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I am quite familiar with the northeast corner of Henry and Union Streets in Carroll Gardens. I've eaten many a slice of pizza there over the years, first at Nino's, a neighborhood institution that closed in 2007, and then at its replacement, the not-dissimilar Francesco's. A recent rent shake-up caused Francesco's to move and reopen in what was once half of its former space, on Henry Street; the other half, on the corner, is empty for the time being. Going into the new half-Francesco's recently, I spotted on the wall the above photograph, which told me something about the corner's pre-Nino's history. That the area was once occupied by a candy store and a dairy shop of some sort is less interesting to me than the look of the building in this 1940s photo. Today, the two, two-story storefronts attached to those two Henry Street brownstones are covered in nondescript red brick. They are not attractive. In this photo, however, the two storefronts are just gorgeou...

Gloria Florist on Court Street, one of the oldest businesses in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, has closed. Sal, the elderly owner of the shop—which started in the 1940s—recently died. The family hopes to rent the space to another florist. The business didn't look that old, but if you were eagle-eyed, you could discern its age from the lovely terrazzo rising-sun design on the stoop just in front of the entrance. Accounts of the store's history vary. Some say it has been in the same location since the 1940s. Some say 1938. Others have told me it began on Columbia or Henry Street and moved to Court Street in the 1970s after the BQE killed business on that side of the neighborhood. The closing of Gloria brought to mind all the old Italian businesses that have been lost since I moved to Carroll Gardens in 1994. Helen's Italian Restaurant, Fratelli Ravioli, Rainbow Deli, Renaissance Pharmacy, Carroll Gardens Pharmacy, Cammerari Bakery, Rapid Valet Dry Cleaners, Joe's Restaurant, ...

Mastellone Italian Deli, a quiet, unassuming mainstay of old Italian South Brooklyn for 80 years, closed without notice on Aug. 1. As Brooklyn Paper reported , owner Vincent Mastellone had had enough, and couldn't convince his son to take over the family business. So he contacted the embattled owners of the nearby Pacific Green Gourmet Food and offered them the space. Pacific Green, located at Court Street and Pacific, is currently in dispute with its landlord, who wants to shove out the grocer and give the space to J. Crew. Nice of old Mastellone to think of another local indy vendor as he makes his exit. Lord knows, he could have easily courted offers from the big banks or Rite Aid. Housed in its squat, red-brick, one-story building, Mastellone never looked like much. In fact, it's facade was downright crummy. Only locals, and newbies who did a little prying, knew that this was one of the oldest businesses in the area. Mastellone—like Gloria Flower Shoppe, Monteleone Bakery, ...