Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Get Fresh Is Open For Business!
Our new neighbor is open for business.
The space is huge... open ,clean, simple,
airy, welcoming and not yet finished.
They have big plans for engaging the neighborhood
in their passion for food...
socials, cooking classes, demonstrations.
Excellent, we think.
All the Zuzus lit right up at the idea of cooking classes together.
When we went in to deliver our Welcome Amaryllis
Carol was behind the counter on her laptop.
She gave us the current newly printed out Menu of The Day.
Delicious and Interesting.
In the refrigerator cases, attractively packaged,
are all the ingredients for a restaurant quality meal.
Soups, Salads, Entrees, Desert.
Example:
Steak Au Poivre with Potatoes/ 2-3 servings.
Ingredients are uncooked but flavored.
Instructions on the package are clear .
Cooking time is within a half hour.
So, what we have here is
Mix and Match Gourmet Take Out/Cook In.
Very Nice.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Nicholas Mosse Pottery ...Breakable
This is The Celebration Bowl.
Created to mark the 30th Anniversary
of Nicholas Mosse Pottery...
Handmade in county Kilkenny,Ireland
by Nicholas and his wife Susan.
It has been our priviledge to be one of a very few
shops to offer these one of a kind pieces for sale.
The Celebration Bowl is a Limited Edition,
signed by both Nick and Susan.
Bound to be collectible.
Certainly breakable....as is all our fabulous
collection of Pottery.
Hence, the Sign for the Unattended Child
This is a Test
I've been at this today for several hours.
I can see how one gets drawn into this
Blogthing.
In the last few days
I have had some pleasantly surprising
positive feedback from neighbors,
customers and friends, mostly
regulars at OTBKB as I am..
(Thank you again, Louise).
So, as a test to see who exactly is out there,
I thought i might post this retail relevant
sign...get some Park Slope reaction.
I will probably regret this.
Fleece Roses
These Flowery Fleece Neck Wraps are
designed and manufactured by
our Old Friend and One Time Zuzu,
LizaJaneNorman.
A best seller every winter.
Lizajane has twin daughters ..
born 11/11/88.
I always remember their birthday...
it's a no-brainer.
But, right now I can't remember
if the scarves are $28 or $30.
Great color selections at both
The Big and Little Zu
Happy 100th Birthday Lorraine
Go Green...Moss, Grass, or Spring
In the Spirit of Shop Local
and Go Green, we try to do business
with companies within a reasonable
shipping distance.
We are very happy
with this Hand Made Pottery
designed and produced
just across the river in Jersey.
The Color list is exhaustive
and the names
great fun for us Zuzus:
Delphinium, Tequilla, Tomato,
Papaya, Caribbean, Pumpkin,
Chocolate, Marigold, Sunflower,
Butter, Moss, Grass. And our favorite:
La Vida Loca.
Milk Bottles...$27.00
Dipping Bowls...$15.00
I Love My Dog
I want to include Bear
as a regular in the ZuzuBlog.
A celebrity in his own right,
he spent his first 5 years
as the centerpiece
in our Shop Window
on Seventh Avenue.
He began early on, a fat puppy,
wriggling his way between
and onto the plants and pots
until we gave in and
cleared him his space front and center.
He attracted more attention there
than any other thing we ever displayed.
It is appropriate that we make a space for him
in our new window on the internet.
Velvet and Silk
Saturday, November 24, 2007
My Thanksgiving Favorite
We Are Soooo Ready For "Get Fresh"
Big Changes On Our Block
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
We're Not Getting Old, We've Just Been Around a Long Time
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Party Dresses for Your Table
This is an old photo of our Table Linens .
Forgive me for not having a more current image
of this Autumn's Collection
You will just have to stop by and see what's new.
Both The Big and Little Zu have great cloths, runners,
and napkins.
Didn't this little blog leap from warm and fuzzy history to
merchandising...
The Kitchen Apron and The Women's Movement
We are old timers here at Zuzu's and remember
when The Apron was not P.C. for Park Slope.
Being new at this Blogthing, I hesitate to mention
anything that might raise the vaguest whiff of "AN ISSUE"...
I shudder when i read some of the fuss made on other Blogs and the tone
some people take when they can vent anonymously.
I admire the thick skin Louise Crawford (OTBKB) seems to have
grown and doubt i will ever follow suit.
Aware as I am that The Simple Kitchen Apron has
( historically to some, myself included) dragged baggage on its strings,
I still want to mention, we have some really cute ones for sale.
Fresh from the Market
Meet Cherry Brandy.
She is the perfect Rose For All Seasons in my book.
In the Spring She holds her own next to the fattest Peony.
In the Summer, She is lush like a juicy Peach.
In the Winter, She brings sunshine to the table.
Her real Specialty is Thanksgiving
where next to the pumpkin pie, she passes for part of the desert.
We have 200 of this delicious Rose fresh from the market.
Next week, when the left over Turkey is just a memory,
Cherry Brandy will still be there to remind you
to be thankful.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Thanksgiving 2007
Last week I was looking for some seasonal inspiration and came upon Leo the Appleman. He had the most gorgeous BloodRed Delicious Apples ..right out of Snow White. I bought a case, and while eating them with one hand, I was mixing them with roses in an arrangement with the other.
Thanksgiving 2004
in the early morning of august 26 i sat down at my computer and sent an email to a small group of people telling them of the fire at the store.
i wrote that i was looking for the lesson.
it is 3 months since that morning and i have learned a great deal...
how to read and understand an insurance policy,
how to design a flowershop out of the debris of an old printshop
how to be a general contractor ...practical stuff.
i also learned how much the store meant to so many people. my loss was communal. the enormous outpouring of love and support sustained and enabled me to re-build. it was literally a mandate...up out of the ashes.
this morning i will take bear to the new shop on 5th avenue. it is full of flowers for thanksgiving. i have a picture in my mind of later today ...families and friends gathered around their tables, heads bowed together before the meal to say some sort of prayer of thanks...and in the center my flowers once again there to grace the moment.
the lesson?.... life can change drastically at any moment, something can be terrible and wonderful at the same time. loss and grief can make you strong,everyday is a lesson.
most of all...what goes around comes around and something like that last line from abby road....the love you take is equal to the love you make.
a prayer of thanks from all the zuzus for all of you who have become part of our family.
and now...let's eat!
fonda
Friday, November 16, 2007
Our Friend Jackie Connor
In this picture she is sitting on the front steps of Old First Church, corner of Carroll Street and 7th Avenue.
In her right hand is one of the cigarettes that gave her the cancer that took her from us last year ...way too soon.
Jackie was born and grew up in Park Slope.
Jackie married and raised her family on 7th Avenue.
She was a community activist before this neighborhood knew it was a community.
She was here before the first wave of gentrification, and rode out every change with a single-minded devotion to the quality of life on the streets of her hometown.
Jackie was particularly militant when it came to protecting the interests of the small "Mom and Pop" businesses that flourished on 7th and 5th avenue.
She was an avid deterrant to pick-pockets, shop lifters and petty thieves, patrolling up and down the streets equipped with her camera and notepad, recording data on potentially threatening or offensive persons, which she shared with the local police precinct.
And she was a great story teller,true to her Irish blood.
She would say this was getting too long and really boring.
I'm workin' on it, Jack.
This is not Zuzu
Friday, November 09, 2007
It's a Wonderful Life
Why Zuzu's Petals? or what?
I used to say, for me it was about a confirmation of life and a reality check..maybe that's the same thing.
This will make no sense if you haven't seen The Movie.
Actually, if you haven't seen The Movie, you would have lost interest at hello.
Anyway,
2 days after the fire, our friends Christine and Bill offered their restaurant Cocotte...(french restaurant on 4th street and 5th avenue) for a fund raiser to help start renovating or paying bills or, eating...it took me several days to realize none of the zuzus had any income...we accepted.
They provided glorious mounds of food and wine.
We invited 100 of our oldest and dearest customers to party with us and give"seed money" they could redeem later when we re-opened and were back on our feet.
That night i felt like George Bailey in the last scene of "It's a Wonderful Life".
Letting go
Little Zu
Big Zuzu's Gardenshop
You've Come A Long Way, Baby...
november 9,2007
long story short...it has been 4 years since the fire .
with the love ,spiritual, and financial support of our customers and friends we re-located and built our new shop at 374 fifth avenue. the new space was designed from our wish list for the perfect flowershop . we have settled in very comfortably.
in the beginning, it was like a honeymoon. everyone was very excited to see us recover and restored to business. lots of hugs and visits from the regulars and encouraging new traffic from the neighbors.
truth is, we are off the beaten path and foot traffic is not the way it was on 7th where we sat in the direct line of home from the subway.
historically, zuzu's petals has evolved organically..a.k.a."grown"... in response to changes, shifts, downtimes in the market. our energy right now is focused on creating a website and planting our roots on the internet.
this is our blog.
if my mother was still alive and (miraculously) computer savy, i am fairly certain she would be my only audience.
i'm workin' on it....
fonda