If you’ve walked through Gowanus lately, you know what's happening. Scaffolding on every block, new towers rising along the canal, restaurants scouting spaces on streets that were warehouses just two years ago. This neighborhood is in the middle of one of the biggest transformations Brooklyn has ever seen, and we think it deserves a newsletter that actually keeps up. Every Saturday, we will bring you what's new, what's opening, what's under construction, and what's worth your weekend. No politics, no crime blotters, no general NYC noise. Just Gowanus and the blocks around it. Let's get into it.

Now Open / Coming Soon — A real grocery store, a new vet, and Bar Ferdinando's comeback

The Big Story — The Carroll Street Bridge is finally coming back

Things to Do — Valentine's Day at Public Records, Marriage Unarranged, Rory Scovel at Bell House

The Local — Finback Brewery: four businesses under one roof

Development Watch — 544 Carroll leasing, Douglass Port lottery, Anagram tops out

Quick Hits — Swimming in the canal?!?

Gowanus Is Getting a Real Grocery Store
532–542 Union Street, adjacent to 499 President
Opening date TBA
If you've been waiting for a proper neighborhood grocery store in Gowanus, this is the one. Union Market — the Brooklyn-born grocer known for fresh produce, curated local goods, and organic staples — is opening a 10,000-square-foot flagship at 532 Union Street, anchoring 499 President. It'll be the largest Union Market location yet, and it's arriving in a neighborhood that has desperately needed one. No opening date yet, but the lease is signed, and the co-owner says bringing Union Market to Gowanus "just makes sense."

Trudie's Tavern Moving Into the Buttermilk Channel Space
524 Court Street, at Huntington St
Opening winter 2026
The team behind Gertie is taking over the former Buttermilk Channel space with a new concept. Trudie's Tavern will serve steak, rotisserie chicken, burgers, and yes, chicken and waffles (made with matzo), plus a kid's menu. Buttermilk Channel left big shoes to fill on this stretch of Court Street, and a proven Brooklyn restaurant group stepping in is great news!

Gowanus Marketplace: Groceries, Sandwiches, and Smoothies on Carroll
436 Carroll Street, at Nevins near the canal
Now Open
Right at 420 Carroll, Gowanus Marketplace is a 2,250-square-foot grocery store and café offering local and organic foods, handmade sandwiches, salads, fresh juice, and smoothies. Already on Uber Eats and Seamless if you want delivery.

GoodVets Opening at Society Brooklyn on Bond Street
267 Bond Street, between Degraw and Sackett Sts
Opening TBA
A national veterinary chain with locations in over 15 cities is opening in a ground-floor retail space at Society Brooklyn on Union at the canal. It'll be the GoodVets’ second Brooklyn location after Downtown Brooklyn. With thousands of new apartments coming online along the canal, a new vet was probably inevitable — a lot of pups will be moving to Gowanus.

Bar Ferdinando Is Bringing a Carroll Gardens Classic Back to Life
151 Union Street, near Hicks
Opening March 2026
This one's just past our coverage boundary, but it's too good not to mention. Sal Lamboglia — the chef behind Cafe Spaghetti, Sal Tang's, and Swoony's — is opening Bar Ferdinando, a reimagining of the legendary Ferdinando's Focacceria, which operated for over 120 years before closing in 2025. Lamboglia was hand-picked by longtime owner Frank Buffa to carry on the tradition. Expect focaccia sandwiches, Sicilian classics like arancini and pane e panelle, octopus salad, and Italian-inspired cocktails. The original artwork and fixtures are being preserved.

Carroll Street over the Gowanus Canal
Reopening Spring 2026
If you live on one side of the Gowanus Canal and need to get to the other, you know the problem. Since the Carroll Street Bridge closed in 2021, the most direct pedestrian and vehicle crossing between the east and west sides of the neighborhood has been gone. That's meant longer walks, awkward detours, and a lot of time navigating the construction chaos around Union Street.

That's about to change. The Carroll Street Bridge — built in 1889, the oldest retractable bridge still standing in the United States — is on track to reopen this spring.

The bridge was damaged during Superfund canal remediation work and has required a full repair coordinated between NYC DOT, the EPA, and the Gowanus Remediation Team. The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the design, and construction began in April 2025 with an approximately nine-month timeline.

For a neighborhood that's been sliced in half by the canal closure and hemmed in by construction on every other block, getting this bridge back is a big deal. It restores the quickest walking route between Carroll Gardens and the east side of Gowanus — no more looping up to Union Street through active construction zones.

When it reopens, you'll once again be able to drive one lane of eastbound traffic across its wooden deck (weight limit: 10 tons) or walk the sidewalks on both sides. And yes, the sign from the 1800s is still there: "Any Person Driving over this Bridge Faster than a Walk will be Subject to a Penalty of Five Dollars."

We'll report the exact reopening date as soon as it's confirmed but the last time we passed it, the west side was complete, and they were leveling out the east side.

Dope Jams Valentine's Ball at Public Records
233 Butler Street
Saturday, February 14 · 11 PM · Sound Room + Atrium + Upstairs
Valentine's Day across all three rooms at Public Records. Vinyl-forward DJs, the neighborhood's best sound system, and a fully vegan late-night menu. The weekend's anchor event if you're going out Saturday night.

Valentine's Day Double Feature at Littlefield
635 Sackett Street
Saturday, February 14 · 8 PM + 11 PM
Two ways to spend Valentine's at Littlefield.
Early show: comedian Abdallah Jasim's Marriage Unarranged, a one-man show about being single, Arab, and in your 30s — a Valentine's comedy night that doesn't require a date (8 PM, 18+).
Late show: SLOW JAMS NYC takes over at 11 PM with R&B, slow jams, and a proper late-night dance party (21+). Pick one or do both.

Joe Mande at Bell House
149 7th Street
Sunday, February 15 · 7:30 PM · From $43
The stand-up comic and former Parks and Recreation writer brings a full set to Bell House. A strong Sunday night option if you're still in weekend mode.

Dweller Festival at Public Records + Citywide Venues
February 17–22 · Multiple events across Brooklyn
Dweller is a multi-day festival platforming Black electronic music, back after a year-long hiatus. Several nights run through Public Records right here on Butler Street, with acts including A Guy Called Gerald, SHERELLE, DJ Marfox, Juliana Huxtable, and Junglepussy across the week. One of the most ambitious music events to touch Gowanus all year.

Rory Scovel: Three Nights at Bell House
149 7th Street
February 20–22 · From $48
The stand-up comic takes over Bell House for a full weekend. If you like your comedy loose, weird, and unpredictable, don't miss this one. Grab tickets now — these will sell.

The Moth: StorySLAM at Bell House
149 7th Street
Wednesday, February 25 · 8 PM · From $33
The beloved live storytelling competition returns to Gowanus. Come with a five-minute story ready or just come to listen — either way, it's one of the best nights out in the neighborhood.

545 President Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues
Mon–Tue 2–10 PM, Wed–Sun from noon

Walk into Finback at 545 President Street, and you're not just walking into a brewery. You're walking into a beer taproom, a gin distillery, a coffee roastery, and a dumpling shop — all under one roof.

Finback was founded in 2014 by Basil Lee and Kevin Stafford, who originally wanted to open in Brooklyn but landed in a 13,000-square-foot warehouse in Glendale, Queens instead. They built a reputation there on serious, creative beer — everything from hazy IPAs and pilsners to barrel-aged imperial stouts like BQE, one of the most coveted limited releases in New York. By 2020, they were ready for a second home, and Gowanus was the obvious choice.

The President Street location is what they call their "studio" — a smaller 5-barrel brewing system designed for experimental and small-batch beers you won't find at the Queens facility. But the real surprise is everything else they've built around it. Halftone Spirits is their in-house distillery, producing botanically driven gins and cocktails. Invisible Force Coffee roasts beans on-site — an idea that came from the massive amounts of coffee Finback uses in its stouts. And Dumpling Up is the kitchen, serving Asian pub snacks and pan-fried dumplings inspired by Lee's family, who ran Chinese restaurants in Rhode Island for over 40 years. His mother helped develop the menu.

Finback sits on a block that tells the story of Gowanus brewing in miniature — Strong Rope is directly across the street, Threes Brewing is a few blocks north, Wild East is nearby, and don’t forget about Other Half. But Finback stands out for the sheer ambition of what's happening inside: four distinct creative ventures, all connected by the same team and the same industrial space.

Open seven days a week. Dumplings Wednesday through Sunday. And yes, they host occasional events — keep an eye on their calendar.

544 Carroll Street Now Leasing — Including a $25K/Month Duplex
544 Carroll Street, at the canal
Now Leasing
Avery Hall's 17-story luxury rental has launched leasing, and the numbers are eye-popping. The 133-unit building includes a duplex listed at $25,000 per month — believed to be a record for the neighborhood. Twenty-five percent of units are designated affordable. Amenities include co-working space, a kids' playroom called the "Kids Cave," and rooftop terraces.

Housing Lottery Alert: 65 Affordable Units at Douglass Port
251 Douglass Street, across from Thomas Greene Park
Deadline: March 23
Gowanus Wharf's newest building has opened its housing lottery — 65 rent-stabilized apartments for households earning $34,776 to $175,000. Studios start at $903/month. Apply through NYC Housing Connect before March 23.

Anagram Gowanus Tops Out on the Canal
450 Union Street, at Bond
Completion expected late 2026
The 20-story residential tower designed by SO-IL has reached its full height along the Gowanus Canal. 158 apartments (20% affordable), co-working lounge, gym, children's playroom, rooftop terraces, and a new waterfront esplanade.

Life Time is coming to Gowanus Wharf. The luxury fitness brand signed an 85,000 sq ft lease at the Gowanus Wharf megadevelopment on 3rd Ave. It'll operate as an athletic "country club" — think: far beyond a standard gym.

Canal swimming? New York State is reviewing whether to reclassify the Gowanus Canal's water quality designation, which could open the door to swimming and boating. Yes, really. The cleanup would need to hit much higher standards first, but the fact that it's even on the table says something about how far the canal has come.

That's Issue #2. We'll be back next Saturday with more from the neighborhood. If you know someone in Gowanus, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, or Park Slope who'd want this in their inbox — send them our way.

See you out there. — The Gowanaut

Know about a new restaurant going in? Spot a sign in a window? Hear a rumor about what's replacing that empty storefront? We want to hear from you. The best neighborhood news comes from the people who live here.

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