Popular Corktown brunch spot Brooklyn Street Local closes, which sucks

First Detroit Institute of Bagels closes, and now its brunch-slinging neighbor, Brooklyn Street Local, too? Say it ain't so!

The owner of the popular Corktown eatery announced Thursday that it would be closing its doors. But is it really the end?

Well, sort of.

Known for serving up quiche, poutine, and a variety of vegetarian and vegan-friendly options with a focus on locally sourced ingredients, the pint-sized Brooklyn Street Local is, in fact, closing its brick and mortar location at 1266 Michigan Ave., after nearly a decade of service, The Detroit News reports.

Despite the closure, there are no plans to sell the building, according to a social media post made by Brooklyn Street Local owner Deveri Gifford.

"We are closing but not saying goodbye," she wrote.

"I still love food, farming, the hospitality industry, Detroit and you. We are scaling down, pivoting again and trying to figure out how to do this in a way that is sustainable."

Gifford says she and the Brooklyn Street Local team will continue to host pop-ups in the coming months which will, yes, include poutine, meanwhile, quiche and other popular brunch items will be made available through Eastern Market and Metro Detroit Crunchy Club Co-Op. In May, Gifford says they will actively celebrate Brooklyn Street Local's 10 year anniversary.

So, why are they closing? Well, Gifford suggests that the stress of the pandemic as a factor, adding that customers, staff, and farmers pivoted in the face of challenges and stepped up to help the restaurant "create new revenue streams." Even so, Gifford says she does not "have the capacity to keep going."

"The past ten years have been so much hard work, but it has also been so wonderful and rewarding.," she wrote. "I am so proud and honoured to be a part of this community and I love the welcoming, neighbourhood spot we have created. It truly was what I dreamed it would be. But it is hard, even in the best of times it is always hard."

Gifford urges fans of Brooklyn Street Local's farm-fresh fare to follow along via their social media pages to learn more about pop-ups and other news.

Sigh.


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