Smith Street's No. 1 Laundry is Victim of Massive Rent Increase

There's good news (of a sort) and bad news about No. 1 Laundry on Smith Street, the impending closure of which we posted about yesterday. First, the good news: The owner still has another shop on Smith Street. Now, the bad news: The laundry is closing because its owner is getting taken to the cleaners by a humongous Smith Street-style rent increase. Our special Carroll Gardens-Cobble Hill Correspondent stopped in to talk to the owner and reported back:

The owner of No. 1, who also owns Kim's Dry Cleaners closer to 3rd Place on Smith, will move his whole operation to that spot. His new landlord has raised his rent a second time since buying 285 Smith Street. First, to $4000 a month. He is moving because they now want a whopping $8500 a month. $8500 a month!

One might recall that the new owners, who want to more than double the rent, bought the building at 285 Smith Street for $1.6 million and were the subject of a Brooklyn Paper article last year (which one commenter yesterday called "not only incorrect," but also "completely bizarre.") Quite the impressive rent hike, though.