Closing Time. Brooklyn Camo at 163 Smith
112 Smith Street. Kendel's Beauty and Barber available
196 Smith. Empty storefront in new construction.
211 Smith. Jikishinkan Aikido Dojo moving by February 1st
241 has been empty for a long time now. Former Banania, Porchetta and Carniceria
Sapodilla out at 247 Smith.
250 Smith. Rosemary's Room out. Space being renovated.
285 Smith. No. 1 Dry Cleaner just vacated this space
Smith Street Starting To Look A Wee Bit Empty.
Have you noticed, dear Reader, that there is quite a bit of movement on Smith Street? Some older businesses are falling victim to rent hikes, some newer ones never got off the ground. Nothing unusual on a commercial strip, but the number of empty storefronts is a bit high for such a small stretch.
Some have been vacant for quite a while.
Pardon me for asking, but could hip Smith Street be, well, not hip anymore?
Is Smith Street fizzling out?
Gasp!
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5 comments:
I don't know if 'Not Hip" is right, here. Most of those empty business' are either in new construction or just bad business ventures or as in the dry cleaner and camo store, rent hikes. Now, most people equate HIP with $$ and I'd say Smith has plenty of $$ what with the 4 chains. Starb, Duane Reade, Lucky Jeans, American Apparal..and I guess you could add Brooklyn Industries and Flight 001. What is basically happening is that Smith Street is being sold to the highest bidder.
HIP AIN'T CHAINSTORES!!!
by that definition every town in america is "HIP"
i call the chainstore places "suburbia" because they all look the same! HIP is when thins are unique and individual and "special"
what is special about duane reade's?
Smith Street is definitely losing its hipness because chain stores will always be the highest bidders
Smith Street which was once upon a time really hip, is in danger of becoming "suburban" ...a strip becoming full of stores one can find any old place!
you don't need to come
to smith street to find an american apparal or a duane reade or a starbucks that's for sure
you can find those right on court street in the heights!
Smith street could lose whatever is left of its hipness if too much of this trend continues which could easily happen in a recession
Na'eem Douglas of News12 was doing interviews from in front of B'klyn Camo on what losing a store like this meant for the neighborhood.
My interview ran something like this:
Well, in past few years, we've lost a bike store, an appliance repair store and now an army-navy store.
All sold very useful/necessary things that saved having to trip far away.
They don't sell drive belts for washing machines and gaskets for dishwashers at Rite Aid -- and you can't buy workclothes from American Apparel to wear while doing repairs around the house.
Let's hope we never lose Tony's hardware.
That is exactly it!
If we have to drive out of the neighborhood for every little thing then it is not city living any more. Then it's suburbia.
Bruno's Hardware would be a tremendous loss.
I lived in this neighborhood for about 20 years, last year we moved upstate.
The new people who moved in have more money than sense. More education than smarts.
Sometimes it seemed that 90% of people walking around the neighborhood had moved here within the last five years. A stampede of well educated white people on their cell phones as soon as they get out of the subway, or looking lonely as they type into their laptops in a cafe.
There is a balance in the world between suckers and those who will take advantage of them.
Old authentic stores that sell what you need to buy and use everyday have closed, in their place come overpriced, pretentious stores selling unnecessary items at inflated prices. And why not? You'll spend your money there.
I'm back in the neighborhood to work temporarily and love the choice of great restaurants but I miss the old places and the friendliness and atmosphere they had.
Rant over ;-)
PS Bruno's Hardware? God, that place had the worst vibe of anywhere in the world when he was alive. Don't you mean Tony's Hardware?
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