Friday, January 14, 2011

Ethan Nechin meets Gia in Brooklyn Farmacy


Something tasty with a hint of nostalgia is happening in Carroll Gardens. It is called the Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain, and it opened last May. To learn more about this gem I interviewed Gia Giasullo, who established the Farmacy with her brother, Peter Freeman.
Gia, a native New Yorker and graphic designer, opened the Farmacy after returning to Brooklyn from "exile" in the Bay Area and Israel, with her brother, Peter Freeman, a landscaper. Returning to New York, Gia was looking for a new direction and wanting to share her love for food and entertainment, found it with Pete, who was living in the building for a while and became friends with the landlord.
"Essentially, the space itself was the inspiration for our idea. The storefront was empty for so many years, waiting for an idea to blossom and take hold".
The Farmacy is housed in an historical space that had accommodated a pharmacy since the late 1800s. It maintains its original interior that owes its restoration to a true NY tale. At a very low point in the project, when Peter and Gia had almost given up on being able to come up with the necessary finances, a location scout from the Discovery Channel's reality show, "Construction Intervention". After a glance she came up with the idea that the renovation would be filmed for the show. With its generous shelving and a massive amount of wooden storage drawers, the place was smoothly transformed into a soda fountain and funky grocery store featuring locally made artisanal food products. The original pharmacy did not have a soda fountain or a counter, which was added, bringing to life an old-time soda fountain in the neighborhood.
Written by Ethan Nechin

1 comment:

  1. Lucky break on making a business successful and more note worthy.

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