Forum Archive

As the Brooklyn civilization advances, I thought it might be worthwhile to caution the citizenry about a phenomena we’ve had here in Manhattan. There was a time, about 8 years ago when Bleeker St between Hudson and Christopher was a charming collection of small and unique business – antique stores, craft stores, book stores, a frame shop, even a Kim’s video store. Then the gentrification started – and one day the Italian restaurant closed, and then Clarey & Co antiques, and then Kim’s video… all mysteriously shuttered. And we all sensed something coming. That something was the Mallization of Bleeker Street. Now in the place of these neighborhood centric stores,we have Cynthia Rowley, Ralph Lauren (2 stores), Coach, Juicy Couture, Brunelli Cucinello (sic), James Perse, Marc Jacobs (2 stores). The rarified money crowd now trots up and down Bleeker, clearly not citizens from the area, with their high-powered tans, polo shirts, flashing gilded watches, and Hedge Fund gazes… they seem to be wondering where the Chauffer was off to. Oh well, that;s what happens – you live in a place like this for years because it ISN’T all this crap, and what you get is all this CRAP. So my friends, be wary of too much success in your revitalization plans – The Fortune 500 are not too far behind you, ready to push those commercial rents to the sky, and put you back in a rarified shopping mall. You can just move to the East 60′s if you need that.