Brooklyn Farmacy Transitions to Winter

Walking into Brooklyn Farmacy makes Carroll Gardens feel, however briefly, like an idealized swatch of small town. Folks smile and chat over tables, strangers coo at each others' babies, and the Beatles play at just the right volume on the stereo: loud enough to make cheer but not so loud that you can't talk over it.

Brooklyn Farmacy opened in June to much fanfare. The shop's remodeling was featured on the Discovery Channel's Construction Intervention and lines were out the door all summer long. Ice cream was the focus during the warmer months, but now that temperatures are chilly, Brooklyn Farmacy is diversifying.

"This summer, business was constant," said owner Gia Giasullo. "But now we're seeing people come in more on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, when they're giving themselves a treat. We also have a nice little group that comes in after school from 3:30-5:00."

Giasullo is targeting both groups specifically.

For the after school set, the Farmacy now offers a peanut butter and jelly special, and weekend warriors get a plethora of programming.

"We started opening at 10 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fridays are grocery mornings, which is sort of a prologue to this spring, when we're hoping to really bump up our grocery selection. Saturdays are donut day. We get up early in the morning schlepping donuts out from Peter Pan Bakery in Greenpoint. The first week we did four dozen, now we're doing ten to fourteen dozen. We've got a little cult of people who come for the donuts. Sundays are Sticky Bun Sundays. The buns are from Trois Pommes Patisserie in Park Slope and they're fantastic."

Donuts, buns, and PB&Js aren't the only items on offer, though.

"We're not equipped to be a full-service kitchen for lunch or dinner," admits Giasullo. "We really needed to find the right combination of warm, savory foods to offer. We have empanadas from Trois Pommes Patisserie, which we serve with salsa from Brooklyn Salsa Company. We discovered people are very happy to have an empanada and some salsa and then get an egg cream. We also added soups from Naturally Delicious, which are all natural and all vegetarian."

Of course, for the perverse or impervious to cold, ice cream is still available. Since seasonality is a big focus at Brooklyn Farmacy, the flavors have switched from summer's abundance of berries to winter-friendly tastes like eggnog and peppermint.

And the pies, from First Prize Pies, follow the same seasonal model. Last week saw a shoofly pie, which Giasullo describes as "pecan pie without the pecans." 

The diversified menu is a hit with customers.

Jessica Sander says her favorite thing about the Farmacy is that "they have treats for every mood."

Giasullo hopes Brooklyn Farmacy can use the winter's relative down time to increase its presence as a community hub. A knitting group meets at the shop on Wednesday nights and Giasullo is reaching out to PTA and other school and community groups to hold their meetings in the back room. The shop is also available for rent when it's closed on Mondays -- a film is being shot there next week and a fashion designer has booked the space for a gathering soon. Birthday parties are increasingly popular.

Though they don't advertise it, the Brooklyn Farmacy does offer Wi-Fi, in addition to a terrifically pleasant work environment for Carroll Gardens' many home-based workers. Patrons and staff chat, it's easy to get comfortable in the bentwood chairs, and the tin ceiling is lovely to look at.

Mike Fragedis soaked in the atmosphere on a recent visit.

"It's great in here. It brings you back."

You don't have to be an adult, however, to like the Farmacy's vibe.

Penelope Sorrentino, 9, likes "that it looks kind of old fashioned."

"And I like it because it has good food and it's really good to eat at. They have cookies and cupcakes and egg creams. My favorite thing is the mint milkshake, because mint is my favorite kind of ice cream."

Brooklyn Farmacy is adapting, but business is unquestionably slower than it was this summer. Giasullo says that's a good thing.

"We worked so hard this summer that we needed to keep our numbers up, but we also needed to regroup, so the winter lull has really been good for us. We've been able to be a little more picky about who we hire, and now I think we have a really good group.

Lex Pelger, a customer at the shop, agrees.

"The jerks are really sweet."

That's a statement you're not likely to hear anywhere but at Brooklyn Farmacy.