There's a world of retail outside Manhattan

Real Estate Weekly, June 25, 1997 by Barry Greenberg

The retail climate is particularly favorable in the boroughs because of the large numbers of solid middle class residents who have relatively high levels of disposable income.

Vacancies are few, particularly along the key shopping corridors. While demand is high, the rent numbers are still attractive enough to lure more than just national retailers.

Park Slope, Brooklyn is a residential area whose housing stock is heavy in Victorian-era brownstones, many of which have been lovingly restored by the influx of young professionals who found Manhattan real estate prices too stifling. For the most part, the retail here is devoid of national chains because Park Slope's buildings are narrow and do not allow for stores much larger than 1,000 square feet. One exception is the new 23,000 square foot Barnes & Noble superstore opening late this summer on Seventh Avenue and Sixth Street in the new Methodist Hospital building.

There are plenty of coffee bars, but other than New World Coffee, they are individual players. Coffee bars like Ozzie's and Leaf & Bean have a comfortable lived-in feel that Starbuck's does not evoke. There are no Gap Kids, but there are delightful independents like Jumping Julia's, a children's apparel store with a whimsical selection of merchandise.

Seventh Avenue is gastronomically endowed, with restaurants that run the gamut from Vietnamese to Mexican to Thai to Indonesian.

In Queens, Astoria's Steinway Street is a well-established retail district. There are tenants such as The Gap, Baby Gap, Gap Kids, Nine West, Modell's, Dr. Jay's, Coconuts, The Wiz, Rite-Aid, and the usual fast food players - McDonald's, Wendy's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Taco Bell. Veer slightly off Steinway Street to Broadway, and discover a plethora of food choices reflecting the local population - including some of New York's best Greek restaurants like Uncle George's and Kariyatis.

Northern Boulevard in Long Island City is only minutes away from Steinway Street, and the local Business Improvement District is working on establishing a shuttle service to link these two shopping districts. Superstores who have a limited number of site options in Manhattan, have found their way here, including Top's, Costco, Office Max, Toys "R" Us, Pergament, Sports Authority, and Staples.

Travel southeastward to Jacks n Heights, Queens and find a melting pot of cultures Asian, Indian, and Colombian. The retail on 82nd Avenue between Roosevelt and 37th Avenue is a truncated version of Astoria's Steinway Street. National and local chains such as Lechter's, Genovese, Rite-Aid, Parade of Shoes, Nine West, Perfumania, and fast food rivals McDonald's and Burger King, all have a presence.

Jackson Heights is also home to "Little India," located on 74th Street between Roosevelt Avenue and 37th Avenue. This row and the area immediately surrounding it features an unparalleled selection of Indian restaurants, food stores and boutiques selling exquisite saris and fabrics. Manhattan's East Sixth Street was once the destination of choice for those seeking authentic Indian cuisine, but now New Yorkers in-the-know make the trek to Jackson Heights to dine at spots like the Jackson Diner and Shaheen Sweets.

When one thinks of Chinatown, what typically comes to mind is the densely populated district in Lower Manhattan. But a much larger Chinatown exists in Flushing, Queens. Main Street, Flushing, is where the Long Island Railroad and all city buses and subways converge. It is also a thriving retail district with chain stores like Footlocker, Dr. Jay's, Modell's, The Gap, Coconuts, Perfumania and Duane Reade. Stern's and Caldor's department stores are both located on Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing, where there is also a seemingly endless supply of Chinese restaurants and a preponderance of food markets retailing a variety of Chinese and Korean food products not available elsewhere.

While many lament that New York City's retail has become monotonous because the same national and local chains have found their way into each and every neighborhood, the city's ethnically diverse population has managed to leave a unique imprint on a variety of neighborhoods.