Plant Shop 'Pub' Crawl !

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We're teaming up with @homesteadbrooklyn
For the worldwide 'Plant Shop Pub Crawl'! 🌱🌿🍀 When you bring in your physical copy of her book, "How to Make a Plant Love You: Cultivate Green Space in Your Home & Heart" to Crest Hardware between July 9th - July 31st, you'll get 15% OFF your ENTIRE PURCHASE!
(Some exclusions may apply)

Link to book: https://amzn.to/2L94LaJ

This is a great way to support your local Garden Center while also learning about plant care!
Come by the shop and browse our garden & greenhouse.

#houseplant #houseplants #plantshoppubcrawl #howtomakeaplantloveyou #urbanjunglebloggers #botanicalwomen #girlswithplants #chickswithplants #plantsmakepeoplehappy #interiorrewilding #urbangardencenter #crestarts#diy #truevalue #cresthardware


Recap: Ooni Pizza Party at Crest Hardware

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Thank you to everyone who attended our Ooni Pizza X Crest Hardware Pizza Party this past month! We had a blast!
The event was completely sold out and pack to the brim with pizza loving guests in our urban garden center. We had tunes spinning courtesy of the legendary DJ Petey Complex along with beverages provided by our friends at Grimm Artisanal Ales, Mr Black Spirits, & El Buho Mezcal.

Guests had the opportunity to check out the Ooni Pizza Ovens and sample slices cooked & prepared by renowned pizza chefs Nino Coniglio of Brooklyn Pizza Crew, the father / daughter team of Roberto & Giorgia Caporuscio Kesté Pizza & Vino, and our friends at Williamsburg Pizza.

Good times and great pizza! Special shouts to Ooni for choosing Crest Hardware to host this awesome event!

All ticket sales went to our friends at the NYC-based, pizza-focused non-profit, Slice Out Hunger.

Read Across the USA!

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This past month we had the opportunity to reach out to the little members of our community by visiting PS 132 for National Read Across the USA Day. Each year at schools across the country, the beginning of March is a time to celebrate the joys and benefits of reading. The date is usually on March 2nd in recognition of Dr. Seuss’s birthday, but since this year it fell on a Saturday, we headed out to the schools on March 1st to read to the kids from our favorite children’s books.

PS 132 once again invited members of the community including Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, Council Member Antonio Reynoso, our very own Joseph Franquinha of Crest Hardware, members of the NYPD, and St. Nicks Alliance to be guest readers to their students in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Read the full article from Greenline North Brooklyn Community News

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BioLite: 'Connecting The Watts' - A Short Film Series

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We want to share a series of short films that The BioLite Team has been working on over the last 2 years.

Each short film follows the power of energy through a different lens, and when watched as a series, a broader picture emerges of a micro-revolution of practical solutions that begin with the individual.

Shot in East Africa, where just a few watts can unlock profound transformations to everyday life; where a day of sun can enable overnight safety; where a charged phone can run an entire small business.

Watch the stories unfold below:

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

To learn more about this project and Biolite products, go to : https://www.bioliteenergy.com/pages/connecting-the-watts

We're Featured on The Today Show!!

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Check out the video below which was featured on ‘The Today Show’ to learn a little bit about the best house plants for your home!

Thanks to Christopher Satch, @BotanicTonic for choosing our Urban Garden Center to find the best plant for Savannah’s apartment - A beautiful Dieffenbachia!

We Won! Voted Best Hardware Store in BK 2019!!!

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We want to thank everyone who voted! We are honored to have been nominated and super psyched to win!

A Special Thank You to our employees for helping to make Crest Hardware the best Hardware Store in Brooklyn!

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KIT & Co. Hardware and Kits!

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We are proud to announce that we now carry KIT & Co. hardware and kits!

Kit & Co. hardware is specially designed for building custom tables, consoles, shelving and other DIY projects. Make your furniture exactly how you want it! Each piece can be purchased a-la-carte, or you can get a pre-packaged kit that works specific to your project. We are carrying kits for coffee tables and shelving, as well as extra pieces to add to your design!

Check out some of the finished pieces and video below!


Artist of The Week: DAN RAWLINGS

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This week’s ‘Artist of The Week’ is Dan Rawlings from the UK!

Dan creates amazing work inspired by visions of a world where man’s impact is being slowly reclaimed by nature.

He’s well know around the world for his manipulation of metal and light, which he uses to create his signature works including plasma cut hand saws and much larger pieces as seen in the images below, check them out!

Hardware Retailing Magazine - Featuring Joe Franquinha

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Right before the busy holiday season, I left for a trip to meet with fellow business owners and industry professionals at the NRHA State of Independence Conference in Chicago.

Since Crest Hardware has been a staple in Williamsburg and continues to grow throughout our 50+ years in business, I was invited to give a presentation highlighting the strengths that have allowed us to serve the community for so many years. It was truly a wonderful experience being able to share our philosophy with others within our industry.

I believe that we have built something special through service, community and the loyalty & trust we’ve been able to develop with our customers.

Thanks to everyone who came to the conference and NRHA for inviting me to speak.

Here’s a short write-up from this months Hardware Retailing Magazine featuring a shot from my presentation:

Cover of Hardware Retailing

Cover of Hardware Retailing


Visit Our Holiday Pop-Up Tree Markets

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Looking for that perfect Xmas Tree? Visit our Urban Garden Center and peep our selection! We have Wreaths, Garlands, Decor & more to cover all your holiday needs!

If you can't make it down to Crest, we also have pop-up tree markets at @TheHoxton & @TheStandard

THE URBAN GARDEN CENTER at Crest Hardware

The shop is in Full Holiday Swing complete with our brand new festive window display & Christmas Tree selection along with seasonal items & decor!

CHRISTMAS TREE LOT & DOMES at The Hoxton

Grab a Tree & Chill in the Winter Domes at The Hoxton, Williamsburg

WINTER GARDEN at The Standard Hotel

Visit the Winter Garden at The Standard, East Village for trees and treats!

NYC Together comes to Crest Hardware

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This past week we had the pleasure of hosting an activity with NYC Together, a non-profit organization that brings together police officers from Brooklyn’s 90th precinct and students from local schools to engage in civic activities, providing a space for communication through non-formal engagement with law enforcement.

The kids from a school in Brownsville, Brooklyn came by the store to carve and decorate their own Halloween pumpkins on our outdoor patio in the garden center. It turned out to be a fun and enriching experience for not only the kids but also for the police officers who dedicate themselves to serving and protecting the community. Together the officers and the kids had a chance to dig in and get their hands dirty while also expressing their creativity. Nothing like a good ole’ pumpkin carving session to bring us all together!

We do our best to support organizations that tighten the bonds that make our city feel like one big family. Our community is important to us, Brooklyn & beyond, and we can get behind any organization that brings us all a little closer together.

Find out more about NYC Together at www.NYCTogether.com


Pumpkin Carving Contest Re-Cap!

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We had a great turnout this year for our Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest! Lots of amazing entrees, especially some super creative designs!

Check out the some of the entrees below!

Williamsburg Tree Bed Makeover

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Our garden team recently took to the streets of Williamsburg to revamp some of the tree beds on our block.
As you can see in this ‘before’ shot, the planters were overgrown and in desperate need of some TLC:

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First things first, the team needed to clear out all those unsightly weeds and replace the soil with some fresh bags from Fox Farm Organic. We also enlisted the help of one of our many kiddie pools to conveniently carry the soil out into the street.

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After preparing the soil, the team got to carefully placing the plants to create a beautiful garden landscape!

Thankfully, a little helper came by to give it the final touches…

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Now that’s more like it!

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Thank you to the Crest Garden Center Team for making this possible!

Madewell Men's + Crest Hardware Pop-Up Shop Recap

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This past weekend was a blast. We had the opportunity to host an amazing launch event for Madewell Men’s clothing right here in our urban garden center! The kick-off party included sets by DJ Stretch Armstrong and a live performance by Barns Courtney.

Guests had the opportunity to get limited edition silk screened tees and sweatshirts designed by the creative dynamic duo of Dan Cassaro & Dan Christofferson AKA Young Jerks.

Continuing throughout the weekend, we hosted a Madewell Men’s Pop-Up Shop inside Crest.
Our customers were able to sample the goods and purchase the expertly crafted denim and superior quality garments of the newly released line.

This being our first experience hosting a pop-up shop at Crest, we used the opportunity to learn more about our customers and push the boundaries of the traditional ‘Hardware Store’. Madewell Men’s being rooted in workwear was not only a perfect match for Crest, but also a great experience for us, our customers and the hardware retail industry as a whole.

Shout out to all the event sponsors!
Food was provided by Roberta’s Pizza & Hometown Bar-B-Que
Dessert by OddFellows Ice Cream Co.
Drinks by Grimm Ales, St Agrestis & All-Wise Show Mead

A special thank you to Kingsland Printing for providing the silk screening!


Spoga Gafa 2018 - Recap!

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This month was very exciting and informative for the team at Crest Hardware. I was invited to participate in a discussion with several prominent home & garden bloggers at the Spoga Gafa tradeshow in Germany.

I initially met the folks from Spoga at the annual NRHA conference this past Spring, where I was invited to speak on a panel among other leading hardware retailing experts. After hitting it off over dinner and beers, I was invited to give a talk about my experience with garden retailing in an urban environment. Given that Crest is located in such a hyper-urban area, we carry a unique perspective on retailing. It was amazing to get to share some of the challenges we face and the opportunities that lie here with an entire new continent of people!

I’m excited for these gatherings and to share with the retailing community both nationally and world-wide. I’ll be heading out later this month to the True Value Reunion, so stay tuned for more!

-Joe


Thank you to all the bloggers who attended the meet & greet! Great talks with great people that are taking the garden industry to new heights.

Xenia - http://www.berlingarten.de/

Sandra - http://grüneliebe.de/

Anja - https://der-kleine-horror-garten.de/

Elke - https://guenstiggaertnern.blogspot.com/

Carina - http://wohngoldstueck.de/

G Train Service Suspended, Says MTA

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A recent article via Brooklyn Paper details the MTA's planned suspension of G Train service for the next four weekends.

The subway system is long overdue for a revamp and repair of stations, tracks and technology. - Although we understand there is no better time than the present, this same sentiment could have been put into use throughout the many years that our mass transit system had been left to decay.  Unfortunately, the customers are the ones who will potentially suffer the consequences of neglect to the point of total despair.

Click image for full article- via Brooklyn Paper

Click image for full article- via Brooklyn Paper

BioLite Event Re-Cap

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This past week we hosted a little BBQ in our backyard garden with the good folks from BioLite.

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The new BioLite FirePit was cooking up a storm! And, the best part about it... no smoke! Their patented airflow technology works like a charm by keeping the fire going and smoke-free. 

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Thank you to everyone who came out for the event. We had a great time eating and drinking with friends and fam!

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Buy a Board & Make a Donation!

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Cool product alert! 🚨 Check out our good friends at @BucketBoard who create skateboards out of upcycled 5 gallon buckets! The profits on the sale of each board goes towards the @ChillFoundation to donate complete skateboards to kids in their youth mentorship programs. For more info on their process and story visit TheBucketBoard.org

Welcome Greg, Our New Garden Center Manager!

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We would like to introduce you all to Greg Peterson, our new garden center manager!

Greg standing in our 5000 SF Garden Center

Greg standing in our 5000 SF Garden Center

Greg's earliest memory of the plant kingdom is trying to avoid the thorns while picking raspberries from the shrubs in his backyard. Also weeding the vegetable garden, mowing the lawn, and his first actual job, detasseling corn.  

He enjoys jogging, the novels of Henry Green, and teaching piano lessons, and is both excited and honored to be the new Garden Center Manager at Crest Hardware. 

Come by and say Hi!