This is one of a series of articles spotlighting our storage facilities and neighborhoods.
In the center of Brooklyn, our brand new Brownsville CubeSmart store serves a neighborhood with a fascinating mix of history. From the original Italian-American residents to popular hip-hop groups of the late ‘80s to the thriving Caribbean culture, Brownsville is one of the few authentic, non-hipster corners left of Brooklyn.
Our Lady of Loreto, a beautiful church a little over a mile from our store, perfectly embodies the authenticity and history of Brownsville. Built in the early 1900s by Italian immigrants, the architectural landmark was to be demolished to make room for much-needed housing in the neighborhood; however, a collaboration of community activists and Italian-Americans were able to save the church. It remains standing in Brooklyn with plans to be converted into a community center for Brownsville families.
While Our Lady of Loreto was able to be rescued, Brownsville still faces many of the real estate constraints shared by neighborhoods that have endured the increasing populations and rents that pushed Manhattanites into the now crowded outer boroughs.
We know Brooklynites are accustomed to small spaces, but sometimes life happens and your little closet no longer cuts it. Our store teammates are knowledgeable and ready to help you manage your move so that you can get back to your life. A Brownsville store Customer recently experienced this:
I called this CubeSmart location with an emergency need to store items the day of the call. No reservation, no prior warning. I arrived an hour and a half before the closing hour and Indera couldn’t have been more accommodating! She was pleasant, efficient, professional and alleviated the stress from an already stressful day. Thank you Indera!!!! – mphatt
Brownsville residents can get the space they need in our CubeSmart self-storage facility on East New York Avenue. Our location offers temperature monitoring, individual lighting and electricity, and a Super Move truck and driver to make moving and storing easy. For your smaller items, our managers can accept your deliveries to the store or you can drop them off yourself with our free move-in truck, upon availability.
How to Get to Us
Trains and buses are within one block of our store, with the Sutter Avenue – Rutland Road station serving the 2, 3, 4, and 5, and the B12, B15, and B47 buses stopping at Ralph Avenue – East New York Avenue.
Around Us
There’s nothing like moving to get you hungry, and there’s nowhere like Brooklyn to get the best slice of pizza. Just one block from our store, Tony’s Pizza on Rutland Road is Brownsville’s pizza and pasta destination. While Italian immigrants were some of the firsts to call Brownsville home, recent years have seen a rise in Caribbean influence in the neighborhood. Pitkin Jamaican Bakery serves up the tastiest flavors of the tropics, but don’t be fooled by the name. Pitkin’s is not just a bakery. It is actually better known for its spicy beef patty with coco bread, jerk chicken, and fresh-squeezed juices.
Brownsville’s Caribbean presence is also celebrated with the events of the West Indian American Day Carnival Association, Inc. (WIADCA). Their largest celebration takes place at the end of the summer. More than a million tourists and locals gather in and around the Brownsville neighborhood for five days of festivities culminating with the exciting New York Caribbean Carnival Parade on Labor Day. After a morning move, witnessing this parade is sure is energize your day and give you a taste for the people and culture within Brownsville.
If a quieter afternoon is more your style, Brownsville is home to many parks and playgrounds. At the front of our store across Portal Street, Lincoln Terrace Park offers basketball and tennis courts, as well as spray showers for those blistering city days. To help expel your kids’ pent-up energy, head less than a mile from our store to Betsy Head Memorial Playground & Park. With an outdoor pool and unique interactive playground equipment, this park is a great spot to take the kids after moving into storage.
Brownsville Style
Many New York City neighborhoods claim to have been the birthplace of hip-hop, but only Brownsville is the legitimate home to the group that merged the rawness of hip-hop with the flashy styles of high fashion. In the late 80s, Brooklyn gangs Polo U.S.A. and Ralphie’s Kids united to form Lo Life. The group strolled Brooklyn wearing the labels representative of their lifestyle aspirations. By wearing over-the-top combinations of Polo Ralph Lauren clothing, Lo Life transformed the preppy, clean-cut image of the brand, into a label with a cool factor to grant it real street cred in hip-hop hoods throughout the country. While members, such as rapper Thirstin Howl the 3rd, have since graduated to careers in fashion and music production, their ability to merge the worlds of high fashion and hip-hop remains their legacy around Brownsville.
Are you a proud resident of Brownsville, Brooklyn? We’d love it if you shared some of your favorite things about your neighborhood in the comments section below!
We would be excited to welcome new CubeSmart teammates. Check out our available jobs in Brownsville, Brooklyn.
Sources
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/fashion/lo-lifes-fashion-hip-hop.html
https://www.everfest.com/e/new-york-caribbean-carnival-brooklyn-ny
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brownsville-community-saves-lady-loreto-church-demolition-article-1.445236
