Archives for February 2013

B. Conte Boutique

February 28, 2013 By Francesca Moisin Leave a Comment

Bernadette Conte, owner of B.Conte boutique (at left). Photos by Ben Rosenzweig

By Francesca Moisin

The one constant at B. Conte boutique in Williamsburg is that things are always changing. Friendly-priced merchandise flies off shelves, to be swapped with new pieces from famous labels and up-and-coming designers. Regular trunk shows introduce cocktail-sipping customers to an influx of fresh accessories, both antique and au courant. Even the 750-square-foot retail space pulls double duty as a gallery, with the work of local artists rotating on the walls. “What I like best about my store is how it’s in steady flux,” says owner Bernadette Conte.

Williamsburg’s New Cinema District

February 28, 2013 By WG News + Arts Leave a Comment

Williamsburg now has its own movie theatre row (sort of) . Photos by Victoria Stillwell

By Eric Kohn

When Harvey Elgart first started looking around the Williamsburg-Greenpoint area for places to open a movie theater, he saw a wide open opportunity in a neighborhood devoid of commercial movie options. “It was under-screened,” recalls Elgart, who at the time already operated the Cobble Hill and Kew Gardens Cinemas. “Few theaters could have found the proper zoning rights and price.”

Farewell to a Community Leader and Friend

February 28, 2013 By WG News + Arts Leave a Comment

Teri Muroff Meyer, former Community Board #1 member and Public Safety chairperson. Photo courtesy Robert Meyer

On January 23, former Community Board member and Public Safety chairperson, Teri Muroff Meyer, 44, passed away after a long battle with cancer. This community is a better place thanks to her. I admired how Teri could dispute with people over issues in her leadership role as Public Safety chair, being firm and tough; then I would see her outside with the same people she was just in conflict with, having a laugh. I learned from her how to fight over an issue but to always be respectful of others.

She was a person I became friends with, and I am blessed for the wonderful times I had with her. This was sent to me by friend and colleague Heather Roslund, who also had the opportunity to work closely with Teri:

CHASING ICE—gorgeous, see this film. It’s playing @ IndieScreen 2/18 & 2/19

February 18, 2013 By WG News + Arts Leave a Comment

This must-see documentary is playing SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT at IndieScreen Feb 18 & Feb 19.

See Chasing Ice Trailer, click here.

Aelfie Collects and Sells Textiles that Tell a Story

February 14, 2013 By Francesca Moisin Leave a Comment

Rugs from Tunisia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Morocco, are among the AELFIE vintage collection. Photo by Victoria Stillwell

A Kilim dealer Aelfie Oudghiri, sells vintage, and designs her own line of rugs. Photos by victoria stillwell B AELFIE, located in Bushwick recently opened for business (by appointment). Photos by victoria stillwell C Rugs from Tunisia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Morocco, are among the AELFIE vintage collection. Photos by victoria stillwell

When Aelfie Oudghiri was 17 years old, she sat in a Turkish rug shop and negotiated with the dealer for six hours. She bartered so long her brother fell asleep, and the store closed while they haggled. “It just felt really natural and fun,” recalls Oudghiri, who’s half Turkish on her mother’s side. Bargain concluded, she parted with two prizes: a flat-woven tribal rug, or kilim, that now decorates her Bushwick showroom, and an admirer. “The owner sent me Christmas cards for years!” she says. “I think we connected because I’ve always loved talking to people, be they Upper East Side doyennes or old Middle Eastern dudes.”

This gift for gab serves Oudghiri well, along with her innate ability to sort through heaps of tapestries from around the world and pick the distinctive pieces best suited for a New York market. “I buy partly what I like, but also think in terms of what will most match an American couch,” she says. In business for only two years, the Columbia University grad has already established her reputation as an accomplished kilim dealer. Stacks of folded carpets made in Tunisia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Morocco, Mexico, the former Yugoslavia, or the Caucasus fill her spacious 12,000-square-foot Varick Avenue studio.

AELFIE, located in Bushwick recently opened for business (by appointment). Photo by Victoria Stillwell