Big Night (154 Franklin St.), a small store in Greenpoint that sells “dinner and party essentials,” is celebrating its one year anniversary this weekend. Big Night’s owner, Katherine Lewin, opened the local shop last August and is incredibly grateful for the past year.
“I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude,” gushed Lewin. “Without the community and the customers, we wouldn’t be here today.”
To celebrate, Big Night is inviting the neighborhood to a free Ice Cream Social in the store’s backyard on the exact date of Big Night’s anniversary: Sunday, August 28. Complimentary Bad Habit ice cream will be enjoyed alongside special merchandise like a limited edition Big Night t-shirt and Big Night tote bags that are free with a purchase of $75.
Lewin came up with the idea for an Ice Cream Social while thinking about Sundays in late summer. “I wanted to give people a treat,” said Lewin. “An Ice Cream Social is an easy, relaxed, and happy way to come together.”
Lewin, who came up with the idea for Big Night during the COVID-19 pandemic when more people were gathering at home, remembers that opening day in 2021 was “such a whirlwind.”
“You have an idea for a store and don’t know if people will get it… but on opening day, we had a line out the door. I was in complete disbelief.”
Lewin is a Greenpoint local who has lived in the neighborhood for years. “I can’t imagine having opened anywhere else,” she said. “I live here and knew it had to be Greenpoint.”
Lewin continued by saying that “Greenpoint has been central to everything we have done with Big Night. We are that lucky people travel from other neighborhoods to the store, but at the end of the day it’s a Greenpoint shop.”
Big Night’s First Birthday Ice Cream Social will take place in Big Night’s backyard on Sunday, August 28 from 2p.m. – 4 p.m.. If you cannot make the party on Sunday, visit Big Night from Wednesday through Friday noon – 7 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.