The Brooklyn Paper reports that Margaret Palca Bakes on Court Street will shut down after a year and a half of business. Businesses are closing down left and right due to the current state of the economy, but Palca chose to blame what she calls the “has-been” quality of Court Street:
“I had such a wrong impression [about Court Street],” said Palca. “It’s just such a ‘has-been’ kind of street. I hoped it would be more popular and more busy, but it just hasn’t been.”
In the words of Jennifer Aniston, that is very uncool. I’ve stepped into Margaret Palca Bakes a ton of times – the store never had anything appealing and the salad bar was quite meager. Perhaps that is what Palca should blame for the closing down of her business, and stop pointing fingers at our beloved Court Street.
If Margaret thinks Court Street is has-been, she should have seen it during the 80s. It’s like the Champs Elysees now in comparison.
Maggie: Get real. Why are other businesses doing well and thriving, even in the poor economy?
People just don’t look in the mirror each morning.
I hate to say it , but the food never looked very inviting . Court St. always has a lot of people around , I doubt that was the real issue.
Wonder if those little rectangular cakes, with labels so small you need a magnifying glass to read which is which, will continue to be sold at Sahadi’s.
Went into her store a few weeks ago, expecting to find her cakes (which are great!) – maybe an even greater selection than at Sahadi’s.
None available of any kind. It seems Diana is right that “the store never had anything appealing and the salad bar was quite meager”.
Her store on Columbia is more inviting and has a better and fresher selection. I was disappointed with her Court St. store – never seemed to find its own niche. Went in several times, but rarely found anything I wanted and was never impressed with what I did buy. I’d inevitably wind up across the street at Marquet where I can depend on the best of all they offer.
I’d suggest boycotting her store in protest, but in looks like the community did that already.
A bit of a history lesson: Prior to the old location of the California Tacqueria on Bergen St., there was a bookstore. It closed and the then-owner complained about the poor location, lack of foot traffic and distance from downtown Brooklyn, all of which he claimed doomed his store. Then, the Tacqueria opened and WHAMMO!-business was booming from the beginning. Suddently, the 30 feet off of Court St was no longer a hindrance and people flocked to the store for great burritos. The store did so well it moved to its current location (where there was previously a video store with not so much business). Again, it did great in the new location. In the old Tacqueria location, the owners put in a hot dog store. The food was lousy, people didn’t go and the store closed. Same locations for all, but starkly different outcomes. Bitch and moan Palca, but welcome to vox populi.
Bottom line from my personal experience: the store was lousy.
I live in the block the store in question is. It’s opening was the biggest disappointment ever. It took over the previous cafe–the name of which I can’t recall–which was closing because NOBODY LIKED IT, and it did not change a thing!!! The layout, the decor, the equipment, the decor and even the staff was the same! Why would you take over an unpopular closing business and open the same damn thing? The coffee was disgusting, the salad bar pathetic… Bob Rowen is right: I thought we would have a bakery outlet with a good selection of fresh poundcakes and other pastries, but nothing like that. It will be good to clear that corner of that dump and get something more worthy of this hood in there.
Glad that everyone is in agreement! Good riddance Palca
I’ve lived directly across from it since it opened and have gone in exactly one time. Uninviting with an identity complex. What the hell is it?! Good riddance.
The reason for Margaret’s “demise” was not Court Streets lack of foot traffic, but her own lack of presence… Or anyone with real coffee house/restaurant experience! Her establishment was run so badly that it was mind blowing! I’ve worked in the restaurant biz for many many years and was blown away again and again at how badly this place was run. How do you expect to make $$$ when your staff is giving away your inventory! I was in line on witness a women place a order a few items, and was floored when the cashier declared $5…. What???? That dear Margaret is why your Court St. store was unsuccessful!
$10/lb for buffet was no bargain either; though the food tasted good, there was obviously no one running it with any business sense. People pay for product, not pretense.
That old bookstore “Frontier Books” which strode the gentrificaton
line of the time on court looking down to the Smith Street WildLands. He had a great selection of anarchist, radical and
other political oddities. Simply the type of bookstore a
yuppified neighborhood would not choose to support
old book store owner types are hoarders not merchants.