Living in Bushwick means a few things: cursing the garbage and chicken bones lining your street, disbelieving that your neighbor pays that much/little in rent, and having a transit route that extends like tentacles through Williamsburg and into the Village and the L.E.S. The Verde vs Roberta’s debate is never-ending but you still flock to Roberta’s because it’s closer to Wreck Room and the Narrows and everywhere you’d ever want to be on a weeknight. Just face it: whether you’re a transient visitor or you keep signing that lease year after year, you might be in love with Bushwick, which means you probably read BushwickBK. And you goddamn miss it. Before it shuttered in the fall, the site was a rarity in the local blog scene because it hired real reporters to hunt down serious issues and stories that were often ignored by big media outlets. Fear not, neighbors, because the site recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to resurrect itself. And the perks are jaw-droppingly-brokelyn-style-generous.
The site is looking to raise $40,000 to make its return: the money will go to hiring reporters and photographers, paying for data entry, maintaining the site and hiring a professional programmer. The perks show a lot of love from neighborhood establishments, which shows you how entrenched in the community the site is. They include:
$5 gets you a stack of vintage postcards or a Little Skips cappuccino.
$10 scores you beverage from Café Ghia or The Bodega, or two desserts from Life Café.
$15 buys you a sandwich + a coffee from Central Café, or a bundle of digital tunes from local musicians.
$175 gets you “Bird in Bushwick,” a limited-edition of 20 prints by Bushwick art scene leading lights Deborah Brown and Austin Thomas, plus your choice of t-shirt or tote, and a pack of Bushwick postcards.
What are you waiting for? As the price tags increase the incentives are better, but damn, this is one altruistic Kickstarter from one bighearted nabe and website. Whether you’re a Montrose or a Halsey, you’ve known and loved the relentlessly original local content that BushwickBK provided. Help bring it back.
Follow Caroline: @shadood.
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You’ll notice AOL’s Patch hasn’t tried to make any inroads in Bushwick yet.
$40,000?! Considering it started out as one guy doing it in his spare time, that’s kinda outrageous. Someone needs to step into the void in the same DIY Brokelyn style instead of paying their salaries.
Actually, The Classical, a sports website devoted to longform pieces about, um, sports, raised $50,000 in their Kickstarter a few months ago. It’s not a mortal sin to ask people for money because you want to actually pay your writers.
they just added this perk, for anyone who’s on the veg team:
Completely vegan Pine Box Rock Shop has signed on with 50 of these, for just $15: A certified vegan combo! Any of their crispy fried delicious vegan empanadas plus your choice of draft beverage! There are three varieties: Philly Cheese (seitan, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, Daiya cheese), Black Bean (black beans, Daiya cheese, sweet plantains), and Jamaican Jerk (spicy veggie jerk, collard greens, rice and peas). Wash it down with something cold.