Commercial Klutch: October Edition
You’d think the Trader Joe’s opening was the Coming of the Lord the way the crowds keep coming. The 100th guy in line the first day told me he got a free shopping bag. Wow…99 cents inside. We do love what they do, and wish them well. Gotta be the loveliest grocery store in Kings…
You’d think the Trader Joe’s opening was the Coming of the Lord the way the crowds keep coming. The 100th guy in line the first day told me he got a free shopping bag. Wow…99 cents inside. We do love what they do, and wish them well. Gotta be the loveliest grocery store in Kings County. Meanwhile, down the street in a different location Urban Outfitters is struggling. Why isn’t anyone buying?
Good news for office tenants rents are dropping. Call volume is way down all over, mirroring what’s happening in residential. 16 Court Street cut prices for the third time this year and is now offering a couple spaces outside the pre-built program for under $30 psf (ouch) if a decent tenant takes them as-is. Morgan Stanley is putting two floors at One Pierrepont Plaza on the market for sublet shortly at competitive prices, we hear. That being said, Brooklyn still has a shot because of REAP, the City/State tax abatement program that grants heavy tax credits for tenants moving employees from the small island across the water to eligible properties on the big island. MetroTech, One Pierrepont, 16 Court, 186 Joralemon, Two Trees properties and others are eligible, because the program targets major renovations and new construction, to encourage same. Click through for more commercial news.
The party doesn’t stop in DUMBO. The new shared work space Green Desk continues to grow at 155 Water, serving folks both within and relocating to Brooklyn. Even Green Desk, though, has cut its prices, reducing single desk space from $450 to $375 a month. Working Today, the people with the cool Freelancers Union ads on the subway, are taking over 6,000 sf in 20 Jay Street at $20 a foot, we hear. Small tenants keep calling for space, not enough….When’s Sunset Park going to be ready? It is? OK.
CUNY’s still flogging a lease to death for 2 MetroTech. Hope the government revenue fall doesn’t kill it #0151;space is needed badly by the University.
Commercial Klutch: September Edition [Brownstoner]
Commercial Klutch: August Edition [Brownstoner]
Commercial Klutch: July Edition [Brownstoner]
urban outfitters is super cheap. i just think it’s a bad location. the demographics of the place are pretty young. needs to attract teens and younger 20 somethings.
Outfitter’s location is just all wrong – there is no reason to be on that side of Atlantic. I think they may have been swayed by the BLS dorm that is near, but it is just too far from Smith St. And the Packer, St. Ann’s kids do not hang over there.
Putnamdenizen, I too am confused by the “ceilings too high” statements. Are they supposed to stock the cheese and milk on a shelf 50 feet in the air? Or should they lower the ceilings? The unique building is a big part of the charm. I don’t really care whether or not they’re not maximizing the use of their space.
Anyway, speaking of cashiers, you did remind me that I’ve noticed some exceptionally nice ones also at Perelandra Natural Foods on Remsen in BH. One was so delightful, I had to seek out the manager to tell him how pleasant the shopping experience there was.
Are smiling cashiers so rare? The cashiers at the Metfood on Fulton and St James always smile, and ask after my son if he’s not there.
Not sure I understand “too much ceiling space,” as it should pretty much correspond to the “floor space”. If you mean the ceilings are too high, that’s the first time I have ever heard that complaint on a real estate blog!
I look forward to checking it out when I am over picking up my son at 261.
Trader Joe’s is terrible, much like the one at Union Square. Firstly, as Petebklyn rightly said, there is way too much ceiling space thereby emphasizing the totally inefficient use of the available real estate. Secondly, especially for such a big space, there are hardly any products at all. It is really tough finding things and there is hardly any choice. Thirdly, much of what they sell, whilst cheap, isn’t of great quality being as they are primarily an own brand type of retailer. Thirdly, the queues are horrendous which can only lead me to believe that there is a dearth of alternatives in the area rather than people thinking it is a really great place to shop. I won’t go there again unless I’m desperate.
A Whole Food/Fairways type of place there would do a ton of business and would have been a much better alternative.
I’m not sure that the problem with Urban Outfitters it that it’s too hip. I think it’s become an indication that the hipster aesthetic has become mainstream and as a result it has become less desirable. Kind of like when you could buy clothes marketed as grunge gear at K-Mart. Even those who are still committed to the hipster look tend to seek out other less mainstream stores in an effort to feel that their look is somehow more authentic. There’s nothing wrong with that, we’ve all done it and it usually benefits small businesses. I agree with BC that it really is out of place on Atlantic.
It does seem that odd location for Urban Outfitter. I would think need to be near a concentration of clothing stores and more foot traffic.
But as far as Trader Joe’s , I haven’t found it a pleasant experiece at all. Seems like too much (ceiling) space and not much product of interest. Hectic, noisy, rushed.
Brooklyn Chicken, you are so right regarding the Trader Joe’s staff. It’s worth going there just for the rare experience of seeing a New York grocery store cashier actually smile at someone. It’s a wonderful addition to the neighborhood.
With respect to Urban Outfitters, I appreciate them opening a store on Atlantic, but when I went in there recently and observed maybe one other shopper in the large two-floor space, I did get the unsettling feeling that it might not last too much longer.
Urban Outfitters is a complete misread on neighborhood demographics. The clothing is too young, too trendy, and way overpriced. The real question is why on earth the parent company put it there? A smaller Anthropologie store, which is targeted and older, bohemian-type consumers, would probably do well.
Trader Joes has a strange, hypnotic appeal. I hardly buy anything there, but I go in at least once a week. Even when it’s so crowded it’s hard to navigate the aisles, it’s such a pleasant place to be in. The friendly and genuinely helpful staff are also in stark contrast to nearly all other retail experiences in Brooklyn, most especially grocery shopping.