Apple Store Watch: Downtown More Likely Than W'burg

I think the best spot would be the Willamsburg Savings Bank lobby. Seems like the perfect place, and we all know they don't have a taker yet since Border's backed out...

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 10:25 AM

For people who claim to hate chain stores and constantly ridicule suburbanites, many on this board seem just as excited when similar stores (e.g. Fairway, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Apple, etc.) open in Brooklyn. The apple sure doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 10:31 AM

wmsbrg bank building is seconded. it's the perfect spot spot spot spot ... spot ... . . .

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 10:44 AM

As a Brooklyn Heights resident, I've always been pro-chain. BRING IT ON! When Ann Taylor Loft came in, I was the only person I knew who applauded even tho I've never shopped there. Ditto MAC cosmetics. Big chains are nice stores, with well-lighted windows that stay open til 8 and are bright even later. They manage to stay in business for longer than 6 months. If I had to buy a gift for my mother-in-law tomorrow, I could find something that would do. While I'd love to have unique boutiques, that's not reasonable given the rents. And I can walk to Court St or Smith or Dumbo. So if it's Saks or Vita-Dent, bring me Saks. If it's Williams Sonoma Home or Citibank, I'll take pretty windows displays of chairs and sofas. Apple! Nordstrom! H&M! I'll take one of each.

We need places that stay open even on - gasp! - weekends.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 10:45 AM

This is all amazingly excellent news.

If even half of these pan out, I'd be thrilled.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 10:47 AM

Marty is a loser

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 10:49 AM

10:49. Marty is perhaps the world's greatest cheerleader

So yeah, I guess you're right

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 10:58 AM

Anywhere on Fulton St between Adams and Nevins would be great. There is mucho foot traffic and maybe white people would actually start shopping there

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:00 AM

I would certainly like to see some of these stores be in an area like Fulton Street in downtown Brooklyn. There are several empty storefronts and some dillapidated buildings there that could be utlizied for retail. Also, these stores moving to an area already designanted for such commercial development seems approrpiate. I don't want to see a Whole Foods or an Apple store on Fulton Street in Clinton Hill or on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope. That would be silly and out of scale with such a low-rise neighborhood. We can preserve neighborhoods AND have the ammenities we want by making sure that the stores end up in large-retail designated areas and not in our quaint little brownstone neighborhoods. That's why we have downtown sectors zoned for large retail and office space. I love the idea of a growing and active downtown that is a comfortable 10-20 minute walk or bus ride for all of the folks in their surrounding neighborhoods. I hope more restaurants- like the recent announcement of Amy Ruth's, or the beloved institution of Junior's- come to downtown Brooklyn. I'd love to go down there on Friday night for dinner, catch a movie and walk home.

Plus, we aren't talking about shutting down mom and pop coffee shops for a Starbucks. There are no mom and pop computer stores! I have to go to Manhattan if I want browse for an accessory for my apple computer. The grocery stores in my neighborhood lack a lot of goods that I like. If they carried them, I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods in Manhattan. If my local grocery store won't carry those items, I'd rather at least shop at a WF/TJ closer in Brooklyn that's only a bus ride away than trekking to Union Square on a busy weekend. I can't afford to do all of my shopping at such stores, so I only go 1-2x/month and am a patron at my local grocery store on a weekly basis for the other things I need. Brooklyn needs more grocery stores. There's no denying that.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:04 AM

Black and Hispanic money is just as green as white people's. That's why Fulton Mall has high rent. All those black and Hispanic (and white) people buying things. You don't have to like it or shop there, the rest of NYC is wide open.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:06 AM

That would MOST definately be a great addition to the "NEW" Downtown Brooklyn plan. There hasn't been a true electronics store down there since The Wiz . I can't stand the Apple Store on 5th , it's ALWAYS crowded and it's hard to really see anything for the kids that come in to play around .

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:09 AM

The W'burg bank space is TOTALLY inappropriate for Apple. The architecture is completely at odds with their modern look, and cannot be modified. Not going to happen. Further, it's on the worst intersection in the United States, only to get worse.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:10 AM

Am I the only one who doesn't care about having an Apple store in my nabe? Or is not so much about the Apple store itself but rather that major "it" brands are starting to see Brooklyn as a destination? If so, yeah, that's cool, and if so, then, yeah, D'Town Bklyn is a better place for that than W'burg.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:14 AM

11:10 what are you talking about? ever been to europe? old buildings architecture and modern design/products are the coolest thing you can do when is done nicely and apple knows how to do things that way, I welcome them anywhere they decided to move in.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:28 AM

And to continue 11:28's point, isn't the original Apple store in Soho an old post office building? They did a beautiful job there integrating a modern interior into a historic building.

But that said, I just don't understand people's obsession with Apple stores. They always look so...understocked to me. More about promoting their brand and coolness than offering a large selection of useful merchandise. Admittedly, I'm a PC user who doesn't buy into the cult of Apple...but I'm not trying to start an argument here. Just honestly curious how useful/important this kind of retail is. Esp. considering it doesn't cater to a large percentage of the computer-using--i.e., PC--market...

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:46 AM

I'd rather have a Nordstrom!

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:48 AM

11:48: FAIRWAY IS IN RED HOOK!

Apparently, a Red Hook resident friend of mine tells me it's amazing amazing amazing -- tons of speciality foods, vast cheese department, and just the most interesting produce available. Parsimmons for god's sake.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 11:53 AM

Totally agree that Fairway is one of the few places that stocks both fancypants gourmet and organic as well as regular old grocery products. And their prices are good too. I just widh they would build some stores that are a little more manageable in size and scale for the typical city shopper... Their megastore in Red Hook is so overwhelming, I can't bear to shop there. Would love a smaller one in downtown Brooklyn, though.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 12:02 PM

11:04 wrote "There are several empty storefronts and some dillapidated buildings there that could be utlizied for retail. "

Where? I walk along Fulton Street with some frequency and I don't recall seeing very many empty storefronts.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 12:13 PM

1:15,

there is an apple store outside Manhattan already. It is in the Staten Island Mall. I don't see why people are so excited about an Apple store in Brooklyn. I think the area near Atlantic Yards is the perfect location especially if it included an upscale mall, which is where most Apple stores are located.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 1:26 PM

Great location - every subway line running into Bklyn passes nearby. A branch of TekServe would be great, too.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 1:26 PM

"Anywhere on Fulton St between Adams and Nevins would be great. There is mucho foot traffic and maybe white people would actually start shopping there"

I've seen white people shop on Fulton Street. Recently.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 1:33 PM

11:28 & 46 -- ever been to the Wburg bank space and the Soho Apple store? (yes I know you claim to have been). The soho store is gut reno'd inside, totally modern. Wburg has a old school historic ceiling. like a byzantine cathedral. not appropriate for apple. like putting an apple store in the duomo, WTF? actually, no i've never been to europe.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 1:52 PM

bring apple, fairway, nordstrom, H&M, any or all of above to downtown bklyn -- all good! three cheers!

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 1:54 PM

1:33: I made the comment you quoted. I was making a (semi) joke. Yes, I see white folks there too everyday, but there have been several comments on this site over the past month or so, expressing disdain for fulton and inferring that only non whites shop there.

Unfortunately over my lifetime (which has all been spent in Park Slope), I have spoken with many folks (all white) who do refuse to shop on fulton, despite the fact that is a quite viable commercial strip.

And yes, before anyone else says it, over the past several years it has lacked diversity of retail types. But you can still get almost anything you need.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 2:20 PM

I would gladly take a Norstroms and Apple store less than 2 blocks from me, bring it on!

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 3:50 PM

Bring it on - all of it!

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 4:02 PM

Downtown Brooklyn like any downtown area is simply a better choice than a neighborhood thats not centrally located. Fulton Mall could stand some diversity, but - Those stores all apparently do VERY WELL. Livingston Street is ripe for the pickings... It has so much potential.

Posted by: guest at November 9, 2007 9:37 PM

i have no interest in supporting a business like fairway that makes it next to impossible to get to without a car in a place like new york city.

it's a horrible way to do business and create growth in a city like that.

i know they have some nice things at ok prices, but they have essentially created a store that caters to about 20% of the population...those who have cars only.

Posted by: guest at November 10, 2007 5:23 PM

5:23 - you must be too elitist to take a bus. GET ON THE BUS!

Posted by: guest at November 11, 2007 9:32 AM

A bus? What's a bus? No thanks.

Posted by: guest at November 11, 2007 1:57 PM

take a bus 45 minutes each way to get groceries from park slope?

no thank you.

Posted by: guest at November 11, 2007 6:35 PM

The Mac Support Store has been open in Gowanus for the last 6 months. They sell brand new Macs and also repair all Macs and iPods. They also have free Mac classes. Check them out at macsupportstore.com. They remind me of Tekserve when they first opened.

Posted by: guest at November 26, 2007 12:40 AM

Whenever someone complains about dissatisfaction with the shopping on the Fulton Street corridor, someone is quick to suggest that they are racially motivated statements. Do not be so cynical or suspicious. There ARE empty store fronts on Fulton. This is not an insult; it is a fact. I would like to see those stores filled with additional shops and services. I shop on Fulton. I would go there much more often if there were more stores. I am not advocating that the current stores close. I am calling for the empty ones to be filled. Perhaps theliberal self-righteous will think poorly of the following statement, but sometimes I go to American Apparel and buy a t-shirt. I would prefer to do it in my borough and not far away in Manhattan. I do not think that American Apparel should open on every corner in Brooklyn, but perhaps a store in a downtown commerical corridor would be nice. The only stores that could afford that corridor would have to be chains anyway. That's *mostly* what's down there now! Just because the chain store is Pretty Girl does not make it less of a chain than the American Apparel. I am simply advocating for a continuing adn growing, vibrant downtown to complement our lovely brownstone neighborhoods.
I live in Clinton Hill. I see white folks, black folks, asian and hispanic folks all using macs at the local coffee shop, on their stoops, in their homes. Don't make it into something more than it is. Be suspicious of the government and corporations (even mac!). Don't be so suspicious of me. I just want my community to be at its best and my community lacks some services and products within a reasonable commute.

Here's what I'd like to see in downtown Brooklyn/Fulton Street Corridor*:

More non-fast food restaurants/cafes
A couple of nice bars
A gourmet grocery (e.g., Whole Foods, Gourmet Garage, Balduccis, Zabars, Fairway, or Dean&Deluca)
Apple
Brooklyn Industries
American Apparel
Club Monaco
H&M
Nordstrom's
A little Bloomies (like the one in Soho)
Kiehl's or Aveda
Camper
A sporting goods store

*Be advised that these are mostly chain stores because they are the only ones that can afford the rent on Fulton Street Mall!

What I hope to continue to see in my neighborhood:

independent shops, restaurants, grocers, cafes, wine stores, services, laundry, bookstores, etc. - they can't afford Fulton Street Mall and we want local places in our neighborhoods and close to home!

Posted by: guest at November 26, 2007 4:16 PM