Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Best Comment Of The Day: It's A Shame

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I think it a shame that the people who did not experience Smith Street when it was dangerous to walk - both day and night - have no sympathy for the businesses that started the uptake of this lovely neighborhood. The landlords very happily rented these spaces that no one wanted 10 years ago to businesses willing to take a chance they might succeed. Now that they have made the street quite successful, they are being forced out. It's not a matter of how much rent the space is worth. It should be consideration for the "pioneer" businesses that made Smith Street safe for all of the restaurant and bar business and for you to walk on Smith Street without fear. 

4 comments:

Rob said...

This isn't just happening on Smith, 5th Ave in Park Slope has the same problem.

Katia said...

Oh, I am sure.

Anonymous said...

I like the contradictions:

- You said it was "dangerous" then, and later you qualified the nabe as "lovely"...

- "Pioneer" is a subjective word. Those restaurant that came 10-15 yrs ago came to make money using a cheaper rent, that's the bottom line, most of them don't give a damn about our nabe, just pure marketing regarding the few local initiatives, don't be naive. Those are "for profit" business, which is OK, but don't make them heroes.

- "Those business made the street safe", really, really?? The reasons for the decrease of criminality in New York are well known and don't include restaurant business...

Now if you ask if I will miss the "old restaurant" (again subjective concept as they themselves replaced previous "local shops”...), yes I will! But that's life, our city is about EMBRACING CHANGE.

Anonymous said...

Based on the police blotter, why should smith be any more or less safe than any other neighborhood in Brooklyn or beyond? With or without a bar scene? Stop deluding yourselves. This ain't Disneyland. And that's just what the pioneers do, they make areas appealing to development. Been to Williamsburg lately? I rest my case.