In Advance of Hurricane Sandy, Business was Bustling on Cortelyou

As Brooklyn braced for the brunt of Hurricane Sandy Monday afternoon, no doubt most Ditmas Park residents remained safe at home. 

But quite a few flocked to Cortelyou Road, Church Avenue and Foster Avenue, to get a dose of fresh air and perhaps a good cup of coffee, before being cooped up became a necessity. 

Around 2:30 p.m. on Cortelyou Road, popular spots such as Qathra, The Farm, Connecticut Muffin and San Remo were still open, although Qathra and Connecticut Muffin closed at 3 p.m.

“We’ve been packed,” said Connecticut Muffin assistant manager Rudolf French. He said people didn’t say why they chose to come out in the storm, but noted that in the morning there were “a lot of kids,” who were likely going stir-crazy at home.

French, who lives in the East Village said he had no trouble finding a cab to get to work, but noted that the entire way over “I didn’t see a single person on the street.” Eerie, even for 4 a.m.

Kira Kenichyn, an adjunct professor of education at Hunter College poured over notes at the café and her laptop as the weather worsened. 

“With schools closed, everybody is at home, and I needed quiet to work,” she said. 

Outside on Cortelyou Road, a couple walked leisurely bye wearing head-to-toe rain gear, with the male half of the duo in bright yellow and the female all in black.

Asked why they were out, Kasey Gordon gestured at her husband, Scott, and said, “He gets antsy.

“Plus,” she added, “I’m eight-months pregnant and need the exercise.”

Sam Levine said he would keep Cortelyou Hardware open its regular hours.

Sales of tape, flashlights, batteries and candles were brisk on Sunday, but few customers showed up on Monday, he said.

“I’m going to be here until 6 p.m. and see what happens,” he said, adding, “If I can’t get home I’ll sleep here.”

Over at The Farm On Adderley, manager Tom Kearney, looked quite surprised when asked why he was not only open during the storm, but intended to re-open from 5-11 p.m. for dinner.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We’re a business.”  

The majority of supermarkets, bodegas, gas stations and 99-cent stores in the neighborhood were also open, including the Flatbush Food Co-op (which closed at 3) and Met Food. Natural Frontier and Lark on Church Avenue were closed.

Off the major avenues, things were quieter. Several large limbs had fallen, but no damage was spotted.

On Stratford Road at the corner of Slocum, Nechama Zango swept leaves away from the storm drain as wind whipped her hair in front of her face.

“This whole area gets flooded all the time,” she said. She hopes the effort will make a difference but noted that she swept the leaves away Sunday only to see them back on the drain Monday.

On the other side of the neighborhood, at the intersection of E. 18th St. and Avenue H, Orlando Carlyle was driving around looking for a parking space—one that isn’t under a tree, a tall order in Ditmas Park.

While living in Maryland, a tree limb fell on his car, something he hopes not to repeat.

“Trust me,” he said, taking the time to warn another driver. “You don’t want to park under a tree.”