of their products.
"With the increasing concern over the environment, we wanted to increase the awareness of these environmentally-friendly products," said Matt Mazzone.
mazzonetruevalue.com |
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Mark Ehrhardt of Movers Not Shakers |
GOING GREEN
Movers Not Shakers brings environmentally friendly service to an age-old business
In an industry known for cardboard boxes and dirty, diesel-powered trucks, Movers, Not Shakers! is setting a new "green" standard.
"We are the first moving company in New York to incorporate green moving practices from start to finish," said Mark Ehrhardt, president of the Red Hook, Brooklyn, based company.
The moving industry has long been considered a dirty business, not just for the emissions of their over-sized vehicles. Most packing products are made from plastic and other
non-renewable, petroleum based materials. Even cardboard is slow to break down and requires petroleum to produce and transport.
"All of our trucks run on biodiesel produced locally by Tri-State Biodiesel," Ehrhardt said. Biodiesel dramatically reduces harmful emissions that cause environmental problems such as global warming, acid rain and smog.
Biodiesel reduces CO2 emissions by over 78% compared to petroleum diesel, and is about 90% less toxic than petroleum diesel.
Ehrhardt personally researched and tested green packing materials.
"Some of the products available are enormously expensive and don't even work as well as the traditional products like bubble wrap and packing tape," Ehrhardt said. "In the end, we selected products
that protect customers furniture and belongings."
His choice of GothamBoxes™, made from recycled plastic, replaces hundreds of corrugated cardboard boxes discarded after one use. And since they have interlocking lids, no packing tape is
required to put them together or seal them once they are full. That not only produces less waste it is also a big timesaver. The boxes are delivered a week before the move and picked up 1-2 weeks after
the move. They are washed and immediately put back to use in another move.
Ehrhardt's prices remain competitive, despite the greening of his company.
"Choosing this direction is a sound decision because it reduces our dependence on foreign oil, reduces harmful emissions, gets us closer to leaving the world a better place then we found it,
on some small level," he said.
Ehrhardt started Movers Not Shakers in 2002 and they have grown to become a premier business in New York City. Newly relocated to Van Brunt Street in Red Hook, the company's unique program
to help the environment is a step in the right direction. Ehrhardt knows there is still more to do to bring even his business to a total "green" footprint.
"Until that day, we donate directly to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY an amount calculated to offset the rest of our CO2 footprint," he said.
Visit MoversNotShakers.com |
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What we hear......
THE FUTURE'S 'BLIGHT': NIGHTMARE VISION OF B'KLYN ARENA
NY POST - May 5, 2008: Forget Atlantic Yards - try "Atlantic Lots."
Renderings commissioned by the Municipal Art Society and obtained by The Post reveal for the first time how Bruce Ratner's controversial project in Brooklyn could look - and remain for many years - should the developer continue facing massive delays.
And this vision of the state-approved project isn't attractive - unless parking spaces turn you on.
READ MORE
To learn more, visit HAPPENINGS |
15th Annual Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival
The FREE Festival’s new location on the waterfront at Louis J Valentino Jr. Park &
Pier (Coffey and Ferris Streets in Red Hook) makes a perfect setting to enjoy cool sea
breezes and breathtaking views, while taking in a day of outdoor entertainment and
education on vital community resources. |
Tonight Show auction to benefit Bailey's Café |
Bailey's Cafe and the Tonight Show
The South Brooklyn Network welcomes Bailey's Café as a new member of our site and we invite you to learn more
about the organization.
Jay Leno's online auction of his Tonight Show set to benefit Bailey's Café finished October 5th, selling seven pieces of furniture for $45,100, with
100% of the money going to Bailey's.
Visit Bailey's Café
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Looking for unique Brooklyn Gifts?
The SBstore has neighborhood tshirts, Brooklyn art, and an everchanging lineup of items from our member businesses.
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NEW FRAMED IMAGES AVAILABLE!
11 x 14, 12 x 12, and 20 x 30 sizes
DUMBO Lights! |
Brooklyn Shirts and Onesies |
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Damico Foods
Roasting their own coffee for over 50 years, D'Amico Coffee is available online through their website. |
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Jerard Studio
They make the cow in "Spamalot" and the pigeons for "The Producers". Learn more about this incredible Red Hook business! |
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All material ©2007. No reuse without permission. |
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