Two Things We Could Use in Forest Hills

A Make Your Own Salad place. Yes, I'm still hoping one of these opens in Forest Hills. We've come close - I know a major chain was interested in Forest Hills several years back. But still no takers. With Shake Shack, Bareburger and other chains now open on Austin Street, it's obvious there's certainly enough of a demand for a different kind of fast-casual lunch or dinner option in Forest Hills. Why it hasn't happened yet? Who knows. For now, anyone craving the healthy ease and convenience of something like a Chopt or a Just Salad can swing by Natural, where they have a make-your-own salad station, albeit quite awkwardly set up amidst the checkout line.

An indie bookshop: My calls for an indie coffee place resulted in not one but two opening in FoHi, and right across from each other on Austin Street no less. Surely, we can do the same with an indie bookshop? Now that indie bookstores are experiencing a resurgence as consumers realize e-books just don't always cut it, the thousands of readers here in Forest Hills are left with either going to the library, ordering on Amazon, visiting the newly-opened Kew & Willow bookshop in Kew Gardens or venturing over to one of the remaining Barnes & Nobles in Manhattan or somewhere else. But there is simply nothing like having your own local bookshop in your community. It can become a haven for book lovers, hosting author readings and other related events. And how delightful is it to escape a hot summer day by wandering into your local bookstore, and feeling that refreshing AC cool you down as you meander through the aisles, stopping here and there to pick up a book and just escape from the daily grind?