Brooklyn ARTery Coming to Ditmas Park

If you are one of the many local artists looking for a place to call home, you might not have much longer to wait. Ditmas Park resident Susan Siegel is on the hunt for a physical space in the neighborhood that could fill the artistic void. 

"We're very rich in coffee houses, great restaurants and places to go to listen to music, but are short on retail," said Siegel, who has lived in Ditmas Park for more than a decade. "There's lots of artists and crafters in the neighborhood who have to leave the area to teach and to sell their work." 

"The Brooklyn ARTery will serve as a place to hold classes and sell handmade gift items, she continued. "It will be a community hub where adults and kids can learn a new skill and at the same time meet new people."

Siegel is aiming to have a shop up and running by the holidays, but added that plans to begin classes and sell art will take effect much sooner than the end of the year.

"Maybe I don't need a physical space," she said, noting that she is also considering beginning a pop-up store of sorts that could be hosted in and around the neighborhood. 

She also aims to begin pop-up classes and an artisan market very soon. "I've submitted an application for a permit, and if approved, the artisan market will be on Rugby and Corteylou [Roads]," she said. 

In the meantime, Siegel is keeping supporters in the loop on her progress and promoting the need for such a space on her blog, which features local artists, designers, and craftspeople whose work will be featured at The Brooklyn ARTery.

"This is something I've always wanted to do," Siegel said. "Real estate prices are high, but I don't want to do it in just any place. It's the right time in my life to do this and I want it to be here."