67 Lafayette Ave has been vacant for 3+ years. The neighborhood has zero dedicated children's retail. Here's the plan to test the concept with minimal risk.
Former home of 67 Burger (2006–2020). A 13-year neighborhood institution. Turn-key commercial space on the ground floor of a 4-story mixed-use building.
| BBL | Brooklyn Block 2098, Lot 86 |
| Building | 4-story mixed-use, built ~1930. Class S3 (3-family + 1 store) |
| Lot Size | 20 ft x 80 ft (1,600 SF lot) |
| Retail Space | ~1,000 SF ground floor + likely basement. 12-ft ceilings, glass facade |
| Zoning | R7A + C2-4 commercial overlay. Retail Use Group 6 permitted |
| Owner | Vitus I LLC (Ed Tretter, 67 Burger co-founder) |
| Assessed Value | $3.57M (2025/26) |
| Property Taxes | ~$39K–40K/year |
| Est. Asking Rent | ~$8K–9K/month ($95–100/SF) — negotiable |
| Next Door | Margot (upscale New American restaurant) — ideal customer overlap |
Fort Greene is one of Brooklyn's most affluent, family-dense neighborhoods — with exceptional foot traffic and zero dedicated children's retail.
Families, dog walkers, joggers year-round. Kids programming, story time, playgrounds. Steps away.
Brooklyn Academy of Music + L10 Arts Center + new library branch. Year-round events incl. BAMkids.
C/G at Lafayette Ave. 2/3/4/5/B/D/N/Q/R + LIRR at Atlantic. 10+ bus lines within blocks.
DeKalb Market Hall, City Point (Target, Trader Joe's), Barclays Center. Massive draw.
There is no dedicated kids/toy store in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Prospect Heights, or Brooklyn Heights. The nearest comparable stores are 0.5–1.5 miles away. Here's every relevant competitor.
Nine kids/toy stores have closed in the area in recent years. The pattern reveals what kills these businesses — and what the survivors do differently.
| Store | Location | Closed | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn Toy Shop | 323 Atlantic Ave, Boerum Hill | ~2025 | Relocated to Berkshires. Likely rent + economics. Most similar concept to yours |
| Norman & Jules | 158 7th Ave, Park Slope | ~2023 | Went online-only. Cited overhead, pandemic impact, e-commerce shift. |
| Lulu's Cuts & Toys | 48 5th Ave, Park Slope | Feb 2023 | 22-year run ended. Amazon competition, pandemic aftermath, couldn't afford staff. |
| My Brooklyn Baby | 692 Fulton St, Fort Greene | Aug 2015 | Shift to online shopping. Went online-only. Was in your neighborhood |
| Heights Kids | 93 Pineapple Walk, Bklyn Heights | July 2016 | "Impossible to compete with internet." Couldn't negotiate sustainable rent. |
| Area Kids | Multiple locations | Various | Owner pivoted all locations to Area Yoga / Area Spa. |
| Stories Bookshop | 458 Bergen St, Park Slope | 2020 | Children's bookshop + storytelling lab. Closed during pandemic. |
Gumbo (25 years), Picnic (14 years), and Little Things (49 years) all survived while others closed. The pattern:
1. Uncopyable curation — products you can't find on Amazon or at Target. Handmade, indie, European, local-maker inventory that justifies a trip to a physical store.
2. Community programming — classes, storytime, events. Reasons to come back weekly, not just at birthdays and Christmas.
3. Manageable rent — the #1 killer in the closures list. Every survivor found a sustainable rent structure.
4. Owner-operated — personal service, brand identity tied to the founder. No absentee owners in this category.
Curated, screen-free, imagination-forward. The neighborhood's living room for families — not a warehouse of plastic.
Grimm's, Jellycat, Djeco, PlanToys, Haba. European wooden toys, art kits, quality puzzles. Nothing you'd find on Amazon's page 1.
Brooklyn-made toys, cards, and gifts. Higher margins (60–70%), great story, supports the community.
Story time, craft workshops, birthday gift registry. A reason to come back every week, not just at Christmas.
Norman & Jules has thrived for 13+ years in Park Slope with exactly this concept. Mini Jake in Williamsburg. My Brooklyn Baby served Fort Greene families until it closed — leaving a gap nobody has filled.
Retail is a thin-margin business. Here's the honest math at different revenue levels.
A pop-up is a real-world MVP. Spend $5K–8K to learn what a $150K commitment would tell you.
I'm exploring opening a curated toy and children's store in Fort Greene — there's nothing like it in the neighborhood. But I'm not ready to sign a 5-year lease on a hunch.
I'd like to propose a short-term pop-up — 4 to 6 weekends this fall, leading into the holiday season — to test the concept before either of us commits.
I'd pay a license fee for each weekend, carry my own insurance naming you as additional insured, and leave the space exactly as I found it. If it works, I'm your long-term tenant. If it doesn't, you've lost nothing.
Lock these in before the pop-up proves demand — while your leverage is highest.
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LLC + publication | $500–1,200 | NY requirement |
| Lawyer (license + LOI) | $1,000–2,000 | Two simple documents |
| Insurance (3 months) | $400–900 | Next Insurance or Thimble |
| Inventory (wholesale) | $8,000–12,000 | Net 60 via Faire = pay later |
| Fixtures & display | $500–1,000 | Folding tables, crates, shelving |
| Signage | $200–400 | Vinyl banner + A-frame |
| POS + supplies | $200–400 | Square reader, bags, wrap |
| Marketing | $300–500 | IG ads, flyers, cards |
| Total | $11K–18K | Out-of-pocket as low as $5K–8K with Faire terms |
Daily revenue, transaction count, average basket size. Square tracks all of this automatically.
Neighborhood parents? Gift buyers? Grandparents? What age range? How did they find you?
What do people ask for that you don't have? This tells you what to stock in the real store.