This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

🌱 'This BE Us' + Rent Reaches Record Heights + Pizza Wedding

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Brooklyn.

Carlie Houser's profile picture
Carlie Houser, NeighborVerified User Badge
|
(Patch Media)

Morning, friends! It's me, Carlie Houser, your host of the Brooklyn Patch newsletter — here to explain all the most important things happening locally. Today you'll learn about:

  • New photo exhibit in Crown Heights opens for Black History Month, showing love and respect for the borough
  • Rents soar, reaching record heights in Brooklyn this winter
  • How Brooklyn's celebrating Valentine's Day this year — it's not what you'd expect!

But first, today's weather: 🌤 Cooler; breezy in the morning. High: 48 Low: 34.

Are you a business owner or marketer in Brooklyn who wants to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales? If that's you, then I invite you to see how our newsletter sponsorships combine our local audience reach with your expertise to attract new customers. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top stories in Brooklyn today:

1. A new photography exhibit in Crown Heights celebrates and shows love for Kings County. "This BE Us: We Live in Brooklyn Baby!" is a photo and media group exhibition featuring the work of nearly 10 photographers from the borough. The exhibit opened this week at the Charles Evans Inniss Memorial Library at Medgar Evers College, showcasing Brooklyn-based talent with heart-eyes for their neighborhoods for Black History Month. While touching on many themes and aspects of the borough, the group exhibition focuses on the Black Diaspora in Brooklyn and its "cultural, historical and traditional influences impressed onto the borough at large." At a time when Black businesses and other historical institutions — nonprofit organizations, buildings, etc. — are being threatening by hiking rent prices, developers, and general wear, an explorative exhibit rooted in love, pride, and respect is a crucial means of raising awareness through art.

Brooklyn Patch

2. Rents in Brooklyn reached record highs this January, with median highs reaching $4,000 a month. As NYC rang in the new year, average rent prices in Brooklyn climbed to $4,165, the third highest recorded hike-up on record and nearly a 30 percent spike from January 2022. Every New Yorker is well aware of how pricey this city can get, but these rent prices are literally making history. On top of these prices, one irked lifetime Williamsburg resident commented on how landlords are now requiring first and last month's rent on top of a security deposit — following current averages, that's more than $12,000 up front. "Despite decreasing inflation, rents remain at unprecedented levels, forcing tenants from their homes or onto the streets or into local shelters," said society attorney Judith Goldiner. "So long as Albany fails to advance 'Good Cause' to equip tenants with basic protections... this troubling trend will continue." Last month, Mayor Eric Adams and top city planning officials met to address the rent problem, hoping to work through a rezoning plan that would transform underused office buildings into residential space.

Subscription / New York Daily News

3. Apparently, celebrating Valentine's Day with chocolates and flowers is sooo five years ago in Brooklyn. Sure, movies and going out to dinner is always fun, but this year Brooklyn is saying yes to some pretty wacky and unconventional Valentine's celebration events. Ever wanted to get married a Williamsburg pizza joint? You're in luck! Come Feb. 14, famed L'Industrie Pizzaria is hosting an elopement and vow renewal service. Or maybe you're nowhere near ready for that and of commitment — for those flying solo this Valentine's Day, try 50 First Dates at Radegast Beer Hall's special speed-dating event! All this and more (like lovey-dovey blacksmithing!) at the link below.

Patch

Today in Brooklyn:

  • Brooklyn Borough Hall Greenmarket, Court Street & Montague Street, Today @ 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Details
  • Lovers, Samples n' Friends, Basquiat's Bottle, Today @ 6 - 10 p.m. | Details
  • Aphrodisiacs & Beer Dinner, Coney Island Brewery, Today @ 6:30 p.m. | Details
  • Gregory Porter, Kings Theatre, Today @ 8 p.m. | Details
  • Afrofuturism Stage: Dance Concert, Acoustik Garden Lounge, Today @ 9 p.m. | Details

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

Featured events:

Featured housing:

Other featured classifieds:

Alrighty, you're all good for today. I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with a new update!

— Carlie Houser

About me: I'm a recent grad based in Brooklyn, NY. I love to write, run, read, and find new restaurants and venues around the city.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Brooklyn Patch newsletter? Contact me at brooklyn@patch.com

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Brooklyn