LeNell's Days Are Numbered
LeNell Smothers, owner of the eponymous wine and spirit shop in Red Hook, has been searching for a new space for her beloved store since last summer. Unfortunately — for LeNell and for all of her fans across the borough — her lease is about to run out and she’s still got nowhere to go….
LeNell Smothers, owner of the eponymous wine and spirit shop in Red Hook, has been searching for a new space for her beloved store since last summer. Unfortunately — for LeNell and for all of her fans across the borough — her lease is about to run out and she’s still got nowhere to go.
In a note to the shop’s mailing list (which wasn’t published online), LeNell explains that her current landlord, who apparently works for Baluchi’s, won’t renew her lease because he is planning to open his own business in the space. (No official word on whether he’s planning on opening another branch of the Indian chainlet.) LeNell says that she had a draft lease for the vacant lot next to Good Fork, but it fell through this week. One of the owners of the lot is Red Hook developer Greg O’Connell, who owns the Fairway building, among many other properties. LeNell writes:
“We had architectural drawings, had agreed on basic lease points, and I’ve been thinking all along that we were just finalizing details. The space included the store on the first floor and the bar on the second. After discussing this project for nearly a year now, I get a visit from Greg recently telling me that he has just realized constructions costs will be more than he wants to pay. He won’t entertain thoughts of my partnering in building out the space. Just flat out pulled out at the last moment…which happens to be a few days before the end of my current lease. I’m in shock.”
The second space LeNell was considering won’t work out, either, as her landlord wants her to sign a five-year lease, and she’s looking for a ten-year commitment. At the moment, LeNell’s is covered in plastic sheeting, due to a leak that the landlord isn’t interested in fixing, but there’s still time to stop by. The lease is officially up this month, but in LeNell’s words, “I know it will take months for a formal eviction should it come to that.”
Photo by jasminepark
For being a “not viable destination neighborhood” we sure have a lot of people coming to visit, on weekends in particular. You are dribbling opinions regarding an area about which you admit you know next to nothing. When you met Lenell (and I’m sure it was a thrill for her) did you ask her how her business was doing? Clearly well enough that someone else wants to use her space for their own.
mshook: I have to say, your post has to be one of the more amusing attempts at insulting me I have read on this site for a while. Like many Brownstoner posters and readers, you seem ignorant of facts – some of which are quite easy to find.
In regards to the length of time LeNell’s has existed – I gave you a clue that I am uncertain, thus it is very much unjustified you would suggest I am “talking out of my ass”. Since casual conversational style doesn’t work for you, let me explain how this works. When one is uncertain of facts, it is a common colloquial expression to state you “feel” that a specific fact is true. I may very well be wrong, and I let you know this by using that word!
As for the retail commentary, I work in commercial real estate. While you may not understand how market analysis works, that simply means you’re an idiot and clearly don’t make your high income in any economics related field. LeNell’s is a neighborhood establishment. Red Hook is not a viable destination neighborhood, and thus the only safe bet can be the vast majority of shoppers will come from the neighborhood. I can also tell you that that the $50K estimate is pretty well established as far as surveys go regarding a minimum income that allows for purchasing luxury vices like overpriced hard liquor.
There is plenty of public information available from the US census bureau to find out 2006 income estimates for the tracts found in Red Hook. Adjust the estimate with data you gather regarding new, market rate construction and voila – you have your answer regarding the total.
In my case my bicycle surveys of new construction, while admittedly not scientific, formed the basis of my adjustment to the census estimate.
It is true I don’t typically post precisely how I get to my estimates and projections, as lot of the data is proprietary or in some cases confidential, but retail market analysis is simple enough anyone can do it. Seriously, how dumb can you be to think someone would estimate a local retail market population based on looking at the exterior of your house?
Anyway, I’ve met LeNell – she seems like a fine woman. I just don’t think she made a wise decision opening up in Red Hook. Sucks, but it’s true.
Get off the high horse, 8:57. LeNell asked Brownstoner for this story to be covered here. So let’s get this straight, she wants to tell her side of the story but not Greg O’Connell’s, AND on top of it none of are allowed to have an opinion. After we’ve been ASKED for our opinions.
Speaking of vacant retail space…why doesn’t she just move down to Court Street, where the pedestrian traffic could better support her business in any event.
I recently counted 10-12 empty storefronts, some of them sitting there a very, very long time.
As for me, I get Sherry-Lehman to ship for free. A lot simpler.
Brownstoner you do a huge disservice to Greg O’Connell by reporting just the tenant’s side of the story. You just look bad in the process.
Doesn’t make any sense. The tenant willingly signed a short term lease, now they are upset because the lease is up and they have to move? A lease is a legal agreement that spells out what each party is entitled to. Did the tenant not understand that when the lease was up the landlord had no obligation to sign another lease?
There’s plenty of vacant storefronts in red hook. The story makes no sense whatsoever. And threatening to force eviction? I would never rent to such a tenant. I hope every landlord in red hook reads this and refuses to rent to her.
Not for nothing but Greg O’Connell has done an enormous amount for red Hook, including saving and salvaging many old buildings and reusing them for artists. He has done a lot of community you won’t hear about and was one of the first to care about preserving as much of red Hook as possible while making it a viable neighborhood in hard times. He wasn’t born rich either- he worked hard for what he got (I believe he was a police officer but I’m not totally sure)and built up his holdings bit by bit. He also bought old manufacturing buildings and converted them to aprtments for middle and moderate income people.
i just read all these comments. it’s impressive how the brave, anonymous guests expressed the most hateful, vitriolic comments, some of which are perfectly despicable. look, it’s a great liquor store. they have lovely mailer postcards, excellent tastings, and lenell is a nice person. i suppose some people just enjoy other people’s misery, and that cannot be helped and i am sure the people who made the hateful comments have much bigger problems than commenting on blogs. brownstoner was simply trying to raise awareness. but everyone’s got an opinion, and it’s very easy to pontificate anonymously, isn’t it?
Stay classy, Brownstoner commenters.