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January 17,1974Hand WroughtCooperative AFamily AffairBY RICHARD REAGANOnce the plaster dust begins to settle and a semblance of financial and emotional stability creeps back, the renovator suddenly discovers Free Time. Many people seem to fill that time by taking up a handicraft, and for brownstoners, the call is especially strong. After all, many renovators, particularly the do-it-yourself types, have developed crafts while working on their houses, or have learned special skills and techniques that lend themselves to handiwork.Take my case. One of the details missing from our Brooklyn brownstone was stained glass %u2014 the skylight and bathroom windows were gone. Finding a suitable piece to fit both the required space and our budget was impossible, and havingThis article is reprinted from the December issue of %u201cThe Brownstoner%u201d , the newsletter of the Brownstone Revival Committee.somebody make the glass seemed equally out of the question. But I had a friend who had invested a good bit of cash and time in a stainedglass course. He said he could teach me the basics and I could read up on the rest. Thus, with his 20-minute crash course behind me, I tried my hand, cut it a bit, burned a little lead, but eventually turned out a passable first effort, not lopsided enough to prevent installation above the stairwell, but certainly no masterpiece.After a few months of intermittent practice, I was really on my way. In fact, I had run out of projects to complete for the house and was beginning to think of outside work. About this time, a neighbor mentioned that she had made just about as many bowls and vases as her house could hold, but she didn%u2019t want to interrupt her developing craft either. Soon, we found that there was a number of people in the neighborhood who were getting involved in crafts of all sorts and didn%u2019t know precisely what to do with their stuff.V.Some of the work produced by members of the Hand Wrought cooperative.We thought about opening a store. We did not %u2014 could not %u2014 open a store by ourselves, so we rounded up family, friends, neighbors, and a surprising number of complete strangers and set ourselves up on a cooperativecorporation basis, with sh areholding m em b ers, patrons (who hold debentures), and a number of crafts people who sell on consignment. To help us through the astonishing legal groundwork, we recruited a neighborhood lawyer. Everyone else contributed time and special energies and talents to the effort.Manning the store ar.d setting up ways to join the project were major logistic challenges. We%u2019re open afternoons Wednesday through Sunday, and Friday evenings, so each shareholder contributes a few hours each month to %u201cmind the store.%u201d Members buy shares in the corporation and also contribute a small amount each month t6 cover operating costs %u2014 at least until we begin to show a profit. Members%u2019 goods sold return 75 per cent, with 25 per cent going into the store kitty. We also have crafts on consignment, and consignors receive a straight 60 per cent.So far, we%u2019ve developed quite a long list of crafts people. Most of the members and consignors are from the Prospect Heights area, but we have members from other Brooklyn neighborhoods andsome from as far away as the Bronx. Together they turn out ceram ics, m acram e, and batik; needlework; rugged wooden toys; stained glass; jewelry; graphics; and steel sculpture. There%u2019s clothing, in African, prints and calico; knitted and crocheted items; photographs of your family, house, or garden, and custom developing and mounting; hand-tooled leather; felt banners; home-baked breads; plants %u2014 and one craftswoman who will decoupage anything from a wine bottle to a Volkswagen.Mr. Reagaan invites handicrafters (and customers) to visit Hand Wrought, 663 Vanderbilt, near Grand Army Plaza.Leone CitesBoro GainsBorough President Sebastian Leone cited new gains for Brooklyn from the first public meeting of the Board of Estimate in the new Beame administration Jan. 10. %u201cI am delighted to announce important borough improvements which the Board of Estimate approved this week at its first public meeting under the Beame administration,%u201d said Leone.Among the items approved for Brooklyn were: Design money for the reconstruction of Fulton Streetfrom Adams Street to Flatbush Avenue, including the construction of a Pedestrian Mall, canopy structure, street planning, street furniture, pedestrian and roadway lighting, street graphics and distinctive roadway and sidewalk m aterials. Also approved was $4,682,320 for Street Tree and Park Tree Planting including Urban Greenery, a new Capitol Budget title, 20 per cent of which is Brooklyn%u2019s share.%u201cI think that it is worth noting that Mayor Beame has stated his intention to personally take part in the activities of the Board of Estimate and to attend sessions as frequently as he can. %u201c The Mayor%u2019s direct participation andhis ready accessibility will mean closer ties between City Hall and the people.%u201dBEFORE YOU FILE THATTAX RETURN: STOP by fora chat. 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