About Us

The Brooklyn Artery is a gift shop and community space in Ditmas Park / Flatbush, Brooklyn. We carry jewelry, cards, candles, bath & body goods, toys, puzzles, small housewares, and more…. lots of it made right here in Brooklyn or by independent artists & makers worldwide. We change out our inventory often, so stop in and find something for a loved one or yourself!

Our Story

The Artery was originally opened on the south side of Cortelyou Road in late 2011 by Susan Siegel and Jocelyn Lucas Kirouac, longtime residents of Ditmas Park and familiar faces in the community. Very soon after opening, they moved into the cozy little space that became the shop’s home for 10 years at 1021 Cortelyou. Eight years later In January 2020, they turned over the keys to new store owner Meredith Jacks, also a Ditmas Park neighbor and Artery supporter. Meredith was a middle school English and Special Education teacher for 13 years before shifting gears to take over the space. Just a few weeks later, the pandemic hit and the store was forced to shut down for 4 months along with other nonessential businesses in the city. However, we reopened in June 2020 and have been grateful every day since for the community who kept us afloat and even growing…

Nearly 3 years later, we embarked on big and exciting changes! Longtime staffer Annie Del Hierro-Jost stepped in to join Meredith as a full business partner, bringing her experience as an artist, designer, and organizational wizard to the helm of the business. Also, we moved across the street (again!) into a new and much larger space — the former Cortelyou Hardware store that had been here for 40 years until announcing their closure in 2022. After an extensive renovation and a quick move, we are thrilled to be setting up shop in our new home and offering even more fun local goods AND community happenings — pop-ups, workshops, performances, and more — in our multipurpose space at 1004 Cortelyou Road.

Come on down and visit us!