Invasion of the Chain Stores?
The New York Times on Sunday proclaimed that, having already conquered Manhattan, chain stores were preparing to take over the boroughs and lay waste to the charming neighborhood feel of mom-and-pop stores in the process. The boroughs are all going down like bowling pins, says urban planner Jeanne Giordano. From where we sit, it’s a…
The New York Times on Sunday proclaimed that, having already conquered Manhattan, chain stores were preparing to take over the boroughs and lay waste to the charming neighborhood feel of mom-and-pop stores in the process. The boroughs are all going down like bowling pins, says urban planner Jeanne Giordano. From where we sit, it’s a little simplistic to generalize like that. Like architecture, the answer has a lot to do with context. While we’d hate to see places like Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Smith Street in Cobble Hill or Fifth Avenue in Park Slope get Soho-ized, at this point we think a Starbucks or a Gap would have a positive impact on the stretch of Fulton in Clinton Hill. Of course, we’d prefer a local boutique or gourmet store, but they’ve been a long time coming.
Big-Name Retail Chains Will Take the Other Boroughs [NY Times]
I really don’t understand some of you people. Why do you feel that you always have to be served all the time? It’s like you have to hire someone to wipe your a$$e$. You want to be privileged to certain things, while who cares about the other undesirables or people who are scrapping by.
Why not ask for a new affordable coffee shops, amenities, etc.. that can serve everybody and not just you. Why is everything about you spoiled brats?
I can’t wait for the housing market to go down so you clowns can move back to Manhattan, so Brooklyn can become a place where real, normal people live. Who cares about $tarbuck$ or Union Market most people will still go to Key Food, C-Town etc..
Why not improve what is already there? Listening and reading your posts makes me sick sometimes.
Shared spaced where neighbors can stop and chat, exchange ideas give people a stronger sense of community. The Greene and Franklin neigborhhod needs more communal spaces. A place where you could sit with your computer, have a good cup of coffee and work on your would be nice for a neigborhood with 850,000 homes. Where else but NYC could you have such expensive housing and such a low level of service. The cornerstores are vile. The serve a purpose but they are disrepectful to the community aesthetically.
i won’t even start a wal-mart conversation here, but i’d like to point out the reason so many have to shop at wal-mart is because wal-mart closed down the company they worked for, and in a terrible coincidence, now the only place they can afford. no NO no NO NO no NO wal-mart. http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/facts/
and you starbucks fans, not there are too many i can tell =), they only pay a decent wage and benefits to those that qualify. ask next time you are in there how many get benefits, less then 5%. joy.
There are still lots of artists in Dumbo, and Dumbo’s still a boring place to visit. What’s your point?
Sure artists are largely responsible for bringing life back to once decrepit neighborhoods, but once the spark has been ignited, merchants are the ones who give a neighborhood true vitality and long lasting economic well being.
There’s nothing sad about an architecually signigificant neighborhood like Soho also being a thriving commercial center. The more people who visit the better.
I’ve lived here for over ten years and own property, so of course I have a vested interest, but I don’t have any problems with tourists and their “ugly clothes,” as someone put it, don’t bother me in the least. I’m glad their coming here to spend their money and buy more nicer clothes!
larry, tell that to the artists and architectural historians from the ’70’s who worked to convert soho into a historic district. that soho is known by so many as only ‘an incredibly popular place for tourists to shop’ and ‘an open air mall’ is downright cringeworthy, in my opinion.
Larry’s right. If 5th Avenue or Bedford had a quarter of the shoppers that Soho does, you folks would brag of incredible success.
You can’t have it both ways.
Soho is not just a “big ole mall.”
It’s one of the coolest shopping districts on the planet with great food to boot.
The fact that it’s packed with shoppers on weekends doesn’t make it any less desirable.
For those of us that live here, early morning and evening strolls have always been the best times to enjoy the impressive cast iron loft buildings and cobble stone streets.
Of course it’s an incredibly popular place for tourists to shop. Call Soho an openair mall if you wish, but it’s the best there is.
That’s great news about Wal-Mart. We’ll see if it actually becomes a reality, though. I think they’d do very well in Brooklyn.
“if you live on greene and franklin where do you get coffee?”
You have two options:
1) Your kitchen
2) The bodega on the corner
Every Brooklyn neighborhood has a million little bodegas, and coffee/tea is a staple at each. Can you get a $4 latte? Nope, but then again you probably don’t need one.
And both of those options will save you money over a cup of joe from Starbucks any day.