Are You Slopey? Part IV

Earlier this summer, we asked you all to take , and see just how “Slopey” you really are. We’re back with the final installmener of our answers to the quiz, which we’re parceling out bit by bit. 

If you missed the last crop of answers, check them out

28. Who from Park Slope was named as one of the Top Ten Brains of the Digital Future?

Prospect Magazine called Steven Berlin Johnson, the author of seven books, the co-founder of three web sites and the founder of Outside.In, a company he recently sold to AOL, one of the Top Ten. His book titles include: The Ghost Map, Everything Bad is Good for You, Your Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life, and Interface Culture. He recently moved to Marin County with his family.

29. What was the name of the children’s clothing store that was, at one time, located on the corner of Fourth Street and Seventh Avenue?

A children’s clothing store called Jumping Julia, named for the owner’s daughter, was on that corner. The daughter of the woman who owned City Casuals owned it.

30. Who is Zelda Victoria?

Zelda Victoria is the nom de plume of a local interior decorator, who used to have shops in the neighborhood specializing in Victorian styles furniture and wallpaper.

31. The style director of what fashion corporation lives in Park Slope. What is her name (and who says Park Slope isn’t stylish)?

Jenna Lyons of J. Crew is a resident of Park Slope.

In 2008 she told Timeout Magazine what she loves about Park Slope: “I love that we can just hop over the bridge and we’re downtown. We have access to everything that I dreamed of as a little kid living in the California suburbs. 
On weekends, Becket’s totally engaged with the hustle and bustle in Manhattan. And when we’re home, there’s a giant park two blocks away, and he has his own room and a backyard. Plus, we bump into friends on the street and spontaneously go to brunch.”

32. Where is Jackie Connor’s Corner and who was she?

Jackie Connor was a longtime resident of Park Slope. In fact, she was born and raised on Sixth Avenue and raised her family here. She was a regular fixture on Seventh Avenue and some people actually thought she was homeless because she traveled with a shopping cart. She was actually the eyes and ears of the neighborhood and frequently used her cell phone to report any problems to the police.

Daily News Reporter Paul H. B. Shin wrote in his obituary of Connor: “If neighborhoods had their own mayors, Connor would have fit the bill for Park Slope, her friends and admirers said. She could often be found on the steps of Old First Reformed Church on Seventh Ave. and Carroll St., lending a helping hand to those in need and keeping a watchful eye on the neighborhood.

"She knew everything about Seventh Ave. She knew who the good guys were, who the bad guys were and she knew all the cops," said Police Department Deputy Inspector Tom Harris, who met Connor when he became the executive officer for Park Slope's 78th Precinct.

"She also cared about all the people who protected and served the community, whether it was the cops, the firemen, the sanitation workers," Harris said. "She knew about their lives, and cared as much about them as about the community."
Connor affectionately called that perch on the church steps her "office," said her daughter, Tracy Connor, who is a reporter for the Daily News. "People would just know to find her there if they needed help with something," she said.”

33. In what year did the Park Slope Food Coop allow debit cards as a form of payment?

2007, the Park Slope Food Coop began accepting debit cards, a great leap forward for the venerable Park Slope institution.

34. Where was D’Agostino’s Supermarket? 

D’Agosgino Supermarket was located on Seventh Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets in the space that is now Five Guys Burgers and La Bagel Delight and part of the  Bank of America.

35. When did Cucina open on Fifth Avenue? When did it close?

Cucina, which opened in 1990, was for years one of the only “Manhattan-style” restaurants in Park Slope. It had a very attractive décor, an ambitious menu and nice service. It was located where Fornino is now, and closed in 2004.

36. Where was Al Capone’s childhood home?

38 Garfield Place is where the Chicago gangster was born and bred.  

37. What was the Scouting Party and where was it located?

The Scouting Party, a shop, located on the corner of 10th Street and Seventh Avenue, sold knickknacks, tchotchkes, jewelry and used books.  It was a great place to buy children’s party favors and just about every item was “announced” by a humorously written sign. When the store closed in the 1990’s, a couple who worked in the shop opened Lucky Duck, which also sold fun knickknacks, in another location. That closed, too.

38. How many French ex-patriots are estimated by the French Consulate to live in Park Slope, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens.

Recently, the French consulate estimated that there were more than 3,000 French expats residing in this area, where there are also quite a few French cafés, bakeries, restaurants, bars and even day-care centers and schools with French immersion programs.

39. Name three establishments that have occupied the space on the corner of President Street and Fifth Avenue.

Night & Day, Bibi’s, Playa, Biscuit BBQ and Lookout Hill Smokehouse have all recently been located in the space currently occupied by Comida Mercado Fresco.

40. It’s now a condo but it used to be the Borden Milk Factory (home of Elsie the Cow).

The condo on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Fifth Street used to be a milk factory and the home of Elsie the Cow.