Running Out of Retail

The Upper West Side is famous for its old buildings mixed with new ones.

The Upper West Side is famous for its old buildings mixed with new ones.

Mark Berberena, Copy Editor
November 10, 2017

(11/10/17) ─ The Upper West Side, with many new apartment buildings being constructed, famous landmarks, and rents soaring, you would think the neighborhood is booming. You would think it couldn’t get better for many lucky residents that live there. But there is a downside to all of this golden age of development.

 

The forever-climbing rents for the average apartment are killing retail shops around the area and preventing many from even moving in. Hundreds of stores have opened and closed in the past few years, and many apartments are unsold and unrented.

The Upper West Side is a neighborhood with quite the diversity of buildings. Many brownstones and condos surround the area, some built recently, others up to a hundred and twenty years old.
The two retail spaces in this building are both closed. One (the left) was a prominent restaurant that was in the neighborhood for 29 years before its closing last May.
A construction site on 69th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Notice the new (left and center) and old (right) buildings in the background.
This space on Columbus Avenue and 82nd Street has been closed for many years.

“The only reason why people live here is because of the parks, museums, and other landmarks the Upper West Side has to offer,” says local teacher, Jackie Ament. “No one lives or works in the neighborhood anymore. Rents are insane, stores are moving out. No one can afford it! Only big chain companies can survive the prices.”

A line of empty stores on Amsterdam Avenue between 66th and 67th Streets.
On Broadway between 83rd and 84th Streets, this space used to be a Duane Reade.

Many big-box stores are renting in the area. They include Trader Joe’s Bloomingdale’s, Lowe’s, Party City, Duane Reade, Starbucks, Sephora, and more.

A Lowe’s on 2008 Broadway (68th Street).
A collage of 4 of the 7 Starbucks in the area.
A Duane Reade and Trader Joe’s near the corner of Broadway and 72nd Street.
A Bloomingdale’s outlet across the street from Trader Joe’s.

It’s not all Corporate America, though.

There are many mainstays of the neighborhood that are still thriving.

Pomodoro Rosso, an Italian restaurant located at 229 Columbus Avenue, has been a staple for more than 20 years, along with The Muffins Cafe, which is across the street.
More early 20th century brownstones on 71st Street, west of West End Avenue. A new residential development previously owned by Donald Trump sits in the background.
The Upper West Side is famous for its old buildings mixed with new ones. This photo was taken at the intersection of Broadway, Amsterdam Avenue, and 71st Street, looking north.

If rent gets too high and stores start to close, the value of the neighborhood goes down with it. Rents must go down, in residential, and in retail. You must remember, though, the old Upper West Side is still around. You just might need to look a little harder.