Chain Gang Thrives in Brooklyn
National retailers are increasingly sweet on Brooklyn, according to an article in today’s Post, and Brooklyn is apparently sold on chain stores. Since opening in December, the new IHOP on Livingston Street has ranked first in sales among the breakfast restaurant’s 1,300 locations, and the Downtown IHOP’s owner plans to open eateries in Bed-Stuy, East…

National retailers are increasingly sweet on Brooklyn, according to an article in today’s Post, and Brooklyn is apparently sold on chain stores. Since opening in December, the new IHOP on Livingston Street has ranked first in sales among the breakfast restaurant’s 1,300 locations, and the Downtown IHOP’s owner plans to open eateries in Bed-Stuy, East New York and Williamsburg. Other evidence of chain stores’ willingness to give Brooklyn a try includes the Target opening at Flatbush Junction and the one planned for the new building at Albee Square; Apple, JC Penney and Nordstrom are all said to be considering adding Brooklyn outposts. Marty Markowitz has been trying to woo Apple to a number of locations, including the new Albee Square building, the ground-floor space at One Hanson and the lower level of the Municipal Building on Joralemon Street. Although Downtown—with its existing foot traffic, reputation as a shopping district, and thousands of residential units in the pipeline—seems like a reasonable location for national chains, the influx of new stores is also detrimentally affecting independent retailers. “You can go anywhere to shop at a big chain store—people come to Downtown Brooklyn for Downtown Brooklyn and its uniqueness,” says Randy Leigh, a board member for Families United for Racial and Economic Equality, who notes that more than 100 small businesses have been pushed out of Downtown in the past year.
B’klyn is Making Chain-ge [NY Post]
Flatbush Junction Target Coming Soon [Brownstoner]
Downtown Brooklyn in Transition [Brownstoner]
Photo by milkshakepants.
“oh, so you mean where the Brown Harris Stevens just resigned a 10 year lease?”
Sure, why not? Check out some listings while you have your pancakes.
“You can go anywhere to shop at a big chain store—people come to Downtown Brooklyn for Downtown Brooklyn and its uniqueness,” says Randy Leigh
Actually, people don’t come to Downtown Brookyn, at least not in the numbers they should. Given all the population and income in and around Downtown Brooklyn, it’s ridiculous how shabby the retail is. I’m pretty sure there are a lot of people in Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, who don’t do much of their shopping on Fulton Mall.
A Wal*Mart in Brooklyn would do incredibly well. There would be a line of job-seekers around the block twelve hours before they start handing out applications, and a line of shoppers around the block four hours before the doors open.
i worked at iHop for five years. the “flour” they use for pancakes is actually pulverized sheetrock. avoid at all costs.
tell me where you find the corner bakery, the neighborhood bistro, the clothing boutiques and the specialty grocers in downtown brooklyn. You know where this IHOP is, right? Where would you have people eat instead?
oh, so you mean where the Brown Harris Stevens just resigned a 10 year lease?
you know park slope well.
I’m an open-minded American consumner, so I tried the three chians that 11:39 mentioned. I won’t be going back. I hear that the Dallas BBQ in Manhattan is better than the one on Livingston Street.
Who are all of you people? Especially you, 11:44. No one lives in NY because its cheap. You either live in NY because you were born here, in which case you’re exempted from the coming tirade, or because you moved here knowing it was an expensive place to live. Part of the reason its expensive is because its unique, because there’s variety, because its better than everywhere else. If you want IHOPs and Walmarts and Applebys or whatever other bullshit big box no character shopping, go to the suburbs where its already there. I like my corner bakery, my neighborhood bistro, the clothing boutiques, and the specialty grocers.
I’d like one in Park Slope, preferably on the courner of 7th Ave and Union, on the south side of Union, just up from the Food Co-op.
Amen. Bring me a walmart, chilis, ruby tuesdays, and a decent 7-11 and I’ll be good to go. People can keep their mom and pop rip off price no selection stores to themselves. While there are some very good small restaurants in Brooklyn, and all over the city for that matter, there are also some very good chains. Retail stores are another matter entirely. Bring on Walmart, Kmart and Target in abundance.