I walk a lot. I see. I drive around. I’m aware that in the last few weeks a slew of local businesses are going out of business. I also took a quick look at Here’s Park Slope, that awesome blog that is so good at telling us what businesses are closing, opening, expanding, changing…

I always said that people are addicted to where they live and when a store opens—or closes, it’s big news because it’s an important change to the landscape of our lives.

OTBKB Analysis:

Seems that there’s a lot of motion at the moment. I think it’s because summer is upon us and business can be quite slow in these parts once the summer months set in. Businesses that were not faring well may throw in the towel come summer during a bad economy in an area with atrociously high rents. Just ask any local business: the high rents make it close to impossible to make a living as a mom and pop shop.

You’ve gotta be a real estate firm, a cell phone store or a Starbucks, Radio Shack, and Barnes and Noble to be able to survive these rents.

But there are other reasons for stores to close. Sometimes the owner just decides to move on. That’s the case with two recent closures: Bob and Judi’s Coolectibles (15 years in biz) and Park Slope Florist (40 years in biz). But those aren’t the only recent changes to the nabe. Here goes an OTBKB accounting.

Transformations

Press 195 on Fifth Avenue near Union to become second Zito’s Sandwich Shop

Openings

Cafe Dada on Lincoln Place

Stone Park Cafe event space on Third Street across from Washington Park

Reopenings

Leaf and Bean moving to Lincoln Place sometime soon

Closures

Park Slope Bread is closed

Park Slope Eatery is closed

Park Slope Florist (closing at the end of the month)

Bob & Judi’s (closing July 31)

Let me know what I missed.