Monday, January 28, 2013

Coming Soon: New Indie Coffee Shop?

This is not a done deal, but I wanted to share with everyone some potentially very exciting news for Forest Hills. I've been contacted by a reader who says an independent coffee house may be opening as early as this spring in Station Square. The place could even potentially have outdoor seating. If this does come to fruition, I think it has the potential to be one of the best developments for our neighborhood since La Boulangerie opened its doors a couple of years ago. Stay tuned over the coming weeks for more details!

In the meantime, the proprietor says he is most interested in any feedback from local residents. He wants to know how interested people would be in the idea and any other suggestions you all may have. The floor is open... What do you all think about getting our very own indie coffee place to curl up with a nice hot cup of joe, or spend some time hanging out with friends?

68 comments:

  1. This would be incredible! If done right, this is exactly what this neighborhood needs. I think the location is a perfect choice as well. A place like Cafe grumpy would be ideal. Great espresso drinks and pour over coffee. Seating would be imperative, as that is what is missing here in forest hills. Also, the outdoor seating idea is fantastic. I see the face of the neighborhood changing in the short 3 years ive lived here and it is for the better. Maybe an idie coffee place would not have worked 5 years ago - but now I think the population is demanding different things. Anyway we could contact potential owner directly?

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    1. Think about including a jazz evening.

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  2. if he does single brew cups, i'll go there. i go to starbucks on a regular basis.

    and sometimes i'll hit a few places in manhattan i know that do single brew cups of expensive coffees from around the world

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  3. I recall a lovely cafe several years ago in Station Square. It was a lovely oasis with a few tables outside. Unfortunately, it didn't attract much business and closed quickly. I hope that a new place could succeed. One on Austin St. would have a better chance for success.

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    1. They need some special cachet if they want to draw enough customer. A bathroom, gluten-free snacks, free wifi and maybe a "Moms Hour" where parents with young kids would be encouraged to come in, spend money and meet each other, would all help.
      With the LIRR right there, it could be a way to entice and welcome people to the neighborhood for more shopping.

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  4. If they will stock gluten-free goods, I'd go there several times a week. An increasing number of people have celiac disease or choose to eat gluten-free and Forest Hills, as usual, is way behind the times. Currently, I spend a lot of my money in Astoria, which has modern products such as GF pizza and baked goods.
    If it has a bathroom, I'm all for it. The last thing we need is more people relieving themselves in public because Americans think people don't need to go to the bathroom when they're away from home.

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    1. I second this! My husband has celiac's and it is nearly impossible to find anything in Forest Hills that's gluten free (other than Bareburger). If there are gluten free options, dessert, seating, and at Station Square, we'd force our friends from other boroughs to hang out here.

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  5. I think Station Square could be a tough location since it's a bit off the beaten path and may not attract as much street traffic as if it were on Austin, but I LOVE the idea and would gladly tell the potential owner so if the opportunity arises!

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  6. I think the great idea is that it's off the beaten path. Nice surroundings. Love the idea. Bravo!

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  7. where in station square? there's nothing open.

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    1. It would be in the store between the Christian Science Reading Room and Terrace Realty

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  8. Crossing Queens Blvd.January 28, 2013 at 1:12 PM

    Unfortunately, I think the location is horrible. If it is in Station Square by Dirty Pierre's at least it has some visibility. By the Christian Science Reading Room & Terrace Realty it is dark and gloomy and way too far from Austin St. foot traffic.

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    1. The person did tell me there is space in the back as well for outdoor seating, near the nursery (not sure what nursery they're talking about, but that's what they said.)

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    2. If it is good, people will come even though it's not right on Austin St. This would be amazing at any time during the year. Plus, people who are traveling by LIRR or waiting around to pick people up can stop by.

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    3. The nursary is at the end of the row, next to Terrace Realty. It was a plant nursary that was closed down back in 2001 or around then.

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  9. Wow funny how I told someone how I was working on this. They must of tipped off someone richer than me. The description, although not rocket science, is my idea to the T in the EXACT location. Maybe this person will contact me and we can be partners because I have a LOT of workable ideas and my other half has a business already with the open lines of credit!

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    1. Keep in mind that this person is only thinking of opening this place, it is not a done deal yet as I wrote in the original post.

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    2. Regardless, I just mentioned it to another biz FHG owner. So either they are referring to me (which I doubt) or they are "thinking" of doing it now.

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    3. Why would you partner with someone who "tipped off" your idea?

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    4. Hey, if they have the money I could not get....

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    5. But if you have access to lots of credit I don't understand how someone who is "richer" can swoop in a steal this from you. You seem to have a chip on your shoulder. If you really want this to happen, fight for it and make it happen! Since it is not a done deal you have a chance as long as you are willing to give it a try rather than blame someone else and have a pity party. From the responces on this post you can certainly see that many people are into the concept.

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  10. if they have non-coffee drinks too (hot chocolate, apple cider, other homemade specialty drinks if they can be creative).

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  11. Oh please let it be true! I would love to sit in the Station Square and enjoy a cup of joe and desert.

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  12. If you walk into the gardens right after Terrace Realty, there is a small building with a fairly large greenhouse. It hasn't had a tenant in about 15 years. That would be a brilliant venue. Even more so for me because I live three blocks away and I have Ceiliac too! ;)

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  13. Can we get something like Grey Dogs Cafe (http://www.thegreydog.com/) in Forest Hills? Love that place it's just too far to go to the city for coffee/breakfast

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  14. Yay for independent restaurants and stores! I love getting chains in to attract people, sure, but small businesses are so much nicer if done well. Example: La Boulangerie.

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  15. Must. Have. WiFi. And maybe frozen yoghurt. And at least some of the desserts should be low calorie.

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    1. Since there are now at least 3 places with frozen yogurt (Oko, Yogomonster, Vanilla Sky, and isn't there also a red mango somewhere?), I think we could do without it in one place. Seriously, more than enough places.

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  16. This is incredible news. More than anything else, we need an indie coffee shop in the neighborhood (with decent amount of seating). The recent success of La Boulangerie should be a good indicator that the neighborhood will be receptive and the place will be successful. Station Square (a missed opportunity to be an amazing semi-public space) is a beautiful location and needs something just like this, though I guess there will be a risk that some Austin St. foot traffic would be lost. I am confident that people would come and it would be very successful, if done right - with very good coffee (Cafe Grumpy is a good standard)above all. So many of us are hungry (and thirsty) for non-Forest Hills type places.

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    1. I love this idea! Especially the outdoor seating area!

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  17. do men curl up ..really? lol

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  18. let the hating begin, but i think the location is terrible, as well. unless you live on greenway, it's not exactly on the way to the LIRR before the morning commute, and unless you're looking for it, you won't stumble upon it. turning the nursery into something other than an eyesore would be a nice idea, but betting the FHGC might have some strict aesthetic guidelines that may make this inoperable.

    to that point, getting rid of dirty pierre's [and that trashy mooning santa at Christmas] and putting in a coffee shop there would be a delight. jade is way too enormo for the clientele it gets, a redesign to put a coffee shop in there somehow would be lovely as well, especially with the room in the back that i believe has a patio.

    and while i'm not taking a swipe at the idea of a place for all to come and congregate, i don't live in park slop for a reason, where it's a homogenous yuppie mommy brigade. hopefully new life in FH will be a place where all can feel like the neighborhood hangout is welcoming. i would go nowhere near a mommie-and-me hangout if that what this new place turned into.

    like i said, let the hating begin.

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    1. It would be more than just a "mommy brigade" place. The location is nto horrible either. I live in FHG. Trust me.
      -the person who originally had the idea posted above.

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    2. so do i live in fhg. it's a crap location. trust me.

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    3. I Love Dirty Pierres, the burgers are the best in FH. I dont like kids in coffee shops though

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    4. Dirty Pierre's has amazing food!

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  19. Oh, its in that location in station square. It will never happen.

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  20. HSBC is shutting down at 104-70 Queens Boulevard. I printed out a receipt at the ATM showing 0.00 balance as I moved my funds out.

    What would you like to see to replace HSBC at this location by Parker AND Gerard Towers? Area is very desirable and it should be rented out quickly. The branch actually had over 93,000,000.00 of deposits and I bet they will lose some of these when it merges with their other branch.

    I contacted Landlord looking to get access to the property. Other space is being rented for $38.50 a square foot, and $15,000 to $30,000 a month lets say isn't bad for a Property which has held over 93,000,000.00 from depositors inside of it.

    Perhaps they will replace the building OR rerent the space. We will see what happens I guess closer to May.

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  21. Apparently the Station Square property was vacant for a long time but it probably had to do with the scaffolding issues and the like. But since that appears to be resolved it looks like they are finally renting the one remaining space at Station square.

    Not surprised and if it turns out to be a Coffee shop so be it.

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  22. I've always wanted to run a "Forest Hills Book Club" but was stymied by not having a place (other than Barnes & Noble) in which to meet. If this place becomes a reality (and serves good grub), it would be great to have meetings here.

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  23. I am THRILLED to hear this. WiFi would be a must so that people who want to bring laptops could connect to the Internet. Oko recently got rid of their WiFi, Starbucks doesn't always have free seats, and La Boulangerie is noisy and also lacking in seats. Station Square would be a great location -- while off the beaten path as some have said, word of mouth from all who live and/or walk through the Square would do the trick. Hope we see this come to fruition!!

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  24. The fake clothing store next to the tie store on austin would be a great location for a small coffee shop. That place is never open

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  25. I always felt that flower shop/nursery would make a fabulous location for a coffee/dessert place.

    I've also always have hoped/prayed/wished that Station Square would find itself as more of a neighborhood gathering spot filled with good food and quaint places to meet up with friends. With the opening of a coffee shop, that's yet another step in this direction and I couldn't be happier.

    WiFi would be fabulous. I work from home and would love to saunter over with my laptop during a weekday afternoon, grab a GOOD cup of coffee, a snack and be able to sit outside and get some work done.

    Suggestion I have would be to include some dessert offerings (I realize there's alot of competition in that space, but with coffee should come dessert!) and light food offerings such as salads and Panini. Something similar to what the Bistro next to the Movie Theater on Metropolitan offers.

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  26. I would LOVE this! I live on Dartmouth Street and this location would be fantastic. I have dreamed of a coffee shop in that exact location!!!

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  27. My family and I would happily welcome a new coffee shop or cafe, even though we have been regular customers for most of the coffee shops, bakeries & cafes in the Forest Hills area! However, I actually hope that they do NOT offer free Wi-Fi, since it actually limits the available seating in most coffee shops & cafes. It is nearly impossible to get a seat or seats at any of the local Starbucks, since people buy one coffee or snack and then, they take up all the seating using the free Wi-Fi, long after they have finished what they have purchased from Starbucks! The only time free Wi-Fi works well is when there are time limits for the Wi-Fi, or the space is enormous enough to offer seating for all customers.

    The few places we have not tried or returned to are places where there are always overly long waits for seats.

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  28. The best advice I have for the prospective coffee shop owner might be this: Ignore all this advice. Do what you know and love. Isn't that what has made La Boulangerie and Jack and Nellie's such neighborhood gems? They have passionate owners who care about the quality of their products.

    That said, my requests are small: As much seating as possible, stroller-friendly entry and a bathroom. (The latter two keep me out of La Boulangerie more often than not.)

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    1. Ignore all other requests but yours?

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    2. I'm told: "The coffee shop will have Wifi, a bathroom and plenty of indoor seating ...."

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    3. I love the idea - but one big concern I would have as the owner is this: people coming in, buying a coffee, and spending the next few hours sitting there with their newspaper/book/laptop. Result: not enough business for the owner; and for the customers: not enough turnover, new arrivals can't sit down and they stop coming in. Starbucks is en route to other places so people might take a chance. But Station Square requires a detour for many people; will they do it if they can't be reasonably sure of a seat?

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  29. ugg not stroller friendly please..no kids or babies screaming and/or running around making things miserable for the rest of us

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    1. Stroller friendly or not, unruly kids can always walk right in, so you're out of luck. Now stroller friendly would also be wheel chair friendly, which would be great, unless you hate the disabled too.

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    2. oh please! you must be one of those rude stroller folks that think your kid and its stroller is more important then anything else in this world when you are in a public space. A big problem with La Boulangerie is trying to get in there when the stroller folks settle in at a table and leave the stroller in the middle of nowhere and dont even have the decency to move it out of the way when you see the place is crowded

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  30. After reading these suggestions, I think I know what Forest Hills needs. A little levity.

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  31. What a wonderful addition to our neighborhood! If somebody is willing to take the financial risk to open this let's help the entrepreneur stay in business if we value this as a community. Support the business. Some comments have touched on this already but if you plan to stay a while at the coffeeshop with your novel/laptop/ipad etc.(as a coffeeshop would inspire you to) - please buy more than one cup of coffee. While a bit old, this article details the economics of a coffeeshop and outlines what an owner is thinking from a business perspective.

    http://www.slate.com/articles/life/a_fine_whine/2005/12/bitter_brew.html

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  32. Terrible location. And, who wants to sit outside under scaffolding and pigeons. That scaffolding is not going away for years. I heard more scaffolding will be erected over Jade's this year.

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  33. What would be nice is to get rid of the science reading room, and open up a small lounge, with live jazz, light fare, bespoke cocktails, fire place and outdoor seating inthe warmer months. During the day coffee/ light lunch can be served but at night a decent lounge would be nice. There's nothing like it in FH, except Jack and Nellies and they dont have live music and only serve wine. Maybe a place for us adults who dont want to go to a pub/dive bar for a drink.

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    1. Excellent idea! While we are at it can we please somehow get rid of that eyesore of a discount clothing store on continental? Why is that even there?

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    2. Value Depot is there because not everyone wants to pay a fortune on certain items that are vastly overpriced at all the other stores in Forest Hills! Value Depot is NOT just a discount clothing store, since it carries most household items and the store is no more of an "eyesore" than any of the other shops on Continental/ 71st Ave! With the departure of Staples, I would love for another discount office and household goods store to take its place, since we shouldn't have to go to the malls or buy online, just to get office and household supplies, at reasonable prices!

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    3. Sure, why not a Walmart next? ( that was sarcasm). Sorry, I'd rather not have odd jobs and the lot take up space in this neighborhood. They attract the wrong kind of clientele.

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    4. Exactly. Forest hills is not the place for discount stores. At least I didn't think it was. Maybe I was wrong. And yes , it is a huge eye sore. It looks like it belongs in a different neighborhood. Much rather pay higher prices at a nice store than get a discount at this joint or any other.

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    5. "They attract the wrong kind of clientele."

      ...The last time I checked, the people shopping in these stores live in this neighborhood and they are always packed with respectable customers!

      Sorry, but my family and I don't share your disgusting snobbery and vast amounts of money to just waste on paying for a store's beautiful exterior and extremely overpriced Forest Hills rent!
      Why does a store that sells sundries and household goods have to look like Ann Taylor or Benetton?

      It's shallow and materialistic people like you, that stopped Forest Hills from converting the Tennis Stadium into something very practical. The true definition of "eyesores" are the multitude of empty businesses that have closed more than a year ago, that have remained vacant all along Austin St, Queens Blvd, etc. The first sign of a deteriorating neighborhood is having one empty business space after another, for years at a time! The business rents in Forest Hills are completely overpriced and often more expensive than in Manhattan! I'm just glad that places like Value Depot are not abandoned and empty, like so many other business spaces currently are here!!

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  34. For whatever it's worth think Austin street has greatly improved over the last 2-3 years. Much better, nicer higher quality products and restaurants. It is absolutely in need of a make over. There seems to be a divide in the newer/younger residents that treat forest hills like a part of NYC and the older crowd that treats it more like the suburbs. Definitely makes for one of the more unique settings in NYC

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  35. An indie coffee shop in Station Square would be a dream come true! I am getting so sick of the lines, bad service and lack of seating in the chain coffee spots in the neighborhood!

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  36. Lets only allow Gardens residents to get coffe here! This will make it more exclusive. Kinda like the inner section of the 40/40!!

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    1. Yes, let's make it a private membership only club for billionaires from Forest Hills! The exteriors will be made of imported marble and gold. The super trendy cafe, with a 4-month waiting list, will cater exclusively to the snobs that insisted that Value Depot and all discount stores must be banned from Forest Hills! They can pay a $5 cover fee, along with $8 per skinny latte, while they talk about which stores they can ban, since they "attract the wrong kind of clientele!" (aka: minorities, elderly and anyone they don't deem worthy of shopping in Forest Hills!!)

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  37. Great idea!!Jade's success has already shown the support for this sort of venue!

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