(Photos: Daniel Maurer)
After three decades in Manhattan, the Chelsea Garden Center is now a Brooklyn-based operation. The flower and landscaping shop opened in Williamsburg last Monday, at 87 Havemeyer Street. Jessica Windhausen, an employee, told us it lost its lease on the corner of 44th Street and 11th Street because a new building is in the works.
It’s not the first time the Garden Center has been uprooted since opening in 1984. During its history of dealing with “Manhattan’s full-blown real estate boom,” it’s been based in Chelsea, the East Village, near Tribeca, near the Meatpacking District, and finally in Hell’s Kitchen.
The owners are hoping this Williamsburg location, previously home to Flea Market Betty, is permanent, according to Windhausen. The outpost near Metropolitan Avenue, which joins a Red Hook location, sells indoor and outdoor plants (including tropical houseplants from Florida and Hawaii), planters, pottery, and garden teak furniture. Hours are 9am to 5pm daily but will expand for the holiday season, when it’ll start selling Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands.
So far, everything’s coming up roses. “We’re happy to be here,” Windhausen said.