The changes on and around Manhattan Avenue for shopping and dining continue with recent openings and closings.
As announced on their Instagram, streetwear outlet and skateshop Coat of Arms (674 Manhattan Avenue) is closing after this Sunday, Jan. 20. The business originally opened in the Lower East Side in 2006 and relocated to its current Greenpoint location in 2014.
COA owner Aaron Hansen is preparing to move out west to sunny California and the lease is up at the Manhattan Avenue building, he’s also getting married in the spring and is ready for the next chapter. “Right now there is no plan to open a new location in CA but never say never,” Hansen said. He was also planning on keeping COA open through Sunday with the ongoing clearance sale, but the store’s stock is nearly sold out and the winter weather might impact foot traffic this weekend. “We’re almost sold out of everything, it’s looking pretty lonely in here now. Depending on today’s foot traffic and looking at the weather I think we may close Saturday night since Sunday looks pretty nasty,” Hansen said. Stop in on Saturday and wish him farewell.
Just a few steps off of Manhattan Avenue, Norman Cafe (93 Norman Ave.) opened three weeks ago serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with a 100 percent vegetarian menu and many vegan and gluten-free options. The owner Jamal, who has lived in Greenpoint for 22 years, opened Greenburg Deli (236 N. 12th St.) near Mccarren Park (at Urban Rustics’ former space) in 2018, but decided to relocate to Norman Ave. by the G train after seeing slower than expected foot traffic in the winter.
With the location change, Jamal saw an opportunity to serve the neighborhood’s growing veggie food scene: “Most of our sales were vegetarian options at Greenburg,” Jamal said, adding that the vegan burrito with scrambled turmeric tofu, brown rice, black beans, and pico de gallo is one of the most popular menu items so far.
Norman Cafe is open Mon. – Fri. from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekends from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Continuing the plant-based trend in Greenpoint, the wonderful Polish women of Happy Zoe Vegan Bakery (102 Nassau Ave.) also relocated from their original Williamsburg location, in part due to the anticipation of the former l train shutdown, and are serving freshly baked vegan and gluten-free sweets. The cafe is run by a team of sisters and their mother who in addition to the baked goods also make delicious crepes for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Happy Zoe Bakery is open Tues. – Thur. 10 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., and Sundays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.