Rethinking “Downtown” Hawthorne

We were quite pleased to have a place to buy wine pop up within a mile of our house.

We were also happy to see a new shop actually open up in tiny downtown Hawthorne, where stuff had been closing pretty steadily since we moved in a few years ago–most notably the Italian restaurant Bel Paese across from the train station.

The biggest local growth industry appears to be dance instructors and hair stylists; a new, seemingly untitled one opened in a Ryerlyn building a few months ago, and I just saw some inaugural bunting on one called Livia’s, just north of the train station. That gives The Missus a few options, especially since the spat she had with the mean proprietor at what used to be the lone hairdressing option for the fine ladies of Hawthorne.

So if I had my way, here’s how the rest of the vacancies would fill up. Bel Paese would become an Irish pub with better food than Gordo’s, and less of a boozy atmosphere. (In fact, it would be just boozy enough.)

I’m shocked that Hawthorne, with all of the Arthur Avenue ex-pats around, does not have a good Italian bakery. I’d slot one into that end cap that used to be Sign Works, but has looked like a satellite office for Dunder-Mifflin–cluttered desks, random office supplies–for the past few months.

In the other vacancy in that Elwood Ave. strip mall–the storefront that used to be the odd newsstand/stationery store D’Shoppe–I’d put an ice cream store. Because you currently have to venture to Pleasantville for ice cream–where they have a Baskin Robbins, along with a Cold Stone Creamery and Little Scoops right next to each other. And since the Last Licks closed in Thornwood–ice cream and sports memorabilia, now there’s a concept–there’s not a lick of ice cream for several miles.

Oh, and I’m still hoping they turn the old Hawthorne station house–currently holding decades of junk belonging to the taxi company–into a Starbucks, just like at Hartsdale station. That too would prevent unnecessary trips to Pleasantville.

Finally, a brewpub offshoot of the Captain Lawrence brewery, and I’m all good to go.