After yesterday’s discussion about mom-and-pop retailers getting squeezed out of their neighborhoods by larger chain stores, we wre interested to read of Mayor Bloomberg’s latest appointee, the newly-minted executive director of retail development. Part of the Department of Small Business, the position, filled by Michelle Mooney, right, was created to work with local community development corporations and BIDs to upgrade their retail offerings. One of Mooney’s first efforts is Flatbush Junction, where Starbucks has already arrived and Target is on the way.

“Usually the disconnect between residents and retail happens when neighborhoods are in transition,” Ms. Mooney said. “Sometimes properties are making money from other things and not from the retail, such as billboards. Second and third floors are often empty, and even stairways have been removed. If the upstairs were converted to residential, there would be even greater demand for a better mix of retail in the area.”

Despite the recent success of the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, its executive director is looking forward to having some unbiased input from someone like Ms. Mooney: “We’ve been getting by without, but when we come up with a strategy, it would be great to have someone we can go to who isn’t a broker to get a second opinion.”
Retail Czar for Mom and Pop [NY Times]