"Green Street picked up the Williamsburg properties for $15.5 million late last year from the Franquinha family, against the apparent objections ofCrest's owner, Joseph Franquinha. Over the decades, the hardware store that was first started by Joseph's father and uncle had evolved with the neighborhood, from a place where handymen and artists living in converted lofts could get paint or new pipes to a destination for luxury-condo buyers looking for ZZ plants."
"It hosted the occasional art show, clothing-brand activations, and weddings, in addition to block parties with bands. (Of course it made a cameo in Girls.) "That's the vision and energy and spirit that my dad brought," Franquinha told us last year about the store's trajectory. "It's never been just a store." Franquinha previously said the decision to sell Crest wasn't his but rather that of his family, which collectively owned the land underneath."
The two-story Metropolitan Avenue building that housed Crest Hardware, an adjacent four-story building, and a greenhouse behind the lots are slated for demolition. Green Street purchased the Williamsburg properties for $15.5 million late last year from the Franquinha family despite objections from Crest owner Joseph Franquinha. Crest evolved over decades from a neighborhood supply store for handymen and artists to a destination for luxury-condo buyers and hosted art shows, brand activations, weddings, and block parties. Franquinha said the family collectively decided to sell and that he was outvoted. Green Street has expressed plans for an 11-story, 75-unit rental, though no construction permits have been filed.
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