Long Island City new biz update: preschool and health food grocer

Lolly’s Learning Center is coming soon to the ground floor of 5-44 47th Ave, LIC

New Biz

• A preschool is opening in the ground floor of an old engineering building on 47th Ave, just west of 5th St. Lolly’s Early Learning Center (website coming soon) will be ready for tours and full enrollment this October, and fully open for the new year on January 5, 2010. The space, which will be fully customized for the age group, will house an early learning center featuring classrooms for 2, 3, and 4-year-olds, as well as daycare hours for working parents. Lolly’s will offer partial to full-time enrollment and will be open 8am-6pm everyday. Call 646.351.6077 for more information. 5-44 47th Ave, LIC

• A new gourmet health food store is processing a lease for the 4000SF ground floor of 12-01/12-03 Jackson Ave, the brick rental building near the Pulaski Bridge.

• A new children’s boutique & consignment store called Little Closets is set to open in the former Art-O-Mat space at 46-46 Vernon Blvd this month. The store will offer “a sustainable, ‘recession friendly’, community-oriented retail option for the rapidly growing population of small children in the area,” including “child-friendly décor” with a story corner & puppet theater. They are currently accepting donations; email littleclosets@yahoo.com for more info. PDF release

• Air-conditioned pet gym and lounge Dog Island City “will offer locals a new, convenient way to care for their dog(s),” specializing in attentive all day pet sitting, professional dog training, and more, including holistic pet food, wellness treats, and toys. Grand opening party is on Sept 12, 6-10pm featuring wine, cheese, and snacks for owners, and specialty pet treats and free gifts for the pooches – everyone is welcome. 5-29 50th Ave, LIC, 718.433.4545/ 917.379.7291

• The old Moviebank space at 5-35 50th Ave, between 5th St & Vernon, has now been replaced with a dancewear shop housing Sharifwear & Mambo Fateegz. Sharifwear says they will be having a grand opening party in the new LIC space on September 25th. 718.726.0526

Still In The Works

• Primp & Tease hair salon coming to the Prestige Condos. 5-04 50th Ave, @ 5th St, LIC

• A Doggy Day Spa is in progress at the retail space in the bottom of Avalon Riverview North. 4-75 48th Ave, Queenswest, LIC, 866.211.8735

• Cassidy’s, a new pub brewing in the old McReilly’s space. Burgers, fries, beer… now double the capacity. Slated to open early fall. 46-42 Vernon Blvd, LIC

• The Getty gas station on 11th St @ 45th Rd is still transforming into the Long Island City Bakery.

• The retail space at 47-38 Vernon Blvd is on its way to becoming an American bistro which will serve ‘comfort food’ called El Ay Si. Projected to open in the early fall.

• The retail space at 47-30 Vernon Blvd is still manifesting an Italian restaurant called Testaccio, slated to open in October.

• A new, fancy Italian furniture store is still under construction in the ground floor retail space at 10-50 Jackson Ave.

• CBRE, historically a commercial brokerage, will also be brokering residential sales and rentals out of their new retail space in the bottom of East Coast 6 (aka 4705 Center Blvd), which should also be opening in the fall.

Closings

• LIC Tex-Mex/BBQ restaurant & music venue Lucky Mojo closed its doors for good this past weekend.

• The Jackson Steakhouse is for sale.

• LIC’s 99 Cent Store at 1211 Jackson Ave also recently closed.