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January 16, 2007
Invasion of the Chain Stores?
The New York Times on Sunday proclaimed that, having already conquered Manhattan, chain stores were preparing to take over the boroughs and lay waste to the charming neighborhood feel of mom-and-pop stores in the process. “The boroughs are all going down like bowling pins,” says urban planner Jeanne Giordano. From where we sit, it's a little simplistic to generalize like that. Like architecture, the answer has a lot to do with context. While we'd hate to see places like Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Smith Street in Cobble Hill or Fifth Avenue in Park Slope get Soho-ized, at this point we think a Starbucks or a Gap would have a positive impact on the stretch of Fulton in Clinton Hill. Of course, we'd prefer a local boutique or gourmet store, but they've been a long time coming.
Big-Name Retail Chains Will Take the Other Boroughs [NY Times]
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Comments
Just as I am about to move out of Boerum Hill a Starbucks is arriving at Smith & Wyckoff! The "mother ship" (bathrooms every 2 blocks in Manhattan is terrific during pregnancy)arrives & I depart for Ditmas & will have to settle for Duncan at Newkirk. Where's the justice? Bummer.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 9:35 AM
i def don't want a gap or a starbucks - i'll just keep supporting locals like outpost and black betty!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 9:45 AM
we need a union market!!!!! and a fish store!!!and cheese!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 9:47 AM
There are already plenty of Payless shoe stores and KFCs in Brooklyn. Maybe not in your immediate nabe, but they're still here, on Kings Hwy and out in Bay Ridge...
We're talking higher end chain stores, where people drop bigger wads of cash. The reason they want to move out here is because Brooklyn's demographics are changing - more and more upper middle class singles and families are putting down roots.
I would be happy not to have to shlep to Manhattan to buy my "basics." Ditmas Park is hot - reasonably priced houses are snapped up almost immediatley - and Cortelyou Road is ripe for picking. How about a New York Sports Club and a Citibank?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 9:54 AM
On 7'th Avenue in PS -the fabric store is closing, Snooky's is undergoing some renovation, Sound Track bit the dust a while ago.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 9:57 AM
clinton hill bed-stuy borders needs a starbcks. starbucks ceo is from the pjs in brooklyn--maybe, in not sure i remember correctly, east ny. don't black people and the people who live w/near them deserve a starbucks?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 10:07 AM
StarBucks is coming to Restoration Plaza on Fulton but you have plenty of good coffee places in Bed Stuy. BreadStuy on Lewis, Bush Baby on Fulton. Wouldn't you rather spend your dollars supporting a local business?
Posted by: Bed Stuy Dave at January 16, 2007 10:10 AM
can somebody explain to me the elusive allure of starbucks? i don't necessarily have a problem with them, but why starbucks over, say, a well-run locally-owned coffee shop?
Posted by: Jimmy Legs at January 16, 2007 10:14 AM
and the most horrid of rumors that I heard from a very reliable source yesterday - WAL-MART is coming to Fulton Street in Brooklyn, supposably to replace the Fulton mall where Forever 21 and ToysRus are currently. Anyone have any knowledge of this??!?! UGH UGH UGH!!!!
Posted by: g at January 16, 2007 10:14 AM
SOHO-IZED?
Soho is the one of the most beautiful, architecually unique neighborhoods in the world. You can't compare Spring or Wooster Street in Soho to Bedford Avenue or 5th Avenue in Brooklyn. There's no comparison whatsoever.
I've lived in Soho for years and have no problem with Soho having become one of the most high end shopping districts in the world.
Just because some chain stores have opened in Brooklyn and more are on there way, you can't even begin to justify a comparison to Soho.
Instead you should say Brooklyn is becoming Jersey-ized or shopping mall-ized. Soho is unique and only comparable to the highest end shopping districts of the world.
Posted by: Dollar Store Larry at January 16, 2007 10:20 AM
oh come on larry ... i don't think this thread is about 'architecture' ... soho used to be nice ... it's still nice. but it's a big 'ol shopping mall now. get real.
Posted by: anon. at January 16, 2007 10:37 AM
I thought the city council had passed some sort of resolution to keep Walmart out of NYC, due mostly to the terrible way they treat their employees.
And I really don't get the Starbucks thing, either -- No-one of any race creed or color needs to pay $5 for a gussied-up cup of coffee. I had a moment when I fell for it too -- but when I realized that my two latte a day habit was costing me almost $10 a day I realized I needed help.
I agree -- they're great when you need a bathroom, but now I buy only regular coffee there (still higher than in a local deli) or a "tall" (which is actually a small) hot chocolate if I want to splurge.
Posted by: babs at January 16, 2007 11:03 AM
Soho on the weekends is especially unbearable. Wall to wall very rich people, wearing very expensive and strikingly ugly clothes. Blech.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 11:17 AM
Larry, please share with us the location of your dollar store in Soho, i can't seem to find it.
Posted by: Jimmy Legs at January 16, 2007 11:32 AM
if Starbucks and the Gap is what your heart desires..the BH and PS is the place to be. Please don't wish that on us :)
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 11:34 AM
the importance of starbucks for bed-stuy boprder--it says the neighborhood is a safe money maker. more business will follow.
starbucks is expensive because they pay their workers a living wage and provide health care. this is seriously important.
if you live on greene and franklin where do you get coffee? this section is so under served.the needs are great. i know that it is not starbucks ready but it's a tough situation. going to restoration is a non starter. it's really far. much closer to clinton hill yet not close enough.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 11:58 AM
bed-stuy is really huge. saying support local business is a great idea but impractical. when you crawl out of bed you are not trying to go 11 blocks for a cup of coffee. that would be nuts.
i don't disagree about supporting local business but i guess we need to define local in a community as large as bed-stuy.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 12:04 PM
when malmart came to a predominantly black neigborhood in philadelphia the local businesses FLOURISHED.the local fabric store--an eighty year old instituation, did better because more people came to the community. the west indian restaurant--same thing. the tacky furniture store--took off! the only business to suffer was a sally's beaty supply. it employed few pwoplw. huge net job gain.walmart also revitalized the almost dead mall in the area. the positive impact on the community has been unreal and i was the biggest walmart basher around. so walmart does suck. it pays low wages--but other better paying stores followed. lots of 'em!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 12:11 PM
"if you live on greene and franklin where do you get coffee?"
You have two options:
1) Your kitchen
2) The bodega on the corner
Every Brooklyn neighborhood has a million little bodegas, and coffee/tea is a staple at each. Can you get a $4 latte? Nope, but then again you probably don't need one.
And both of those options will save you money over a cup of joe from Starbucks any day.
Posted by: Oh Lord! at January 16, 2007 12:17 PM
That's great news about Wal-Mart. We'll see if it actually becomes a reality, though. I think they'd do very well in Brooklyn.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 12:18 PM
Soho is not just a "big ole mall."
It's one of the coolest shopping districts on the planet with great food to boot.
The fact that it's packed with shoppers on weekends doesn't make it any less desirable.
For those of us that live here, early morning and evening strolls have always been the best times to enjoy the impressive cast iron loft buildings and cobble stone streets.
Of course it's an incredibly popular place for tourists to shop. Call Soho an openair mall if you wish, but it's the best there is.
Posted by: Dollar Store Larry at January 16, 2007 12:21 PM
Larry's right. If 5th Avenue or Bedford had a quarter of the shoppers that Soho does, you folks would brag of incredible success.
You can't have it both ways.
Posted by: Rico the Onion Guy at January 16, 2007 12:28 PM
larry, tell that to the artists and architectural historians from the '70's who worked to convert soho into a historic district. that soho is known by so many as only 'an incredibly popular place for tourists to shop' and 'an open air mall' is downright cringeworthy, in my opinion.
Posted by: anon. at January 16, 2007 12:28 PM
There are still lots of artists in Dumbo, and Dumbo's still a boring place to visit. What's your point?
Sure artists are largely responsible for bringing life back to once decrepit neighborhoods, but once the spark has been ignited, merchants are the ones who give a neighborhood true vitality and long lasting economic well being.
There's nothing sad about an architecually signigificant neighborhood like Soho also being a thriving commercial center. The more people who visit the better.
I've lived here for over ten years and own property, so of course I have a vested interest, but I don't have any problems with tourists and their "ugly clothes," as someone put it, don't bother me in the least. I'm glad their coming here to spend their money and buy more nicer clothes!
Posted by: Dollar Store Larry at January 16, 2007 12:43 PM
i won't even start a wal-mart conversation here, but i'd like to point out the reason so many have to shop at wal-mart is because wal-mart closed down the company they worked for, and in a terrible coincidence, now the only place they can afford. no NO no NO NO no NO wal-mart. http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/facts/
and you starbucks fans, not there are too many i can tell =), they only pay a decent wage and benefits to those that qualify. ask next time you are in there how many get benefits, less then 5%. joy.
Posted by: g at January 16, 2007 12:55 PM
Shared spaced where neighbors can stop and chat, exchange ideas give people a stronger sense of community. The Greene and Franklin neigborhhod needs more communal spaces. A place where you could sit with your computer, have a good cup of coffee and work on your would be nice for a neigborhood with 850,000 homes. Where else but NYC could you have such expensive housing and such a low level of service. The cornerstores are vile. The serve a purpose but they are disrepectful to the community aesthetically.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 1:01 PM
I really don't understand some of you people. Why do you feel that you always have to be served all the time? It's like you have to hire someone to wipe your a$$e$. You want to be privileged to certain things, while who cares about the other undesirables or people who are scrapping by.
Why not ask for a new affordable coffee shops, amenities, etc.. that can serve everybody and not just you. Why is everything about you spoiled brats?
I can't wait for the housing market to go down so you clowns can move back to Manhattan, so Brooklyn can become a place where real, normal people live. Who cares about $tarbuck$ or Union Market most people will still go to Key Food, C-Town etc..
Why not improve what is already there? Listening and reading your posts makes me sick sometimes.
Posted by: Concerned About Brooklyn at January 16, 2007 1:13 PM
I just left soho and was so relieved to get out of there - it really is horrible and shopping is not interesting or hip, unless you think chanel and louis vuitton and old navy are hip. too many people who don't have a stake in the local life. I love shopping in brooklyn at various boutiques who carry great lines, also found in manhattan - stores like bird, stuart and Wright, butter, etc.
I also ran away from stores like starbucks - I don't mind paying fair price for fair wages, but I want to have a connection with my local coffee/tea store. I want them to know what's happening in the neighborhood. I want to know who they are and vice versa. I find that kind of shopping/consuming experience has the ripple effect on a community. shopping at chains where disgruntled employees have no incentive to build a base of customers and therefore are inclined to treat said customers with attitude can make for a bad day.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 1:15 PM
Exactly, 11:58. The entrance of a store like Starbucks to a strip that hasn't been able to attract more upscale local businesses would have huge signal value. Heck, we don't even drink coffee, but a Starbucks on the corner of Classon and Fulton would bode extremely well for the nabe. Obviously, there's a slippery slope here and we wouldn't want even that stretch to be predominantly chain, but if it would help get the ball rolling, then it would be worth it in our opinion.
Posted by: brownstoner at January 16, 2007 1:40 PM
I thought Brooklyn had ALREADY been attacted by chains.
Posted by: Clinton Hillster at January 16, 2007 2:10 PM
Some of the chains like Dunkin, Starbucks and Riteaid, eckerd, are in nationwide major expansion so no area is immune. Would not take it as a sign that your neighborhood is being taking over by the wealthy. I see the same things happen upstate(in far less than upscale shopping areas) . Its America folks.
The stupid NYTimes article mentioned banks as chains. Is that stupid or what. Of course most small banks have long been swallowed up by bigger fish...and local neighborhoods have been clamoring for decades for bank branches... I don't think anyone is complaining about that.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 2:18 PM
Concerned About Brooklyn,
I understand everything that you are saying. But, if I pay over $800,000 for my home, I want some amenities--nothing special either. In the early nineties Greene Ave Farm opened up right next to an old bodega on Greene and not Carlton, but close to that, across the street from the park. Anyway, I was counting the days for the demise of that nasty old bodega. But the bodega faught back. It cleaned up its act. Washed those windows. Mopped the floor! Added new flavors of Haagan Daaz! Broadened its product base in general.Sold some flowers! This taught me something valuable. Those yellow-plastic-awning-ed stores are a blight. They should not be tolerated. They do not have to look like that. Shop owners will do what the must in a neighborhood. When the Korean markets came to NYC they changed all of the rules. They did it better. If a nice market opened up to battle those nasty bodegas they would improve. They would still get a lot of traffic, especially from the old-timers, but they would have to improve. Or maybe they could remain a source of beer, a beans and candy while someone else handles the salad.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 2:19 PM
Anon 1:15,
If you think Soho is "horrible," I can't imagine what you think "nice" is.
Don't tell me you do most of your clothes shopping at "boutique" stores on 5th Avenue in Park Slope. I don't believe it.
I'd bet 99.9% of the folks who live in Brooklyn purchase 99% of their clothes at chain stores or department stores. Sure, your wife might buy a purse, hat, or dress at a small store once in a while, but big chain stores are the only places that sell nice new clothes for affordable prices and you all know it!
Posted by: Dollar Store Larry at January 16, 2007 3:04 PM
I don't think anyone objects to adding some nicer stores/bodegas to the mix..but we have enough chains...you guys are funny...had Starbucks..et al been here when you purchased..you would have paid a lot more..so quit ya belly aching
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 3:11 PM
Anon 1:15pm,
One more thing. I don't believe you ever lived in Soho. EVERYONE who lives here loves it here. The only reason anyone moves out if for more space for less money. I know. I have lots of tenants and they almost NEVER move.
Soho is the best location for living in all of Manhattan. Greenwich village, Little Italy, Nolita, the East Village, Chinatown, Union Square, Wall Street,in short EVERYWHERE WORTH GOING is just a short walk away.
You either don't know Manhattan at all or a suburban housewife who's scared of city life.
5th Avenue is great, but it ain't Spring Street by a mile.
Posted by: Dollar Store Larry at January 16, 2007 3:17 PM
ps..weren't you same folks "up in arms" over the thought of Applebee's moving to the neighborhood?
serious
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 3:18 PM
"EVERYWHERE WORTH GOING"
do you realise how subjective that is?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 3:20 PM
bedford stuyvesant would kill for every chain (well perhaps not walmart?) that it could possibly get. a gap or an old navy would be major progress. do you understand that there are wide swaths of our commerical blocks that had/have not true commerce since the white flight in the late 60s? an entire generation grew up without seeing a single flowershop, green grocer, butcher etc. in their neighborhood.i'm not talking about on fulton street which was also, for many years, much much worse than it is now. hundreds and hundreds of abandoned store fronts were the norm. of course there were the corner markets run by somewhat hostile arabs in those days, hair salons, liquor stores and a great hardware store where bistro lafayette now stands. again, the needs are so beyond what many of you could fathom. where is the closest drugstore of you live on greene and bedford?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 3:49 PM
Oh Lord! 12:17 PM.
I am 2 cups a day person. I would do starbucks, or one those hip/yuppie cafes.
this was $8+ a day, or god forbid I decided to splurge on a muffin or pastry that day.
I started drinking coffee from a spanish restaurant (corner of carlton and flatbush) $1.25 for a tall cappachino. delious.
though a bodega is an option they usually do not have an expresso machine or means to warm up the milk.
Posted by: wise consumer at January 16, 2007 3:56 PM
"EVERYONE who lives here loves it here."
Larry, you are truly nutty.
Posted by: anon. at January 16, 2007 4:19 PM
Chains have always been around. Seems when new chain comes in someone thinks sky is falling.
McDonalds is everywhere.
Downtown used to have Woolworths, Lerners, etc, etc etc.
Sears is still in Flatbush. (I think?)
Macys, Macys, Macys.
Atlantic Center is nothing but chains.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 5:09 PM
only the truly advantaged could have the nerve to turn down chains aka jobs were there are few now. what'e the jobless rate for black men in nyc? 50% or higher.(same as in parts of iraq--a crisis the think tanks cry!) bring any chain you want. watch, the bulk of the workers at the new ikea and whole foods will be black and brown men and women, young and old. all those chic factories that are cool apartments now--those were jobs!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 5:28 PM
I love the small stores and boutiques but could not afford to do most of my shopping at them. Chains are necessary and fact of life for poorer NYers. we should establish chain free zones in some areas.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 6:34 PM
Concerned for Brooklyn -
you have it backwards - the 'regular people' in Brooklyn want chains and Walmarts; its your transplants that generally want to keep them out.
It always makes me laugh when people proclaim how much Brooklyn doesnt want or need chains yet whenever a chain opens the are often the most successful locations in the country (i.e. Target, Home Depot, Applebees)
Obviously the people posting on internet message boards dont represent the 'people of Brooklyn' since if people were so oppossed to chain stores they wouldnt flock to them as though they are giving the products away.
That being said, the local merchants would do a much better job of keeping chains out if they actually ran stores that were attractive, appropriatly priced and had good products. How many local coffee shops can actually make a decent (at least a decent as Starbucks - which is only passable) espresso? The answer is not many at all (and btw local coffee shops charge almost the same as Starbucks too).
How many local hardware stores have a good selection of products, arranged in a decent manner with even remotly friendly staff (like Lowes - which is now killing Home Depot b/c of the same issues at HD) - the answer is few (maybe Sids and Tanzian and both are doing well despite chains)
The list goes on and on - local merchants essentially offering horrible products, services and pricing, then moaning and growning when a chain opens.
Posted by: David at January 16, 2007 6:59 PM
hey, does anyone know what kind of stores are coming to fulton street between nostrand and bedford? the space next to the new gamestop is being worked on now, cliquers closed and the space above t-mobile is also closed. i'm hoping that it won't be any more beauty salons.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 7:47 PM
how do we get more artists to bedstuy? its apparent they've done their part in soho and dumbo, livings amonst the underpriveledged, removing some of the edge so other more furtunates can feel safe and develop the area and increase rents to a point where only the rich can live there. once the rents rise, the artists flee to a new frontier..in comes williamsburg. now that williamsburg has arrived, where are they off to now? pls come to bedstuy.
Posted by: anon at January 16, 2007 8:29 PM
David,
Not everybody can be good at their jobs. There's got to be a place for people who are bad at them too. The guy who makes a lousy cup of coffee -- where's his place in your capitalist Brave New Brooklyn? The store clerk who doesn't like people? The hardware store guy who just doesn't want to try that hard? I am proud to give these good people my money, Sir -- in the name of Community!
Posted by: linusvanpelt at January 16, 2007 9:46 PM
anon 8:29...we are here. cept we're not squatting industrial spaces like our predecessors DUMBO, etc. we're doing our part fixing up brownstones we were luckily able to afford before the last years instead. hopefully now the artists wont glee when they can't afford the rising rents and will benefit from the integrated hood they helped to invigorate (or destroy, depending on your politics).
Posted by: mcteague at January 16, 2007 11:02 PM
*flee
Posted by: mcteague at January 16, 2007 11:03 PM
"Not everybody can be good at their jobs. ". Thats what competition is about. I work hard for my $, I going to get the best my $. Customer Service and selection, if either is lacking it is almost slow death.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 16, 2007 11:32 PM
Brooklyn already has plenty of chain stores, just not the ones that make uptight mallhattanites want to put roots down.
Support what you want to see by putting your consumer dollars to work. If you want a damn $6 venti crappachino, hit the Starschmucks in the Atlantic terminal. Me, I'd rather give my joe dough to any of a number of regular places run by real people around here, and that's what I'll continue to do.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 17, 2007 5:53 AM
Oh, yes, let's all bow before the gods of Competition and Service and insist that local storekeepers "do better" to deserve our money! Let me as you, good people: what have YOU done to deserve decent service from the local businesses?
When you visit your bodega, do you patronize the secret drug business that keeps it afloat, or do you just engage in yuppie whining about the dirty cans of coffee and the week-old produce? Do you give your deli counterman a generous tip at Christmas, and if not, do you blame him when he overcharges you for meat the rest of the year to make up for it? Do you insist that the hardware store clerk finish talking to his friend and assist you, or do you wait patiently for five or ten minutes, knowing that as he ignores you and talks about the Giants game, he is contributing to the fabric of the community? If you are a lady, do you take the time to pretty yourself up and perhaps show a little leg to get preferred service?
No! You just complain like good Bush-Cheney capitalists that these working people have not "earned" your business! I say that you have not "earned" courteous and competent service!
Posted by: linusvanpelt at January 17, 2007 8:28 AM
jobs.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 17, 2007 8:45 AM
Bedford Stuyvesant will never be another SOHO, DUMBO or Williamsburg. It will probably be closer to what Ft. Greene, Prospect Heights and Lefferts Garden are.
Reasons why:
1.) Most of the homes are owned by the locals.
2.) Locals control the local politics.
3.) More middle class blacks are buying in the neighborhood than whites.
4.) Home prices will soon start going down in NYC prompting some adventurous artist to stop at the two main Bed Stuy borders. Or to just move back to Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn.
I would agree with some of the readers on how chain stores benefit neighborhoods in someway, but what I disagree with is bringing chain stores to make a neighborhood upscale just for their own private consumption.
Brooklyn used to give you the small town feeling in a big city. I really have a problem with people trying to Manhattanize most of Brooklyn. We don't need a Starbucks or Au Bon Pain at every corner. If anywhere in Brooklyn should be Manhattanized it should be downtown.
That's why we have the subway, so that one can shop, work in the city and downtown then come home to peace and quiet. That's NYC living...
Posted by: Concerned About Brooklyn at January 17, 2007 9:13 AM
Concerned - again I think you have it wrong, no one is 'bringing chain stores to Brooklyn'; rather Chain stores are looking for opportunities and see that most parts of Brooklyn (and other Boros) are extremely underserved in terms of retail (by all standard metrics) and also observe that when similar national retailers open in the outer Boros they are generally successful.
It is nice to theoretically oppose the homoginazation of the retail landscape but the reality is that as long as people frequent national chains they will come - and while you may differ, I do not want to live in a society where the elite mandate where I can shop, especially when it is diametrically oppossed to the average persons demonstrated desires.
Again the best way to fight national chains is for the local merchants to become more competitive (and there are many examples of successful local merchants). One of the benefits of NYC for local merchants is a massive concetration of people, (allowing more specialization); non-traditional (i.e. few 'strip-center) real estate locations, and less reliance on auto traffic.
Think about it, if most deli's were run like Lassen and Hennings (on Montague St) - do you think Subway or Blimpies would be able to open nearby (both failed on Montague btw); If most Hardware Stores were as attractive and helpful as Tanzian (on 7th Ave) do you think (non-commercial) people would flock to Home Depot or Lowes for general hardware needs? If most coffee shops knew how to pull a proper shot of Espresso like Cafe Regular (on 11th and 5th) do you think there would be much room for Starbucks.
Instead however most neighborhoods 'delis' are actually dirty Bodegas with old meat and stale bread; and Hardware stores like Bruno's on Court (with unfriendly staff and clutter and dirt everywhere) and local coffee shops like Ozzies (on 5ht) (with horrible coffee, ripoff internet and gross food).
Posted by: David at January 17, 2007 10:05 AM
In Clinton Hill, Outpost Cafe, Brown Betty and Choice all make great coffee (can be as pricey as a Starbucks but at least they are local businesses). Sister's Community Hardware is a good, friendly, helpful small hardware store. Just wanted to give credit to the small businesses that are doing a good job in the area and are friendly and helpful.
Posted by: lp at January 17, 2007 12:12 PM
poor old larry
we lived on grand street for some years and it was fine, but elbowing tourists got tiresome. the shopping just isn't cool there, baby and you know it.
I buy most stuff out here. as for basics, order them online!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 17, 2007 3:02 PM
The secret to good coffee is to grind the beans and then make the brew. The taste tells all. Hot steamed milk - the taste is unrivaled to cold milk. We (and people I know) like Starbuck's because of the coffee taste (we rarley get anything other than a REGULAR coffee. The edibles are usually all spectacular. The color schemes are soothing. They don't typically play weird fringe music.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 17, 2007 3:32 PM
Anecdotal information, but I've heard the reason Fulton in Clinton Hill is lagging so far behind the residential streets around it is commercial landlords refusing to offer long-term leases to businesses, so they can jack the prices way up when (if?) Atlantic Yards gets built. Anyone know anything about this?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 17, 2007 4:10 PM
Anon 3:02,
I live near Prince and Sullivan Streets, so I'm not affected by shoppers much. But like I said earlier, weekends are really the only time the streets get crowded in Soho. Shoppers don't bother anybody anyway. What are you talking about?
Bums, vagrants, and low lifes are bothersome, not shoppers.
I like this website because I enjoy construction projects like renovating old brownstones. I'm gonna bunker down in this apartment, save money like Silas Marner, eat steak and oysters at Raoul's, and wait for the crash.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 17, 2007 10:37 PM
Lucky Brand Jeans are aaapranetly opening a store on Smith Street in the Vegas bar
Posted by: shopkeeper at January 18, 2007 8:41 AM
Across the Park blog recently had a post about rumors that Costco was looking at a spot on Empire Blvd in PLG. I haven't checked back to see the update though.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 18, 2007 10:46 PM
AREA Kids is taking over brooklyn! But at least they are owned by one person and sell cool stuff that you need or want if you have kids and birthday parties to go to.
Posted by: kim at January 20, 2007 9:42 AM
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