Red Hook arguably has two “anchor” businesses that attract most people from other neighborhoods: Ikea and Fairway Market. Ikea, which has its own ferry and shuttle buses and sits a few blocks from the main shopping drag of Van Brunt Street, is open. Fairway, which sits on Van Brunt and which you have to drive, walk, bike, or bus through the neighborhood to get to, is closed thanks to extensive flooding, and will be for months. How many months isn’t clear, but the New York Times pointed out on Thursday that its closure could have a huge impact on the smaller businesses in the neighborhood, which rely on the traffic it brings in. “I’m not sure how many months a little business like this can sustain itself without foot traffic,” said Jane Buck, who owns the gift shop Foxy & Winston, which wasn’t hurt in the storm. “I specialize in things that no one needs.” So here’s a suggestion: The next time you’re heading to Ikea, take the two-block detour to Van Brunt Street and have lunch or a drink or buy some tchotchkes. Red Hook will thank you for it.
