Fulton Attracting 'Manhattan-Type' Customers?
The Observer has a Q&A with Al Laboz—chairman of the Fulton Street Mall Association and one of the strip’s big property owners—in which Laboz talks about new businesses like H&M coming to the corridor. He has this to say about the demographics stores are looking to cater to: “Now that downtown Brooklyn is experiencing a…
The Observer has a Q&A with Al Laboz—chairman of the Fulton Street Mall Association and one of the strip’s big property owners—in which Laboz talks about new businesses like H&M coming to the corridor. He has this to say about the demographics stores are looking to cater to: “Now that downtown Brooklyn is experiencing a renaissance, with 5,000 new apartments being developed in a four-block radius, we’re getting a new type of highly educated … I’ll call them the Manhattan type of customer. And the challenge that we have on Fulton Street right now is really to keep our core local customer while also embracing the new customer that’s starting to come into Fulton Street.” Laboz also says “major, large-scale retailers” are eying 505 Fulton. Meanwhile, a reader sent in the photo above yesterday, which shows that work’s kicked off at the future home of the Shake Shack on the Fulton Mall—not a Laboz property, but certainly an example of one of the commercial corridor’s newcomers.
Albert Laboz Has a Mall in Brooklyn He’d Like to Sell You [NYO]
Ha ha – Let’s face it – Fulton mall is a shopping ghetto, cell phones, cell phones, sneakers and more sneakers, dubious grey market electronics. Even the Macys is a hot mess. For a shopping strip that has such good subway access, it is a damn shame, Bring on Apple, H&M, and viva Brooklyn
‘”Seriously how many cell phone stores can a person go to????”
Apparently the answer is ‘however many are currently on Fulton St’ as those stores are still in business and seem to be doing just fine. And ‘dump’ is in the eye of the beholder.’
Amen, Sister Snappy.
It seems as if people are just !!amazed!! that stores not aimed at their demographic have thrived for the last 20 years on Fulton Street. Obviously, they have, to the huge success of the landlords and retailers. Many of the stores are national chains, like Strawberry Shops, Children’s Store, Lane Bryant, Footlocker, etc, found in every mall in the US. The stereotype that Fulton St. is all cell phone stores, or all stores catering to non-white, lower income urban dwellers, has been over for quite a while.
Rob, you are the “We coming” people.
barf
if you ever stayed at a manhattan hotel or scored one night at bar and had sex in manhattan apt – then you can qualify.
” we’re getting a new type of highly educated … I’ll call them the Manhattan type of customer”
Based on the last census results regarding highest educational qualifications attained, I think he’s talking about Asians not Whites.
well hopefully the money runs out sooner rather than later for most of those “We coming” people.
*rob*
I’m white, but I’ve never lived in Manhattan. So, does that make me “Manhattan identifying?” Can’t wait to put that on my next census form.
Fort Greene very gentrified. Still mixed, black upper class. Gentrification is about money too.
Butterfly, you know what W stands for? ‘we coming’