Storefronting: Starbucks Snags Former Blind Tiger Space; Zara Soho Shutters for Renovation

1.

re. Zaras sad closing:

Goodbye and good riddance!

I hate those euro bastards with their tight pants and stingy return/exchange policies. My legs and chest will finally be able to breathe again and I wont have people pointing at me and screaming "you're gay" as I walk down the street.

Thank you lord for listening to someones prayers.

Amen.

2.

re: $tarbux and the Blind Tiger, MAN - I knew the hood had already jumped the shark but yikes - somehow this is far more tragic than anything before...
-yo

3.

If you click on "New York, NY" instead of just "New York," the Zara site still lists all the New York stores - including Broadway/Prince.

4.

As a West Village resident, as horrendously smug and relentlessly bourgeois as the nabe has become, I declare that the far West Village is now officially over. I have tolerated the infusion of bridge and tunnel types mobbing the Magnolia. I have tolerated the infestation of straight white yuppies (barely). I have tolerated the trophy shiny glass condos going up along the highway. But a Starbucks on this stretch of Hudson is just... just... egregious beyond words. Mind you, I am under no delusion that we keep it real in the far West Village... but I guess it the homogenization of the nabe has never been so in-your-face.

I would soo move outta here if I didn't have such a good commute.

5.

zara is not closing, they are remodeling their interior. They have draped that wood box in a giant ad that will soon indicate that the store is staying the same (right now it's just a picture of a girl).

6.

Everyone complains about Starbucks moving into the neighborhood and driving out other stores. Who drinks that shit? If people wouldn't spend five bucks for a cup of coffee the stores wouldn't reproduce like rabid rabbits.

Check out Mike's take on the chain below.

http://www.thekidfrombrooklyn.com/video_disp.asp?videoid=1049

7.

5: Correct -- Zara is remodeling, not closing for good -- including, it seems (based upon a DEOB application for storefront changes) the re-do of the corny front door set-up that was installed when Williams Sonoma first re-did the space a few years back (after which WS tanked and moved out).

8.

I sure hope that Zara isn't closing. What would I wear? If they closed I would just pee in my pants. It's not fair. I just might move to Brussels.

9.

Amen #4- but it's not just the West Village; it's far more insidious than that.

10.

Or you could just tough it out and wear Depends # 8.

11.

It ended for me when Sazerac House closed down. That was my very last connection to "what nyc used to be to me." I'm not unique by any means- but that hurt.

12.

Quoth Blind Tiger's owner a year ago (via Curbed): "Our landlord is renovating the building for some really expensive apartments, and he wants to replace us with a Marc Jacobs store... He told me Starbucks was hiring and they had a good pension plan."

Eerie!

13.

# 11, remember the crab cakes?

14.

the irony of the tiger is that they've been fought by a representative who claims to be pro-west village small business, yet by opposing a long time neighborhood small business' liquor license, she helps big business get another foothold in her district.

15.

It's deplorable that so many places are replaced by other places.

I still lament the closing of Luisi's on Prince Street when that frog restaurant Raoul's took over. SoHo has never been the same since.

16.

Oh yes #13, I sure do. I loved the Jambalaya alot. They made a mean assed burger too. Fabulous bartenders, colorful waitstaff, a real neighborhood crowd, etc. Oh well, that's extinct now.

17.

Now you can have your crabcake served to you by anorexic, hasbeen, eurotrash. Why would anyone want anything as personal as a neighborhood haunt?

18.

NYC should be added to the Endangered Species List ASAP.

19.

Just out of curiousity, what neighborhood in Manhattan hasn't jumped the shark? Granted, I live in the far West Village, and it has gotten extra crappy lately with new chain shops replacing old ones, and lots of empty storefronts, but isn't this crap happening all over the city? If we don't pay for it, then they wouldn't exist. There are a ton of great little shops within a block that sell coffee that will probably get smacked b/c of Starbux, and does indeed suck.

20.

By the end of December, all Tower's 89 stores in 20 states will be closed forever, including its popular store at Broadway and 4th Street in the East Village. "I haven't bought a record or cd in almost 10 years," said Jill Stahl, 38, an East Village resident, "I get everything online.

21.

And that's one big reason we are losing retail businesses- what a cunt.

22.

I guess there's no such thing as a tactile experience anymore ( actually shopping and holding the item ), talking to a person and asking advice, etc. All ya need is an internet connection- fuck people.

23.

The West Village went into serious decline when the Blind Tiger moved IN. Brought in a whole new breed of yuppie, barely disguised frat boys. Was much more interesting when it was one of the Potatos.

Couple that with the B&T hooker cesspool that was once Christopher street and you've got a serious problem.

It's still pretty though.

24.

I'll bet most people here use the Internet for more uses than they'll admit. I never hear anyone here complaining about Fresh Direct.

The sad fact is we're all to blame on this one. You can't just say it's someone else's fault.

25.

I use it to shop for certain items sure, but I buy food in a store, not off of Fresh Direct, and I used to frequent Tower on a regular basis, knew the guys who worke there, the managers, etc. So fuck off everyone that "we all use the net, blah, blah, blah" I support real live business.

26.

Oh here's Bing again with his collective guilt theories. Geezz.

27.

Absolutely spot-on Sean. Couldn't agree more.

28.

I think the bigger issue is the endless conversion of street corner businesses into banks. It's a problem on a lot of levels.

1) They're ugly
2) When grouped together, they contribute next to nothing to a neighborhood
3) They drive up rents
4) These higher rents drive out local, more marginal businesses and allow other chains to take over.

As soon as the banking industry starts to crumble (and I think it will in the wake of the massive mortgage industry reforms we're about to witness) this business model won't make sense for them anymore. At least I hope so. And then small business owners can start to take back the streets.

I know it seems unlikely, but that makes me feel better everytime I see another f-ing Starbucks or Chase or Bank of America.

29.

I hope you're right Sean, and if you are I'll stand on Hudson Street and drink champagne. Care to join me?

30.

i hate to break it to everyone, but the sad facts are that as society (espeically here in new york) become more and more ensconced in their materialistic and internet driven world, there are less and less folks who are interested in opening up shops like the ones we would love to have. that is the way our society is heading...why open a store which is hard work, when you can go make 6 figures sitting in a bank all day. it doesn't suit me, but many people in this city would rather have the big bucks than do something meaningful, creative and social.

31.

Any of you Sazerac lamenters try Bayard's Ale House yet? I haven't - just curious. It looks like a generic pub type place trying to be somewhat non-generic. My guess is that it won't succeed. The nabe already has Tavern On Jane for that :)

-yo

32.

Regarding the tendency for people to shop online, for me the ultimate incentive to shop online is price. Period. And as a rule of thumb, the bricks 'n mortar retail outlets are not able to compete. Although there are many reasons for this, I blame the greedy landlords and their exhorbitant rents. Some of you may seem to think that high rents are good for driving out the dross and making an area desirable, but every time you pay $18 for a CD at a local store, $5 of it goes to pay for the exhorbitant rent. It's a no-brainer that most people would rather buy it for $13 online, get free shipping, and pay no sales tax.

I think we all hate yuppies. But I think the landlords are the absolute scum of the earth, especially the ones who drive out neighborhood businesses and keep their spaces shuttered in hopes of a high-paying trophy business tenant. The landlords are not realizing that they are directly responsible for destroying the very fabric of the environment that used to make the area so desirable.

33.

Hmm, while supporting local merchants sounds great in theory it's a bit unrealistic/idealistic. First of all, most of them are already gone; second, they're gone for valid reasons in many cases.

Price is one factor, as already mentioned; then there's convenience. In Taiwan and Hong Kong, many stores stay open until 10 or 11 at night; only chains really do that here. Due to high rents, stores are much smaller and one-stop-shopping is rarely possible. And many types of stores often clustered in "districts" (lighting, flowers, fabric) that keep even worse hours and can be hard to reach.

Here's an example: One Sunday afternoon, I was finishing a sewing project and ran out of thread. I realized I had no idea where to buy thread in Manhattan at that time; most of the notions stores in the garment district would be closed and, well, where else is there? In the 'burbs, I would have just gotten into my car, gone to Target or Walmart (open until at least 8 or 9) and been set.

The reality is, customers are going to shop where people make it easy for them. In NY, for lots of reasons, that often means the internet. I will miss the flower and lighting districts when they go (mostly because of condo development, btw.) But should I feel so guilty if I choose not to shop at a store with worse hours, higher prices and more limited selection?

The only way for smaller retailers to compete is by playing a different game - offering fantastic service, products you can't get anywhere else, longer hours (like corner bodegas, who seem to be doing fine), etc. Guilting customers to shop there ain't gonna cut it.

34.

With regard to bodegas, it has actually seemed to me that I'm seeing more close. That's a recent trend, though. Maybe that's just an East Village thing because prices here are so nuts.

35.

You asshole "hipsters" all sit back typing on your computers with a cup of Starbucks in your hand trying to blame everyone else for the suburbanization of "your" neighborhoods. Well, jerkoffs, if you did not spend the last $4.75 from your unemployment checks at Starbucks they would not be here. And, if you had a couple of bucks in your pockets, you might have patronized all of the long lost stores that you lament. Get a job, spend some money, keep your own in business.

Despite your stupid, dumb-ass suggestions to the contrary, all of your posts make clear that it is the have-nots that are price sensitive that are trolling the internet to save $1.75 on groceries or $50 on a television. Me, I go to Citarella, get my coffee at Mudd, and buy my electronics at Harveys. I like to talk to someone, get the insight, and buy what I want rather than what someone else has on sale.

Maybe you all should get off your asses (and soapboxes) and open a business if they are so critical to your neighborhoods. Lots of new businesses open every day. Not all are Starbucks, McDs or a bank. You can compete and succeed. Takes a lot of work. You all just don't want to do it, but complaint when others throw in the towel.

36.

Actually, I think they are all banks.

37.

Seriously, does anyone know why all these bank branches keep opening up? It's really weird.

38.

The reason banks keep opening up offices is that's where the money is. The same reason that John Dillinger robbed banks.

Of course after they open the office they have only one illiterate piece of shit doing her fingernails working the teller windows. Meanwhile the line goes out the door and around the block.

She be saying that this be a layover job anyway, between McDonalds and the Post Office. Where she's going to be the supervisor some day.

39.

who the heck shops at zara?? the place is like a museum, you walk in look at the weird overpriced inventory and walk out.

40.

I'm guessing the banks have enough money to bankroll money losing locations and do so because there is so much competition for customers. In a pedestrian market like Manhattan, having a branch close can make the difference to choosing Chase over Washington Mutual when they're basically both the same thing.

The branches never seem to do much business other than teller services but I guess it's hard to tell as a casual observer. Maybe they're making all kinds of loans.

41.

Thanks Bing!

Makes sense, though I've been wondering if it might be similar to the pharmacy approach all over the city which has something to do with collecting favorable leases and little to do with retial. At least that's what a friend was trying to explain to me last night.

Just not sure what's changed in the last couple years to prompt this rapid expansion.

42.

What is all the fuss about Starbucks in the West Village? Where was all the hollering and complaining when Starbucks opened on Greenwich Avenue and Bank Streets?! Looks like that Starbucks has plenty o' business every time I pass by so stop complaining about hw 'da Bucks is ruining the Village and no one cool enough would ever go there.

The bigger problem , in my opinion, are all the "mom and pop" porno shops, tattoo shops, and head shops on Christopher Street.

43.

#39 If you think Zara is overpriced (under $300 for a suit), move back to wherever you came from...

...or just keep shopping at your local Walmart

44.

I'm guessing the banks have enough money to bankroll money losing locations and do so because there is so much competition for customers. In a pedestrian market like Manhattan, having a branch close can make the difference to choosing Chase over Washington Mutual when they're basically both the same thing.

The branches never seem to do much business other than teller services but I guess it's hard to tell as a casual observer. Maybe they're making all kinds of loans.

45.

On NPR this morning, a banker was interviewed about the number of branches. He said the New York area has about $9 billion in deposits, more than the entire state of California. That's why all banks are expanding branches here.

46.

The reason for the bank expansion is simple. Banks are desperately seeking deposits in the current interest rate environment, as it is cheaper money than borrowing. Back when the fed rate was 1%, it made little sense to seek deposits to fund lending or other operations since borrowing money was so cheap. In fact, five years ago a lot of banks sold off deposits because they did not want to service them. Also, as interest rates are rising, deposits are better than borrowings.

47.

I buy all of my electronic media online, as well as most of my books (although I do shop at local bookstores with a point of view). The issue isn't price, it's stock. I can get what I want online. I can't always from Tower. Prediction: no independent bookstores in NYC by 2010.

And the reason Starbucks survives is that they put out a solid product, unlike the vast majority of coffee shops in NYC. It's not hard to pull a decent shot of espresso (just ask the folks at 9th Street or Joe's), but it takes the right equipment, beans, and care. On a range of 10, Starbucks is a solid 5, but compared with the swill served everywhere else, it is the safe choice. Prediction: Starbucks will fade as other shops learn how to do coffee the right way.

The ATM business is what drives these branch offices. Chase's experiment with Duane Reade will likely prove that they don't need bricks and mortar to get fees, only rental space in a drug store. Prediction: Duane Reade/RiteAid etc. become the new bodegas, chasing out independent bodegas (which chased out the green grocers in the 70s), enabling banks to license/rent space within a chain. That will cause branches to close to be replaced by another type of chain store -- btw, didn't these banks all used to be Gaps?

48.

Ooh Ooh! Does that mean $tarbuck$ will now have Chase banking at all their locations?

Happy days are here again.

49.

What about the new Blind Tiger on Bleeker sitting closed on Bleeker? They opened as a coffee shop and now its just a big space sitting there...whats up?

50.

I dunno—maybe it's just me, but when a poster refers to a bank teller as "an illiterate piece of shit" or someone else as "a cunt, gee", I just find it difficult to see the value in his (or her) point of view.

51.

hey "not me" - no one groaned about the sbux on Greenwich Ave b/c, well, it's greenwich ave, close to 7th avenue, and, well, no one really cares. This is HUDSON we're now talking about son.

52.

I'm pretty sure Starbucks has a policy of deliberately oversaturating the market, funding loss leading locations, so other chains and independents can't get a foothold. They are good employers but otherwise the chain stinks. Someone should do an antitrust investigation.

Overall, the reason every place is turning into a chain store is rising rents, which means that only chains willing to lose money to have a NYC location can stay in the city. We are in a real estate bubble, in the sense that real estate is pricier than even businesses can afford to pay and still make money. This is due mostly to federal government (mostly federal reserve policies). It has nothing to do with ordinary consumers really wanting to buy overroasted coffee then go to a bank. Though as housing real estate prices keep rising, the only people able to afford NYC are yuppie types that actually prefer the blandness.

On # 33, I never understood retail hours in the U.S. Most non-chains keep hours that mimic business hours. If you have a forty minute commute and a 9-5 job, a store that is open from 8 to 7, Monday through Friday and 10 to 6 on Saturday does very little for you. You have to plan your evenings and weekends around using the store. I never understood while retail locations weren't open from, say noon to 10 PM so people who were not retired or unemployed could use them.