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Church Avenue Businesses Optimistic Despite Artisanal Bakery's Closure

 The loss of Nine Chains was a blow, but others business owners say Church Avenue has a bright future.
Church Avenue Businesses Optimistic Despite Artisanal Bakery's Closure
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DITMAS PARK — The sudden closure of Nine Chains bakery was a blow to bread lovers, but local business owners say they're still optimistic about the future of up-and-coming Church Avenue.

While a lack of customers and $12 bread loaves contributed to Nine Chains' demise, other restaurants and cafes are attracting enough foot traffic to thrive and grow, owners said.

"The area can absolutely support the businesses," said Medwin Pang, owner of Hunger Pang, an Asian-American restaurant that opened last fall on Church Avenue near Stratford Road. "We're standing on solid ground."

Pang says there's a new "restaurant row" developing on Church Avenue — including the nearby restaurant Wheated — that's capitalizing on pent-up demand for high-quality food. Nearby, diners can now take their pick among restaurants such as The Farm on Adderly and Mimi's Hummus on Cortelyou Road and Ox Cart Tavern on Argyle Road.

Pang grew up in the area and said he knows from firsthand experience that finding a good meal in the neighborhood was nearly impossible until a few years ago.

"I had the same challenges as a consumer with a lack of options," Pang said. "I knew the neighborhood was hungry because I was hungry."

It took him about 18 months to find a space for Hunger Pang because he wanted a Church Avenue storefront. Since opening in October, he's made a few tweaks to "attract a broader client base," Pang said. He lowered prices on a couple of menu items, and launched promotions such as Tapas Tuesday, where diners get a free small appetizer with every drink purchase.

The restaurant has received glowing reviews, and Pang is planning to expand: Hunger Pang will start serving lunch in the very near future, he said.

Down the street, Lark Cafe is doing such brisk business that owner Kari Browne recently opened another cafe, Elk, in Windsor Terrace.

“I am so optimistic,” Browne said of Church Avenue. “This is still a really desirable location. There’s so much potential to create a really thriving small business community here. It’s only going to get better.”

Browne says Lark's success is due in part to the events the cafe hosts in a side room, which create a steady flow of return customers. The space is big enough for children's singalongs, writers' workshops and mommy groups. In the main cafe, there's enough seating for freelancers on laptops to work beside dads on outings with their 3-year-olds.

“Because of the space we have, we’re able to bring a lot of people in,” Browne said. “We’ve really created a real neighborhood space. For people who wouldn’t necessarily walk up and down Church Avenue, we’re a destination.”

Claire Kander, a barista at Lark Cafe, said she would miss Nine Chains' food, and considered the bakery a "main attraction" for Ditmas Park. Kander moved to the neighborhood from Chicago last fall and says she feels lucky to have stumbled on this corner of Brooklyn.

"This is kind of the up-and-coming area," Kander said. "Things are just starting to take off here...There's no reason not to come down to Church Avenue."