2019 brought us Camp, National Grid shutdowns, the almost closure of the L, and an Impeachment charge. Amidst all the stress, celebration and chaos, Bushwick Daily brought you some local news, community updates and artist and business highlights.
We wanted to close the year looking back at some of our favorite articles and memories, catalogued by month. Here’s to remembering some of the greatest hits of 2019, and cheers to looking at an even better 2020!
January – Celebrity Chef Gives Bushwick’s Juno a Makeover by Tiffany Cordero
Former local dive bar, Juno, brought in Celebrity Chef Eyal Banayan to redesign the menu aimed to served Bushwick 5-star food at 1-star prices. In addition to the new fare, Juno itself spruced up the cocktail menu, and renovated their entire interior to retain the family-owned vibe, but at a more elevated standard.
February – Church of Trouble: How an Ex-Dominatrix Started an Interdisciplinary Studio in Bushwick by Becca Beberaggi
While fundraising to produce a workplace comedy pilot centered around co-workers at a Sex Dungeon, Rachel Music switched gears and manifested the funds and passion into opening Schadenfrau. The Church of Trouble, as it’s affectionately sub-titled, produces sex-positive, female-driven comedy, burlesque and performance art shows.
March – How a Cambodian Refugee Started a Bushwick Coffee Empire and Communal Hub by Abigail Koffler
Linda Thach opened Little Skips, local hangout, event space and coffee shop nestled below the J/Z, named for “a theology of taking little skips through life.” The original spot has since closed, but fortunately Thach’s enterprise expanded to Little Skips, by the Halsey Street Stop, two Baby Skips eateries and Little Mo.
April – Bed-Stuy’s Eighth Grade Girls Excel at National Chess Championships and Win Second Place by Erik Kantar
The 8th Grade girls of Success Academy Bed-Stuy won second at the National Chess Championship in Chicago. “If the SA Bed-Stuy Middle School girls have proven one thing though, it’s that Manhattan’s prestigious prep schools and expensive private mentorship are no prerequisite to competing and thriving at the nation’s highest level.”
May – The Life of a Polyamorous Hasidic Swordfighter in Bushwick by Niki Davis
Davis first acquainted with herself with David at a local bar in Bushwick, and discovered that he was incredibly open and wanting to share about his unique life. The Poly Hasidic swordfighter loves ‘non-Kosher’ ladies, although he otherwise observes traditional interpretations of the Torah.
June – Celebrating Local Heritage, Bushwick’s First Official Puerto Rican Day Parade Was a Success by Erik Kantar
Saturday June 9 Bushwick celebrated the first annual Puerto Rican Day Parade. After 15 years of advocating for a local celebration for the vibrant Puerto Rican community in Brooklyn, the Parade marched and partied down Knickerbocker Ave., with a huge afterparty at House of Yes.
July – New York’s First Food Waste Recycling Facility Is Turning Scraps into Energy in Bushwick by Cailley LaPara
North Brooklyn’s CORe converts New York’s food waste into usable energy to be re-introduced into the city’s energy grid. The multi-step process is a unique program to New York City, working towards more sustainable practices and waste elimination produced from the ever bustling city.
August – 8 Romantic Bushwick Restaurants for the Perfect Date by Andrea Aliseda
An infamous Bushwick Daily guide for our recommendations of a romantic meal out; we round-up something for the candle-lighters, the brunchers, the BYOB-ers, and the casual and fancy diners alike, with local haunts like Bombay Kitchen, Mominette, and Faro.
September – Tenant’s Rights Spotlight: How Much Can My Landlord Raise the Rent? by Michelle Itkowitz
This year, Bushwick Daily partnered with Itkowitz and the Tenant Learning Platform to provide better insight on tenant rights and navigating difficult landlord situations. The fourth installment of our article series answered questions from our readers addressing everything from how much a landlord is legally allowed to raise rent, and what actually is rent stabilization.
October – Community Group ‘Our Repro Rights’ Is Hosting a Discussion to Advance Reproductive Justice by Taylor Lhamon
Our Repro Rights organized in response to a lack of education, support and community for POC and LGBTQIA+ folks who are too frequently left out of the conversation of reproductive rights. The collective held a diverse panel this past October, as a safe forum to ask questions and participate in a progressive discussion about safety, rights and community organization.
November – Mural Celebrating the Life of YouTuber “Etika” Unveiled in Bushwick by Shelby Quinn
At the corner of Dekalb and Myrtle stands a mural celebrating the life of local Brooklynite gaming Youtuber, Daniel Desmond “Etika” Amofah. Fans known as ‘Joycon Boyz,’ pilgrimage to Bushwick to remember the ambassador of their community, created by fellow local creatives Double A and Abe Hunter with graffiti artist, kestaadm, and muralist, BKFoxx.
December – Shinobu Kato: Puncturing Sake’s Posh Image One Glass At a Time by Matt Fink
Japanese transplant Shinobu Kato, is brewing up a plan for the second sake brewery in New York. His operation is just himself as of right now, as Kato anxiously awaits permits to open his doors and host eager drinkers looking for local flavors in traditional Japanese form.
Cover images courtesy of Baby Skips Kitchen, Erik Kantar, Katarina Hybenova, and Rachel Music.
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