Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co. Supplies More Than Invisibility Paint

Walking through the heart of Park Slope the other day, I stumbled upon a curious looking store front — a big, bold, black and white sign read “Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co.” I had no idea there were enough Superheros in Brooklyn (or anywhere for that matter, really) to warrant an entire supply store! Needless to say, I was intrigued. There was no way I was walking by without stopping in.

After browsing through hundreds of important and essential Superhero supplies (truth serum, 100% pure antidote, mind control liquid, anti-matter and a container of chaos just to name a few) I stumbled upon a book shelf which turned out to be a portal (obviously) to a much larger secret back room. There, I learned the truth about Brooklyn Superhero Supply Co: It is a secret, not-for-profit, writing center started by Dave Eggers, a writer best known for his 2000 work A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Otherwise known as 826NYC, this cleverly disguised writing center is just one of 7 national chapters encouraging student writing across America. They encourage all types of writing, from comics to poems and essays to songs and assist schools in publishing student works. They offer free one-on-one tutoring after school on a first come-first serve basis and hold workshops throughout the summer. For more information, you can visit their site: http://www.826nyc.org/

The incredibly Super-Heroic part of all of this is that everything is completely free. You could, of course, purchase an invisible Superhero iPod or a container of Boom to help support their cause. You will be required to recite an oath that your Superhero supplies will only be used for the good of mankind before leaving the premises. They do accept some forms of invisible currency (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc) if you don’t carry cash in your “normal clothes.”

Before leaving, I was approached and asked if I’d like to use the cape tester. Naturally, I obliged.