Are you tired of lugging your laundry to the cleaners, especially during the cold and wet winters and muggy summers? This was the thought that SpotlessCity co-founder Sonny Bajwa had before thinking that there must be an easier way to take care of his laundry errands. So he created SpotlessCity.

SpotlessCity lets people find every dry cleaner and laundromat in their area, and schedule pickups & deliveries from the cleaner of their choice directly through the site. The pickups and deliveries are absolutely free, so customers always pay the same exact amount that they would if they dropped their clothes off at the store themselves. It’s sort of a GrubHub.com or SeamlessWeb.com for your laundry and dry cleaning.

They launched the site a few weeks ago in Dumbo, Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn and planning to expand to more neighborhoods throughout NYC soon. We caught up with Sonny recently:

Q: Why did you decide to start in Dumbo/BK Heights?

A: Our company is based in Downtown Brooklyn and our entire team lives in Brooklyn, so we always knew we wanted to launch the service here first. When it came to choosing neighborhoods to start in, Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights were natural choices. Even aside from being the two residential neighborhoods closest to our office, which made them convenient, a number of reasons make them a great launching pad for SpotlessCity.

Dumbo is a very entrepreneurial neighborhood that is full of professionals, which means that there are many residents who need their dry cleaning and laundry done and who are willing to try out new services online. In fact, it’s not only the residents who are entrepreneurial; we found one of our first partner dry cleaners in Dumbo — a very savvy and forward looking cleaner that was excited about being part of something new.

Brooklyn Heights is another great neighborhood with a large number of professionals, but none of the people living in those beautiful brownstones and townhouses have doormen, so they could definitely use our service.

We’re planning to expand further in these neighborhoods and then throughout NYC.

Q: How did SpotlessCity begin?

A: I came up with the idea for SpotlessCity late last year after my wife and I divided up our errands and I got stuck with taking care of the dry cleaning. I noticed pretty quickly that while I was out lugging laundry down the street in the snow, she was able to handle all of her errands — like getting the groceries and ordering dinner — by curling up with her laptop and placing orders online. Naturally, I tried to trade chores, but when she wouldn’t let me, I just kept thinking, “why can’t I do this errand online too?”

I ran the idea by some friends, started doing research and talking to dry cleaners. Pretty soon, we got a team together and raised some seed money. Now we’re proud to welcome everyone to SpotlessCity!

Q: What are the challenges you are or will face in growing SpotlessCity?

A: When trying to launch a lean startup, every day brings new challenges that we have to figure out how to tackle! I’ll share a couple –

First: getting our message across to customers effectively. Explaining our concept has been a little trickier than we thought, perhaps because it’s new. Some people confuse us with “Internet dry cleaners” — companies that have swapped a brick-and-mortar storefront for a website. They’re essentially dry cleaners on the Internet competing with local dry cleaners.

We don’t compete with local dry cleaners, we partner with them. In fact, we don’t actually do any dry cleaning or laundry. We’re more of a SeamlessWeb of dry cleaning and laundry. Our mission is to help local dry cleaners connect with their customers online, and let people choose a dry cleaner and schedule their pickup and delivery online.

Second: communicating with some dry cleaners. Earlier this year, we hit the streets and started talking to dry cleaners to get feedback on our idea and whether it was something they’d be interested in signing up for. We learned pretty quickly that a huge number of New York dry cleaners are originally from Korea and weren’t interested in talking to what they perceived to be door-to-door salesmen (I guess that’s what we looked like!).

After getting the cold shoulder a few times, we stopped and recruited a Korean-American friend to come out with us on our research trip. Before we knew it, he was chatting it up with the dry cleaners in Korean, shaking hands with them, and we got all the feedback we wanted.

Congrats to Sonny and SpotlessCity on their launch. If you want to try out their service, you can get 10% off their dry cleaning and laundry with this code: DumboNYCReaders (valid until 1/31/2012 + pickups & deliveries are ALWAYS free). Also see BrooklynHeightsBlog’s article about them.

(30 Henry Street)

(231 Front Street)

The Landmark Preservation Commission reviewed proposed changes for 231 Front Street (Vinegar Hill) and 30 Henry Street (Brooklyn Heights) in today’s meeting. No word yet on the results.

231 Front Street is an Early 20th Century commercial style factory building, designed by William B. Tubby, and built in 1908. The application is to alter the façade, rebuild entrance stairs, and install a canopy. Brownstoner mentioned in October 2011 that the plans for 231 Front Street is to convert the building into office space. (BIS for 231 Front Street)

30 Henry Street aka 28-30 Henry Street is a building reconstructed in 1963 as a factory and store building. The application is to demolish the building and construct a new building. As the Brooklyn Eagle has reported, the proposed new building will be five stories and will contain six residential units with balconies. Additionally, the building will contain underground parking and outdoor space with a waterfall. Currently, the building is home to Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

(Photo from Brownstoner).

If you haven’t subscribed to Brooklyn Magazine and you’re a fan of Brooklyn, I recommend it for the articles. In the latest issue (Winter 2011), there’s an article about Brian Leth, Vinegar Hill House’s executive chef since 2009. We love the fresh ingredients in the dishes there, so it makes sense that writer Aleksa Brown follows him one day from the farmer’s market to the restaurant to watch him create one of his signature dishes, day boat hake. Vinegar Hill House is one of our favorite things around Dumbo. Dinners are well known, but they have an excellent brunch on the weekends too.

Brooklyn Magazine also has a “Neighborhood Power Rankings” piece. There are more than 20 neighborhoods in Brooklyn, but they also mean this to be a fun tongue-in-cheek way to show what’s going on in certain neighborhoods. Their disclaimer: “A 100 percent true and scientific analysis based on various and sundry criteria.”

They said this about Dumbo in this issue: “The repaving of Washington Street with new Belgian blocks is finally, finally finishing up, but now Phase II begins: more street work on Front Street near York, and the demapping of Anchorage Place to enlarge the Pearl Street Triangle.”

 [+]

Ok, go subscribe at Brooklyn Magazine.

Plymouth School in Brooklyn Heights
Entrance through Beecher Garden
Orange Street between Hicks and Henry Streets
Monday and Tuesday, Dec. 5th and 6th, 2011
8:30a-3:30p

Vendors include:

• One Girl Cookies
• Joe’s coffee
• Tata Harper Skincare (will be giving mini facials)
• Anais&i (girls clothing)
• Local designers like Odette Williams (makes amazingly cute silkscreened aprons with little mitts)
• Handblocked baby quilts from Muny design
• Discounts to PinholePress.com
• Beautiful things from Erica Tanov
• Two Organic Tees
• plush baby blankets and khadi covered Love India guide books (twonewyork.com).
• Hand dyed silk lavender sachets & makeup bags from Gift Shop Brooklyn
• Lotta Jansdotter will have totes and home linens in her original designed fabrics.

A percentage of proceeds go towards the scholarship fund at Plymouth School.

A commercial building with 3 loft units at 46 Old Fulton Street just came on the market on Friday. Brownstoner featured one of the 5,000 sqft lofts for rent last month for $12,000 per month, still listed by Awaye Realty. This 1925 built building is 41 x 98.58 sqft with 8 full baths and 16,000 sqft was sold for $2,900,000 in August 2010, according to Everyblock.

There are two commercial spaces on the ground level and 3 floor through lofts, one per floor. The Fillmore listing says that the “side wall has a billboard which can be rented for $15,000 per month.” For 20% down ($1.4MM) and loan amount of $5.6MM, that’s roughly $30k per month of mortgage (at 5%). If half that can be paid for by the billboard, leasing 3 lofts for $5k covers the mortgage.

Is there a hitch? Unless there isn’t an updated Certificate of Occupancy on the NYC.gov website, the listed C of O of the building states that it cannot be used by more than 2 families. Are we reading this wrong? Either way, it’s an attractive building (for investment potential) across the street from what will be Grimaldi’s new home at 1 Front Street, next to the Eagle Warehouse coop building, but with plenty of traffic passing it.

[Update: A reader pointed out, "If you look closer at the C of O pdf, you will see that there are actually 2 distinct properties included in the 4 pages. The latter half, with the 2 families notation, is not for this building."]

(Photos from Awaye Realty)

{NYC.gov BIS: 46 Old Fulton St}
{Propertyshark.com listing for 46 Old Fulton St}

Occupy the Brooklyn Bridge

6PM: I’m sitting in my office working hard to meet a deadline. I was already distracted during the day writing for the occupy movement I support of freelancers who aren’t represented in the labor market, so I was working late. As I’m singing to myself, I begin to hear screaming at one moment, then cheering. At first I figured my partner’s music was just loud, but the cheering continued. I then thought it was coming from a boxing match down at Gleason’s gym right under me but, they are ususlly louder that the cheering I was hearing.

Chanting

7:30PM: The screaming and cheering turns to chanting. With so much time haing passed and the noise becoming organized I realized I wasn’t hearing things and ran to the window. Sure enough right outside on the Brooklyn Bridge hoards or people were marching chanting "Outrage Outrage Outrage!" They bore flags and held up their cellphones as lighters singing "Change when do we want it, Now!"

Bridge Takeover

As the earthquake that rocked us here in Dumbo over the summer I go on Twitter (the people’s news network) to verify the march on Brooklyn Bridge. #OccupyBrooklynBridge. It was offical! I tweeted "#NYC is a big place filled with parks we’ll find another spot to #occupy."

After trying to record from the office window I realized that it wasn’t enough; I can’t tell my children I stood in a building snapping images. As an artist it is my duty to be in the mix and as a citizien my duty to participate in democracy. I ran out the office with my iPhone ready to join the movement.

Welcome to Occupy Brooklyn Occupy Dumbo

As I made it up Washington Street to join the march, the police shouted at those who weren’t on the Bridge to get away, get back & stay off the block. It seemed like Dumbo wasn’t allowed to join from the bridge walk exit. But, that didn’t stop us. Dumbo gathered on the other side of the street still under the bridge, shouting "Welcome to Occupy Brooklyn FINALLY." "Occupy Dumbo!"

It was a sight to see. Helicopters flew as low as the tenth floors near the Dumbo, Washington Street apartment buildings. News 12 plotted their plan of attack for coverage on the Brooklyn side. A man shared the view with a friend via Skype. Urban sound stage’s camera man tried to keep his camera steady and children from Dumbo waved at marchers offering them a warm welcome. Dumbo’s citizens weren’t going anywhere and the police left us alone as were cheered and chanted "Occupy".

Occupy Spirit

Some might think that Dumbo is hardly a neighborhood that needs an occupy spirit but the reality is Dumbo does need it. We have it all, in Dumbo we have small businesses about to be evicted, large global businesses taking over floors but not hiring freelance and job applicants, we have the ghetto, working class, middle class and the F’n lap of luxury all in 5-7 blocks.

Dumbo is a picture frame of NYC. We see what the occupy movement is about every single day. It is great that occupy has visited our door steps. Are we going to unite in support, Dumbo?

Post written by Danii Oliver, Interactive designer and developer. CDO of DAMN Digital Studio, an Interactive Agency in Dumbo Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) is celebrating the opening of its new administrative offices at 334 Furman Street, with an open house on Thursday, November 17 from 6:30 – 8:00pm. Join BBP to toast the beginning to a beautiful park.

Part of the celebration includes a screening of New York’s Next Great Park, a collaborative effort from BBP and BRIC’s Brooklyn Independent Television. New York’s Next Great Park is a documentary that chronicles the design and construction of the first phases of Brooklyn Bridge Park, offering insights on its sustainability features as well as featuring interviews with some of the key figures in the design, planning and programming of the park. After the open house, BIT will air New York’s Next Great Park on Friday, November 18 at 7pm. Tune in to Cablevision 69, Time Warner 56, Verizon 44, RCN 84 or watch online to see how BBP was built on the shores of Brooklyn.

The first webisode is shown above, titled, Brooklyn’s Next Great Park.

Sunday, September, 18, 2011, 10am-2pm.

Explore Membership, Religious School, Community and Events, Women’s homeless shelter volunteer opportunities and Judaica Shop
and meet our Rabbis and current members!

Brooklyn Heights Synagogue- 131 Remsen Street, Brooklyn, NY
www.bhsbrooklyn.org
718-522-2070

SCHEDULE

10am: Study Session with the Rabbi
11:15-12:30pm: High Holy Day Workshops– fun for the whole family! Workshops include:
Shofar Blowing, Music, Challah Baking, Art and Reflecting– appropriate for kids and adults of all ages!

12:30pm: Lunch

(including delicacies from local Shelsky’s Smoked Fish)

Brooklyn Bridge Park yesterday released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for “an operator to construct, operate, and maintain a seasonal indoor recreation structure on Pier 5. The structure will provide active recreation at the Park during the off-season and promote the use of Brooklyn Bridge Park during the winter months. The seasonal recreation structure will be approximately 200’ by 300’, containing one soccer field, situated in an east-west configuration. The structure will be open from December through March.”

Responses to the RFP must are due by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, September 27, 2011. BBP will spend up to $750,000 on construction costs, and will retain ownership of all capital improvements. The 5 acre Pier 5 is scheduled for completion in summer 2012, and will include 3 outdoor, artificial sports turf fields. In addition to the fields, Pier 5 will have a waterfront esplanade along its perimeter, as well as a “picnic peninsula” that will include banquet-length picnic tables, barbecues, a concession, and children’s play equipment. The pier is accessible from a pedestrian path at Joralemon Street, as well as the Park’s main greenway, and the concession structure will be prominently located and directly visible to visitors as they approach the Park from Pier 6 or from Joralemon Street.

RFP for Installation and Operations of a Seasonal Indoor Recreation Facility Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 5 (PDF, large 6.6MB file)

A Dumbo resident sent us an email to warn others about her experience of being attacked by a dog while jogging up towards Hillside Park this morning:

“I want to alert you that I was running up the hill between Dumbo and Brooklyn Heights past the dog park this morning. A large black dog jumped over the fence and started attacking my leg viciously (pic). I was able to run on top of a car to avoid further attack. This is very scary because had I been a small child who knows…. There is a playground on top of the hill that all children in the neighborhood frequent. I was too traumatized to get the owners name. Please be careful especially if you have small children. Pleae alert the neighborhood!”

Pedestrians, please be mindful of dogs, and dog owners, please watch your pets.

This past weekend, a public art project on Furman Street was unveiled as part of the Urban Art Program, an initiative to invigorate the City’s streetscapes with engaging temporary art installations. The art project was commissioned by the NY Department of Transporation via proposals submitted by artists. Debra Hampton was the artist chosen to design the barriers, a mural that runs down the bike lane barriers on Furman Street. We contacted Debra to find out more about the mural and how this project got done. We asked how the community was involved in making this happen. Debra said, “I worked with students from F.I.T.’s Art Collective and also my own assistants to prepare the 40 reusable stencils used for the painting. The actual painting was done by volunteers signed up with NYCares (www.newyorkcares.org) and included several members of the community which was great.”

Can you give us a project synopsis? “[My] aim is to delight and surprise viewers by transforming everyday images, usually targeted to them as consumers, into beautiful unexpected forms. A slight departure from [my] usual mixed-media work of collages, the mural incorporates one aspect of [my] studio process and applies it to the city landscape.”

Check out the mural, titled “Face to Face”, which transforms the otherwise plain barriers into repeated silhouette in bright colors down the entire facade. Great work, and thank you Debra!

(Thank you Jane Kratochvil for the photos).

We know this is not new, but Squibb Park at Columbia Heights and Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heighgts has been open for a month or two. The 70 year old, 0.595 acre park was under renovation and is now a skate park with engineered acrylic floor. No half pipes or rails but a bridge from the park to Brooklyn Bridge Park’s Pier 1 is funded, but no word yet on when construction will begin.

According to the NYC Dept of Parks & Recreation:

“This playground honors Dr. Edward Robinson Squibb (1819-1900), founder of Squibb Pharmaceuticals, later known as Bristol Meyers Squibb…He built the first Squibb laboratories on a site behind the present playground; if you look closely you can still see the name Squibb written on the smokestacks.”

{Squibb Park Open for Skaters, PS 8 Kids, 06Oct2010, Brownstoner}
{Squibb Playground in Lively Use, 23Sept2010, BHB}
{This park is a forgotten ‘Squibb’ no more, 06Oct2010, BK Paper}
{Update on Squibb Park & Bridge, 07May2010, Brownstoner}

September 18, 2010 @ 11AM
Meet at Hotel St. George, 73 Clark Street Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
Tickets $15, available at Eventbrite: brooklynheightstour.eventbrite.com

ENTER OFFER CODE “Truman” to receive $5 off regular ticket price

Brooklyn Heights is one of the most historic and beautiful neighborhoods in all of New York City. Come enjoy this introductory tour of the neighborhood, with stops including the outside of the infamous former Hotel St. George; the scoop on one of most highly regarded private schools in the country, St. Ann’s; the commercial center of the neighborhood, Montague Street; sites from the famous lives of Truman Capote, Arthur Miller, and Henry Ward Beecher; and ending at the Promenade with one of the best views in the city, where we’ll talk about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, a story of adventure, ambition, and ultimately, feminine triumph and a bridge that has become the most beloved in the world.

The Brooklyn Heights Association joins with ISSUE Project Room to celebrate Walt Whitman as part of their Centennial Celebration.

A Special Evening of Music and Poetry in Brooklyn Bridge Park include a special outdoor performance, “I Do Not Doubt I Am Limitless: Walt Whitman’s Brooklyn” and bands including Wingdale Community Singers, Christy and Emily, Prince Rama, and others.

When: Thursday, July 1, 2010, 5pm – midnight
Where: Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 1 Harbor View Lawn (Rain Location: The Tobacco Warehouse)

The event is FREE. For more info, go to www.thebha.org

Wall Street Journal also mentions the BHA event.

Pier 6 officially opens on Saturday, June 5, 2010. It looks to be one of the coolest kid’s playgrounds in the city, which includes a water park, a giant sandbox, swings- both single and double seaters (and Tarzan style ropes), and a long slides on 1.6 acres of landscaped lawn, trees, and tall grass.

There’s also a free ferry transportation from Pier 6 to Governor’s Island for Family Day (Sat, June 5). For information on Governors Island Family Festival on June 5, go to governorsislandalliance.org.

Below photos from the Brooklyn Paper article on Pier 6.

NY Magazine also mentions the Pier 6 opening in the latest issue. Are there other children’s playgrounds in NYC that rival this one?

Pier 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park
(Atlantic Avenue and Columbia Street, Cobble Hill)