Call me a cynic, but this venture reeks of pretension to me. These guys spent months (and untold dollars) making this place appear "retro" and trying to give it a "broken-in" feeling. Even the self-consciously "sloppy" signage looks calculated and is charm-free. Building already seems to have been claimed by neighborhood dilettantes with their Macbooks and SUV-sized strollers, and they're not even serving food yet. I hope I'm wrong--I really do--but Building on Bond doesn't look like it's aiming to be my kinda place.

Posted by: myhood2 at August 13, 2008 3:07 PM in response to Streetlevel: Building on Bond Soft-Opens

I'm a relative newcomer to the neighborhood, having been here only about 5 years, but I have mixed feelings about some of the changes. Some of the newer businesses around here are terrific, but there seem to be a LOT of empty storefronts on Smith, Court, and Atlantic, with more to come. Some of the new businesses seem destined for failure--does anyone actually buy anything at the women's clothing store on the west side of Bond St, between Atlantic and Pacific? (Some of the worse merchandising I've ever seen, and I don't know what the prices are like, but everything sure is being made to LOOK cheap, whether that's on purpose or not...) And, at the same time, a lot of the area's personality and charm is slipping away as more and more old, established businesses are closing. (And I KNOW this is NOT news in this area...) I just feel like the creeping elitism of NYC is just moving more and more into other boroughs, and it makes me sad.

Posted by: myhood2 at August 13, 2008 2:56 PM in response to Closing the Door on Ouvrez La Porte