Organic Butcher Shop Priced Out Of Bed-Stuy Shop, Owners Say

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN -- Local butchers who hoped to bring organic meats, fish and produce to Bed-Stuy were forced to shut down their Patchen Avenue shop when the landlord upped the rent, owners said.

Arcadian Pastures, the butcher shop that took over Bed-Stuy Fresh and Local, shut down its shop at 210 Patchen Ave. this month, owners told Patch.

"There was no room for negotiation," said Louisa Mathis. "It was him basically saying, 'I don't want you here. I'm not for you.'"

Louisa Mathis and her partner Jullene Cunningham first opened their organic butcher shop in Bed-Stuy in October 2017, Black-Owned Brooklyn reported at the time.

The corner of Patchen Avenue and Macon Street became a one-stop shop for local and organic foods when Arcadian Pastures merged with Bed-Stuy Fresh and Local, a decision Mathis said was a no-brainer.

"We wanted to work with them because they wanted to bring in local businesses," she said. "Then they had some family issues and we took over the lease."

The landlord's request for more rent means both storefronts at 600 Macon St. and 210 Patchen Ave. next door now stand vacant.

But Mathis does not expect sympathy, she said. Arcadian Pastures is going strong online, where Brooklynites can still order fresh chops, sausages and steaks on the shop's website.

But she was disappointed for the Patchen Avenue community, which she said could only benefit by the presence of small, locally-run businesses such as hers.

"I don't look at it as a loss, don't feel sorry for us," she said. "But why can't it be affordable to conduct business in our neighborhood?"

Mathis told Patch she and her partner are considering opening a restaurant in Bed-Stuy but declined to share more detail on the project. Only one element of their future plans remained certain.

"If I'm not bringing to Bed-Stuy," Mathis said, "I'm not bringing it anywhere else."

Photo by Kathleen Culliton