Once upon a time, over a decade ago, there was nowhere to go in Williamsburg to buy a ceramic pie plate, a digital meat thermometer, canning jars (before they became containers for home take-out), or sundry other kitchen gadgets and necessities for the home cook/baker. Then The Brooklyn Kitchen opened its doors in 2006. The popularity of its first location where the retail later combined with innovative classes on various aspects of kitchen craft brought the need to relocate to its current location at 100 Frost St. in 2009. Here, with a larger space, they could add to their retail and expand their class offerings, stock of unique ingredients, and locavore grocery supplies. Plus they have a full collection of Gourmet magazines starting from 1943 to peruse.
The news broke recently that on July 6th through the end of this year, The Brooklyn Kitchen will operate from a location in Industry City. They have decided to eschew most of the retail angle and focus on hands-on cooking classes and selling knives. (“We will still sell knives, because it’s our one truest love, both in the Williamsburg and Industry City locations,” states their website.)
The L-train shutdown played a role in the decision to relocate.
“We are moving to be able to gain a stable foothold in a part of Brooklyn before the L train shutdown. Our landlord is looking to sell the building, and we wanted to define this move on our own timeline,” said owner Taylor Erkkinen. She also explained about the shift in operations focus, “We’ve really raised the bar for grocery offerings in North Brooklyn, and now that Whole Foods is here, it doesn’t make sense for us to try and compete. We have seen consistent changes in the buying habits of our neighbors, and I think everyone in North Brooklyn has a great knife by now! That’s one problem with selling quality products – they don’t need to be replaced!”
“We love Williamsburg, our family is rooted here, and we will continue to be involved in our community. A lot of our customers are coming from Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and it’s hard for them to get to Williamsburg, and more so once that train shuts down,” said Erkkinen
They will hold on to the Williamsburg space for the time being and will schedule private events, film and photo shoots, etc. There is no closing date set as of yet. Currently there is a clearance sale with inventory marked down up to 50% on most items, while supplies last.
The Brooklyn Kitchen is located at 100 Frost St., Brooklyn, NY 11211| Ph. (718) 389-2982 | Weekday hours: 11am–8pm; Saturdays: 10am–8pm; Sundays 11am–7pm; Holidays: hours may differ
The Greenline 