Some of the major blogs have been circulating last week's New York Times article on chain stores invading Williamsburg, Brooklyn and we thought it was interesting in contrast to Harlem:
LINK. "Billyburg" is basically hipster ground zero as far as NYC is concerned and the main shopping street is full of boutique cheese shops, European style cafes, local designer and artist boutiques. The big controversy over there now is that Duane Reade and other chains will be moving in and this has created a divide with new and old residents. One new Manhattan-to-Brooklyn transplant saw the shift as progress, lamented on the fact that many of the trendy boutiques are cash-only and that chains like Dunkin' Donuts would be great for the neighborhood which altogether caused a big stir on a recent Curbed post:
LINK.
So Harlem is a bit the opposite of what's happening in Brooklyn since it seems a lot of chain store came first before neighborhood-friendly boutiques and cafes. There's quite a few Dunkin' Donuts, Duane Reades, national bank and the ubiquitous Subway restaurant to go around uptown. This might be a rent issue because many of the new condos have a higher overhead so the smaller, intimate eateries and shops in Harlem tend to be in older buildings. Maybe some of the empty commercial spaces that are available around town these days should figure out some financial incentives to attract better businesses that are not chain stores. Harlem definitely has enough of them already.
The chain stores can use premises as advertising; every Barclay Vesey drugstore serves as a billboard for every other one. It's important to remember when comparing Williamsburg and Harlem that Williamsburg has many fewer residents, so it hasn't been as obvious a market for chain stores as Harlem.
ReplyDeleteTotally different demographics. The hipsters who were priced out of the West Village moved to the East Village, and as the East Village was beset by the same fate, eventually kept going east across the river into Williamsburg. These were definitely not people who wanted chain stores, they were the "creative types" and "counter cultural" folks who wanted nothing to do with Dunkin Donuts and Duane Reade.
ReplyDeleteBefore gentrification, Williamsburg had its insular Italian, Latino, and Hasidic communities, but it also had a lot of abandonment. So you had outsiders moving into vacant industrial buildings and breathing new life into old storefronts on Bedford Ave.
Compare that to Harlem, where the lack of chain stores such as national banks (actually the national banks are very new, so we should say "major regional banks" here) was seen not as a positive choice made by its residents but as the result of redlining and discrimination by retailers. 125th Street was remade, much as Fulton Mall in Brooklyn, into the urban equivalent of a suburban shopping mall, complete with fast food and sneaker stores, because that's what people in the community wanted. There was actually political backing to moving these major chains into the area.
Imagine: people cheered the arrival of Starbucks at 125th and Lenox! In its recent history, Harlem's been trying to be everything Williamsburg has been trying NOT to be.
Totally agree w/TP.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about the chain stores. I don't understand why there is a Dunkin' Donuts every block along 145th street. Yet, I need to walk 16 blocks to get to CVS and my bank doesn't have a convienently located branch in my neighborhood. I guess I'd like to see more of the more useful chains and less of the D&D and subway. I mean really, people can walk an extra block to get a donut. I'm glad there is a starbucks on 145th, but I really wish there was at least one good independent coffee shop north of 135th. (maybe there is and I just haven't found it yet.) I would love to see more shops of any kind open north of 135th. This area really does not have much.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if anyone else has noticed, but the hipster presence in Central Harlem has grown considerably. Maybe they were always there and I just didn't notice. But almost getting run over by a guy in a flannel shirt and skinny jeans riding a fixed gear the other night was confirmation.
Subway just opened at 110/FDB only two avenues from the one at 110/Lenox. Is there one slated for 110/5th Ave? Then the chain (which is the largest restaurant franchise in the U.S.) will dominate the entire northern entrance of Central Park. YUCK!
ReplyDeleteCMB, have you tried the coffee place at Amsterdam and West 141st St?
ReplyDeleteJonathan, man, you read my mind. That one's really nice. You know there's another, that little one with the bookstore, just up the street from there, oh I'm forgetting the name. Really nice.
ReplyDeleteNevermind Dunkin' Donuts. The Metro PCS locations have beein relentlessly popping up like weeds. I love their floor mounted flag banners. Nothing screams subdued and quaint design style more than those.
ReplyDeleteI noticed a banner today for a new "gourmet deli" (David's Gourmet Deli??)at 137th/Broadway in one of the spaces formerly occupied by the owners of Cafe Largo. We'll have to see what they have in store.
ReplyDeletewhy aren't the new residents of Harlem opening up stores like they did in Williamsburg, Clinton Hill, and other areas?
ReplyDeleteI think some are GuestQuestion. Problem is Harlem beset with constant negativity from a lot of old school local residents who a) can't afford to frequent new establishments or b) would rather eat McDonalds and shop at Metro PCS. I think as more new residents move in, demand will hopefully help the existing businesses stay afloat and encourage new ones to open.
ReplyDeleteI don't know a whole lot about the demographic of Williamsburg and Clinton Hill so maybe somebody else with a little more knowledge can shed some light on how Harlem can continue to grow as an innovative place for new business.
Chris, the "new" Williamsburg is made up of almost 100% 20 or 30-something college graduates, many of whom are from affluent families. There are Polish, Italian, Hasidic, and Puerto Rican populations but almost all of the explosion of retail stores, restaurants and bars stems from the young newcomers.
ReplyDeleteChain or not, we could still use a gym down near the bottom of FDB...
ReplyDeleteWorking Stiff: You're talking about Globetrippin'.
ReplyDelete