A reader mentioned yesterday that they saw N Boutique at 171 Lenox shuttered with brown paper covering the windows. We were just by the shop this weekend and took the top photo of the window display so all seemed like it was in order as of recent. The lower photo shows Harlem's first designer boutique (which relocated to this current location just below 119th Street a year ago) with the window gates down but no signage indicating what is really going on. Could it be just renovations for the holidays?
Sadly, N on Lenox Avenue is closed for good. I spoke with one of the owners yesterday and he said that the decision to close was made Sunday night. He said they were tired of fighting costly legal battles with aggressive landlord who wants the space(s)to possibly open a restaurant. He said they will be introducing their online store and a private label line in January.
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad. Always had good experiences in there. Wearing a pair of jeans I purchased there as I type. All the best to the really nice people involved.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of closings along Lenox Avenue, does anyone know what became of Trattoria Amici. I passed by twice in the last 2 weeks and it always looks closed? Perhaps they didn't recover from their Dept of Health problems over the summer.
ReplyDeleteJust confirming that trucks were out front mid afternoon today and the store was seen being emptied.
ReplyDeleteWow that's sudden! (...at least to the outsider.) I hope they consider going into one of the many vacant storefronts around. Good Luck guys!
ReplyDeleteThe landlord sounds like a jerk and he/she will not get anyone to rent the space in this economy. The N people should head over to FDB near the Aloft and set up in one of the many new condo storefronts; in this downturn, they could probably negotiate a good lease.
ReplyDeleteIn the interest of balance & fairness to a Harlem landlord, the hearsay of the first comment, even if true, does not equate or explain closing shop on a dime on the very eve of the biggest shopping week of the year and during a lot of Holiday spending. Most retailers "make the decision to close" and then do so 90, 60, or 30 days later, not 24 or 48 hours later and willingly forgo the very peak week of shopping.
ReplyDeleteWhy the haste 'getaway'? This has all the earmarks of a retailer that's not been paying rent, for a while, and risked loosing all their inventory and other property in the store (via a Sheriff's seizure or the like, locking up the doors, that may have came down this week). This looks far more like that scenario then some voluntary unforced no rush decision to close.
I speculating and have no idea, but I do have common sense. I also think the landlord might indeed attract a restaurant tenant sooner than you think. With Sette P across the street, the new restaurant row of Sylvia's/RR/French spot, Native, and the cute coffee shop and the neat little Mexican place further down Lenox toward Central Park, a bit of a restaurant row is shaping up on Lenox. Lots of tourist stroll that area, I can see an enterprising person seeing Native has survived, Sette P and RR are attracting a lot of buzz, why not? Even in this economy? Anyone know more fertile ground? Sure, there might be, but it ain't a bad location.
All good points Chef2B. This was just bizarre.
ReplyDeleteI believe the building N was un is a co-op. It has an optometrist and a branch of Halstead as tenants, both of which have been there for quite some time.
ReplyDeleteChef2B - I happen to live in the condo above and I am fully aware of the circumstances surrounding the store and the aggressive landlord. BTW, there are online articles of class action suits involving the condo owners and the same landlord.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the owner, they did decide to close a few months ago but thought they might hold on. Apparently, "Holiday Spending" season (as you put it) was not so strong for them (I shopped there... did you?)so they decided to call it quits. These guys are local Harlemites and not a multimillion dollar retail outfit that can withstand the financial pressures of paying high legal bills and rent at the same. The situation obviously took its toll so they felt it best to leave so that they can invest their time and resources in building their online business. Give them a break.
The other thing I forgot to mention, according to terms of those leases, the commercial tenants in our building have only 5 days after the first of each month to pay their rent or they face immediate eviction. So, that was not the case with these guys.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read in the papers, holiday spending hasn't been strong for a lot of businesses. I was at Bloomingdale's on Saturday afternoon and it wasn't nearly as crowded as I thought it would be. And the streets aren't packed with shoppers loaded with shopping bags like they used to be. If the giant companies like Bloomingdale's are feeling the pinch of shoppers scaling back on spending, small boutiques like N surely have to be feeling it as well. With landlords charging outrageous rents and pushing the small business owners out in an attempt to get a tenant paying higher rent now that "Harlem is hot", it's just not fair. Like Nathaniel said, the owners of N are not a multi-million dollar retail outfit. I believe the store was owned by three people from the community. N has been open for several years, a lot longer than a lot of businesses have lasted in Harlem. And both locations were two of the best looking storefronts in Harlem. So, I agree with Nathanial, give them a break Chef2B. It's easy to criticize but the reality is that they accomplished what a lot of people could never dream of doing in Harlem or any where else for that matter. They brought a high standard of excellence to the neighborhood that has been hard to match.
ReplyDeleteHey Nathaniel, give Chef2B a break here. No reason to be snarky. He said he was speculating and he raised some reasonable issues. And, quite frankly, from outward appearances it did look like they did a midnight runner.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry it didn’t work out for the owners and sorry you all are saddled with a dreadful landlord. I wish you all the best.
I didn’t shop there much as I try to shop locally but frankly I think they were just too expensive for the neighbourhood as it stands now.
The effort to defend and spin how & why "N" is closed need not be. Let us not forget 2 years ago Marcus Samuelsson pulled out of his now-closed Ethiopian restaurant, Merkato 55. The truth of the circumstances surrounding the failure of that effort are privileged to a small number of people (but they ain't pretty). Eater in fact said,"Samuelsson has parted ways with Merkato 55, a restaurant that he's spent the last year touting as his own—as a special, first-of-its-kind tribute to a cuisine very close to his heart. He's taken credit for dreaming up the concept and creating the menu, and was credited - with this being his way of bringing African cuisine to New York.
ReplyDeletehttp://ny.eater.com/archives/2008/07/eaterwire_midday_edition_marcus_samuelsson_out_at_merkato_55.php
The point? We Harlemites would not be thrilled and excited about the arrival of Red Rooster had Marcus succeeded with Merkato 55. Often it's indeed through our failed efforts that we learn, get smarter, and grow. I gotta a feeling Marcus has learned a few things from his failed effort Merkato 55 and that its failure proves to be a blessing in disguise for Marcus and we Harlemites. I would love to have the owners of N Boutique realize a similar learning & growing process and come up with something even better than "N".
I saw N Boutique as the apparel version of Emperor's Roe and Dancy Automotive. Instead of spinning excuses, defending, and pointing fingers at everybody (landlords, a market that does not appreciate them, etc.) but themselves, they should just re-evaluate what they do, how they do it and grow. All the best to them!
A lot of these boutique stores in Harlem are simply too expensive. In addition to the places Chef2b mentioned, the 'high-end' barbers in the Kalahari missed the mark entirely. Fair play to these guys for giving it a go, but who is going to shop there when you have Macy's a few stops away on the subway or old navy right around the corner. Granted, you probably won't find the same sort of selection as N Boutique, but 99% of Harlem residents probably don't care all that much. Chicken and egg situation I suppose. Park Slope has a ton of boutique shops, but the local community also has the disposable income to support them. Harlem isn't quite there yet. For one, I would love to see a Housing Works up here somewhere.
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteYou are not accurate about BBraxton, they went under because of poor management and negotiating skills. As one of their former clients I can tell you that they did not want for people coming in the door. They simply did not negotiate an affordable rent and ran into trouble.
I for one am sick of hearing people say that Harlem cannot afford to have these types of places; it is that way of thinking that makes things stand still and never move forward. Would you rather Harlem be cheap crappy chicken wing restaurants, crappy bodegas and lousy pizza joint forever.
Get behind the businesses man. I also shopped at N a few times and to be honest it was not expensive at all "this is all relative of course" but a shirt for $50 does not strike me as being that out of line; $75 to $100 jeans are the norm these days simply look at what the kids are wearing. When I look around and see kids in the neighbourhood sporting the latest i-phone, $200 sneakers etc. how can you then say that N was too expensive?
Maybe the aesthetic was a bit forward for the area but the prices were in my opinion not the issue. the other thing is that people run downtown to buy rather than finding the local gems. Perfect example is Swing a great little store on ACP and 118th street.
So please Chris stop saying what Harlem can and cannot afford as you do not speak for all of Harlem.
@Harlem BBC, I don’t presume speak for Chris but I do believe that the more expensive restaurants and boutiques are pricing themselves too high and going out of business speaks for itself. I doubt many people want to see another ‘cheap crappy chicken wing restaurant’ or ‘lousy pizza joint’ but there are more moderate steps that could be taken. Ihve hopes that the pub-like place on 116 and 8th will be a hit and I, too, think opening a Housing Works would be brilliant and make a fortune.
ReplyDeleteOne can have one’s own opinion on kids feeling that they *must* have the latest phone or $200+ sneakers but that is not the clientele BBraxton was going for nor was it N Boutique’s. Local kids probably wouldn’t be let in the door.
When people are truly struggling to pay for food, pay for heating, pay the rent or the mortgage, $50 IS a lot to pay for a shirt. That’s why Marshall’s is packed.
as a life-long harlem resident who lives in mt morris pk west area (and remembers almost no options for dining or shopping in my community), i have much respect for and give kudos to the owners of N for pioneering in an area that has much residential devlpt & hardly any commercial; also their level of excellence and bringing a wonderful environment & apparel choices to the neighborhood, not to mention putting their own money in establishing a jewel is something that we should all be proud of. i will miss being able to leave my house and go to them for everything from a last minute gift to well-made, well-priced, good looking clothes. the owners can count on my continued support in their next endeavor!!
ReplyDeleteN Boutique was not groundbreaking and when Theresa says, "They brought a high standard of excellence to the neighborhood that has been hard to match" is total hogwash.
ReplyDeleteB. Oyama Homme, the Harlem Men's Apparel Boutique was here long before N boutique, is still here, and will be here for a very long time going forward. It's actually a more upscale boutique with a higher standard of excellence than N Boutique, and illustrates if you know what you are doing, you can successfully open and succeed with a upscale high end apparel boutique in Harlem. People come from all over the U.S. and world and when in NYC, go to B. Oyama in Harlem.
http://www.boyamanyc.com/shop/home.php
Why is it not possible those behind N Boutique were not the best business people?, or perhaps not the best in discerning class and style? Why can't it be that simple? You simply can't say Harlem was not ready for N Boutique when B Oyama has done quite well (at a lesser location no less).
Well my goodness. There’s a bit of heavy self-promotion.
ReplyDeleteHarlem BBC, you miss the mark entirely. "$75 to $100 jeans are the norm these days"?! Not in my world, or most people in Harlem for that matter. I earn a reasonable income, but there is no way in the world that with a family I would be forking out $100 for a pair of jeans. BBraxton? Again, overpriced. Sorry, $80 for a hair cut is way beyond the means of most people in Harlem. Yes, that goes for people on assisted living or the middle class who still find it hard to get by in NYC.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why does a more affordable option have to be "cheap crappy chicken wing restaurants, crappy bodegas"? Putting words in my mouth there Harlem BBC. A more affordable option in restaurant terms could be a diner or a Thai place. A far cry from a 'crappy bodega', yet far more affordable than a place serving caviar.
Plenty of businesses are taking a chance in Harlem and I frequent a ton of them. Tonnie's is successful because they are selling to the mass market, not some gold flake cup cakes job at $20 a piece. So please don't tell me to 'get behind the businesses man', when I probably do so as much if not more than yourself.
Chris not not be argumentative but i never paid more than $20 plus tip for a haircut at BBraxton so I have no idea where you get your figures please view the price list below:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbraxton.com/Tonsorial.asp
Please speak up with real numbers and not made up ones to justify your position. At the end of the day would say that most people here want the same thing an improved Harlem with more choices.
Fair enough, I was going by the prices for The Works ($80). Who wants a manicure/pedicure anyway? Sorry, must just be the Brit in me.
ReplyDeleteYou also didn't address why a more affordable option has to be "cheap crappy chicken wing restaurants, crappy bodegas"?
However, your support of ALL things Harlem is outstanding. I trust you frequented the Dancy Power Automotive Group whilst it was open?
In fact I lived at Lenox Terrace when Dancy opened and I must tell you that I completely agree with you on that one. I thought to myself WHY???? But then again why not; if they could have gotten the clientele then it would have been more power to them.
ReplyDeleteOn the issue of more affordable options, I am all for a complete spectrum and to be honest I am trying to convince an acquaintance of mine who owns a great eatery in the East Village to open one up here.
Why did I make the bodega comment? Well that comes from hearing comments so often about how people liked things the way they were blah, blah. mind you you might not have said that but I took it that way.
I used to live in the LES when it was crap and saw it turn around and would truly like to see Harlem make the same leaps and bounds.
Sanou's Mom Housing Works is cool, I have a wonderful chair that I bought from them about 4 years ago. To your BBraxton comment they held events to get the youth of the neighbourhood mentoring and the like so i am not sure that you are right there. I think that what the businesses that have been coming have been missing is the ability to get people to come in because of the "intimidating" factor.
I have heard people say it looks really nice so it must cost a fortune more than once, this of course is not the case necessarily but it is the mentality of some of the Harlem population. This is what the new businesses need to conquer.
Housing Works is like a second home to me ha. I reckon if enough people petitioned them, they would definitely open one up here. I can just imagine a ton of the old brownstones in Harlem having all sorts of antiques and artifacts that would be right at home in a HW. Harlem BBC, no worries man, I know what you are saying about the sort of attitude that has held Harlem back in the past. I love the fact that places such as Levain Bakery are opening up here. Enough of the 99c stores and pharmacies.
ReplyDeleteAh Chris I could not agree with you more.
ReplyDelete