Gustavo ‘Goose’ Montenegro, owner of Headrush Barbershop: NY1’s ‘New Yorker of the Week’
A Greenpoint business owner has been named NY1’s ‘New Yorker of the Week.’ Gustavo ‘Goose’ Montenegro caught the attention of NY1 after offering free haircuts at his business, Headrush Barbershop (164 Huron St.), to furloughed workers during the partial federal government shutdown, which left workers without a paycheck for a month.
Montenegro tells NY1 that a longtime customer who works as a TSA agent inspired his offer: “He came in and asked if I could give him a free haircut because times are hard, he wasn’t getting his checks. So, for me, it was a no-brainer because he’s like family.”
Headrush Barbershop has been in Greenpoint on Huron Street for over 20 years and is open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
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.
Manhattan Avenue isn’t the only Greenpoint shopping corridor experiencing a rapid change in its businesses. The stretch of Franklin Street from N. 15 Street to Commercial Street has seen a shakeup in the past year with the closings and openings of longtime and new businesses. Here’s the latest:
Greenpoint Beer & Ale Co. (7 N. 15th St.) and Northern Territory (12 Franklin St.) share the same block that is soon-to-be-razed to make way for a new office building. Northern Territory is closed for the winter and will reopen for the final year at its current location this spring. Meanwhile, Greenpoint Beer celebrated its final night on New Year’s Eve at its current location and the owners are busy preparing their new 1150 Manhattan Ave. location for a tentative spring opening.
Just across the street from Northern Territory, the House of Vans (25 Franklin St.) concert venue and skate park opened in 2010 and closed last August with a goodbye set from NYC legends Interpol. The space is now on the market for $77,000 per month.
(Courtesy of House of Vans)Shayz Lounge
Shayz Lounge (130 Franklin St.) announced on Thursday that January 20th will be the neighborhood bar’s final night of operation after spending a decade in Greenpoint on Franklin Street. Continue reading →
