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Just picked up a fresh pair of sneakers… for canvassing .

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Checking in with… The Blue Roost Petite Cafe in Prospect Lefferts Gardens

Recently, we caught up with our friends Linda Billings and William “Billy” Clark to check out their progress in the transformation of the newly acquired Prospect Park location at 539 Flatbush, into the future site of The Blue Roost Petite Cafe (formerly known as the Homesick Cafe, more on that later).

Linda and Billy have been working on the space for a little over a month now, and when we went to visit, we were utterly astounded by the progress they’ve made over such a short period of time (check the pics below).

They’ve admirably decided to renovate, design and decorate the space themselves, with  little to no outside help. They each have final say on anything and everything,  from the large-scale decisions such as what to name the place, to the smaller nitty-gritty stuff like the color of the tiles on the bathroom floor. Linda and Billy have their hands in every aspect that goes in to creating and opening a cafe from the ground up (which is exactly what they’re doing).

If there’s one thing we absolutely love and appreciate here at Besen Retail, it’s to see the passion and care that a tenant has for their space. In the ever-growing world of corporate America, mom-and-pop start-ups are a dying breed, but our dear friends at the Blue Roost Petite Cafe are doing their part in keeping that spirit going.

As far as the name change goes, some of you may be wondering why the owners have decided to leave the Homesick Cafe behind. The reason for change was simple, people who have heard the name just didn’t like the word “sick” in the name of a restaurant. However, the change is merely cosmetic, and the owners have left the  menu and overall concept of the cafe fully intact. So you can expect the same home-style comfort food to be served, just under a different title.

As always, we wish the best of luck to Linda and Billy, and we absolutely cannot wait for them to open up their doors this fall.

The people of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens will not know what hit them (in a good way).

More updates on The Blue Roost Petite Café will be coming, so stay tuned.

Coffee Shop… Pizza Place… BBQ Joint… Ice Cream… and _______?

The corner of West 11th and 7th Avenue houses Roasting Plant Coffee, Bone-Lick BBQ, Two Boots Pizza, and a Tasti-D-Lite frozen dessert shop. I can’t help but think that something is missing from the near perfect equation of barbecue, pizza, ice cream and some of the best coffee in the city.  We’re trying to fill that void by finding the missing link for our space at 201 W11th Street in the West Village hot-spot. Maybe a wine shop? or a bakery? How about a flower shop to make that corner the perfect place to bring a date? We’re looking for a perfect fit, and we want to hear some fresh ideas.

What do you want to see open up on that corner?

Show us some love and  hit us up with some comments, tweets and wallposts.

-Jerry