Fulton Mall Appears To Be Bucking Retail Downturn
Biking through the Fulton Mall this week we were struck by how unaffected it appeared to be by the recession and broader downturn in the retail environment. We obviously don’t have any numbers on sales trends at any of the stores, but we were impressed by the fact that there was only one small store…
Biking through the Fulton Mall this week we were struck by how unaffected it appeared to be by the recession and broader downturn in the retail environment. We obviously don’t have any numbers on sales trends at any of the stores, but we were impressed by the fact that there was only one small store that was empty and only one other For Rent sign on the entire seven-block stretch. This is in marked contrast to the scene on Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues and, well, almost everywhere.
chorosch, “underused” is code for “not getting as much money in rent as they could if the place were upscale”.
quote:
BTW, Rob — your statements were incredibly offensive. Being poor and gay doesn’t give you a free pass.
and you being a blogger and a woman doesn’t give YOU a free pass for the stupid things you say either. what’s your point?
*r*
Correction… I should have written “Fulton Mall is downscale compared to some NYC shopping experiences (Saks to SoHo to Smith Street)”
“Fulton Mall is downscale compared to nearly all NYC shopping experiences (Saks to SoHo to Smith Street )”
Not at all true. In fact, the Fulton Mall experience is very similar to Fordham Road or the Hub in the Bronx, or 181st Street in Washington Heights, or Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica or, for that matter, Journal Square in Jersey City. Ten years ago, I could have included 125th Street in Harlem, but not now that it’s overrun with tour buses.
It seems pretty clear to me: the stores that get most of their customers by foot or transit are doing okay, while the stores that depend on customers coming in cars are going down.
Anybody think that the Fulton Mall will be doing better after Joe Chan builds his parking garages with our tax money?
Fulton Mall is fine. It will be there when the wine bars in more affluent neighborhoods close.
And that’s not a bad thing.
BTW, Rob — your statements were incredibly offensive. Being poor and gay doesn’t give you a free pass.
I don’t think Brownstoner has been to Fulton Mall too many times. It is what is it is, despite the inevitable future changes and past incarnations.
Fulton Mall is downscale compared to nearly all NYC shopping experiences (Saks to SoHo to Smith Street ), but it is always full of life and affordable stores. Would you rather have a J.Crew or Banana Republic be there?
Fulton theatre was great, first time seeing crazy Charles Bronson movies to House Party.
Gage&Tollner will never come back, and Macy’s taking over the old A&S is underrated … still a very good store, and easy parking even now in the garage. You can’t beat the fact that the Fulton Mall is at the crossroads of Brooklyn. Still a good shopping experience for all of Brooklyn. Don’t forget Cookie’s!
Sam and Bxgrl;
Sorry, but I’m still going to disagree with you on this one. A few points:
-at the time that the brownstones were built, Brooklyn was highly bourgeoise. When it was developed, Park Slope was the welthiest neighborhood in the entire USA. Brooklyn Heights and Clinton Hill were not far behind.
-please take a look at the photos of Fulton St. in the BHS book entitled “Old Brooklyn in Early Photographs” and you will see what I mean.
-Finally, you are making a incorrect statement on my behalf. I did not say that Fulton St. was the place for the rich when I was a kid. What I did say, and continue to maintain, was that it was much more elegant when the Dept. stores like A&S, Martins and others held sway there.
bxgirl is right. At one time ladies wore hats and gloves to shop for underwear and hair rats (the Victorian version of hair extensions) And most of the shoppers on Fulton Street were White. But that does not mean that this was a street of millionairea or robber barons. This was a street for ordinary people who lived in ordinary places. the “carriage trade” bought their goods in Manhattan or when on tour in Europe. This was strictly Brooklyn Bourgeoisie. Today, you may see ladies and gentlemen employed by the City or hospitals or wherever buying thir underwear and fake hair. What’s the dif? Blacks were not allowed to work at these stores long ago, but they shopped there, if they had the cash. I think benson is seeing things through the lens of nostalgia.
Fulton Street was always “Brooklyn” and sixty or seventy years ago that did not mean “elegant”.