XPost: alt.politics.nationalism.black, nyc.politics, alt.fan.rush-limbaugh   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns, sac.politics   
   From: pothead@snakebite.com   
      
   On 2024-04-30, useapen  wrote:   
   > Flatiron is in shambles.   
   >   
   > The once-thriving Manhattan business district is now a virtual wasteland   
   > littered with empty storefronts — with locals blaming spiking crime and   
   > the Big Apple’s disastrous post-pandemic retail real estate market.   
   >   
   > “Big Box” retailers — including Lowes, Bed Bath & Beyond and Staples —   
   > have fled in the last few years, leaving one of the city’s shopping meccas   
   > peppered with vacant retail space.   
   >   
   > Businesses who are trying to hang on have been plagued by rampant   
   > shoplifting and thefts, according to workers and city crime statistics.   
   >   
   > “Business is horrible,” said Tenzin Tsethar, manager of The Wine Gallery   
   > at Sixth Avenue and West 16th Street.   
   >   
   > “Some people have tried opening up new businesses in the empty stores on   
   > Sixth Avenue, but most didn’t survive four or five months.   
   >   
   > “Inflation is through the roof,” he noted. “How can you balance your   
   > expenditures and income? Work from home has also hurt our businesses   
   > because so many corporate buildings are vacant.”   
   >   
   > The Post counted nearly a dozen empty storefronts along Sixth Avenue   
   > between West 16th and West 21st Streets on Monday.   
   >   
   > Those included one-time anchor stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, which was   
   > located at 620 Sixth Avenue, between West 18th and West 19th streets,   
   > before shuttering last July.   
   >   
   > The Flatiron District has become riddled with “for rent” signs as shops   
   > have gone out of business and major retailers have left the area. On Sixth   
   > Avenue between West 16th and 21st streets alone, at least 10 storefronts   
   > remain vacant.   
   >   
   > Staples: 641 6th Avenue (corner of 6th and W 20th). Was a Staples (the   
   > sign has been scraped off the front). Renovations ongoing inside but no   
   > “for lease” sign up.   
   > Lowe’s: Closed in 2019 641 6th Avenue (opposite corner of 6th and W 19th).   
   > Was a Lowe’s. Empty. Facade repairs ongoing. 36,166 square-foot for rent.   
   > Bed, Bath and Beyond: Closed July 2023 620 6th Avenue (between W 19th and   
   > W 18th). The Bed, Bath and Beyond on the ground floor is gone, walled off   
   > and guarded by security. TJ Maxx and Marshall’s are still operating on the   
   > second and third floors.   
   > T-Mobile 595 6th Avenue (corner of 6th and W 17th). Was a T-Mobile. For   
   > lease sign advertises “ground and/or second floor” available.   
   > ClearMD 600 6th Avenue (across the street from the shuttered T-Mobile).   
   > Was a ClearMD. Empty inside.   
   > Terry’s Gourmet Foods 575 6th Avenue (cor ner of 6th and W 16th). Was   
   > Terry’s Gourmet Foods deli. It has been gutted, renovated and is being   
   > advertised as retail for lease.   
   > Bank of America 670 6th Avenue (southeast corner of 6th and W 21st),   
   > formerly Bank of America, according to the rental agent.   
   > Vitamin Shoppe Closed November 2023 655 6th Avenue (across the street from   
   > the Bank of America at the southwest corner of 6th Ave and W 21st).   
   > Unknown 625 6th Avenue (across from B,B&B) is empty. The entire building   
   > of 105,000 rentable square footage is available — 35,000 RSF per floor.   
   > CVS Closed July 2022 636 6th Avenue (corner of 6th and W 19th). Lock and   
   > zip ties on the doors, anti-theft shutters pulled down, empty inside.   
   > Also gone are CVS, Vitamin Shoppe, T-Mobile and Bank of America.   
   >   
   > The sign at the front of the former Staples outlet — at 641 Sixth Avenue   
   > on the corner of West 20th Street — had been scraped off the façade as if   
   > it was never there.   
   >   
   > The space that once housed the Terry’s Gourmet Food deli, between West   
   > 16th and West 17th Streets, was gutted and being advertised as retail   
   > space up to lease.   
   >   
   > “There’s been a domino effect of store closures,” said local resident   
   > Bobby Lewis. “On Sixth Avenue between 14th and 23rd, a few businesses are   
   > coming in but most are going out. It’s sad.”   
   >   
   > State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar called the scourge “the   
   > sign of a decaying community.”   
   >   
   > “It’s like a cancer. The more stores close, fewer want to return. The   
   > Flatiron District is not the same,” Kassar told The Post.   
   >   
   > “It’s not just the storefronts,” he added. “It’s the declining real   
   estate   
   > values, which reflect the decline of the area. There’s a general sense   
   > that the quality of life isn’t what it used to be.”   
   >   
   > Merchants blamed the rise in online shopping — which boomed during the   
   > COVID-19 shutdown — and the spiraling effect of pandemic-fueled business   
   > failures that made the neighborhood less appealing.   
   >   
   > Crime has also been a constant headache, with recent spikes in retail   
   > theft and petty larceny, according to data from the NYPD 13th Precinct,   
   > which covers the Flatiron District.   
   >   
   > Over the past two years, retail thefts have gone up by 55.7% and petty   
   > larcenies have jumped by over 34% within the precinct boundaries,   
   > according to the data.   
   >   
   > “People just walk in, grab bottles and run away. Someone tries to walk out   
   > with a bottle at least once a week,” Tsethar, manager of The Wine Gallery,   
   > said of the surging thefts.   
   >   
   > “Calling the NYPD does not help at all. They just ask us if we’re ok and   
   > tell us not to confront the thieves,” he claimed.   
   >   
   > “It’s gonna get worse,” Tsethar added. “I see that happening every day.   
   > It’s certainly not getting better.”   
   >   
   > The stats also showed that it’s only gotten worse so far this year.   
   >   
   > Through Sunday, police reported 853 retail thefts in the neighborhood, up   
   > from 484 over the same period last year — for a massive 76% jump,   
   > according to the data.   
   >   
   > Over the same period, petty larceny reports leapt up to 1,013 compared to   
   > 645 in 2023, for an increase of more than 57%, according to the NYPD   
   > numbers.   
   >   
   > Zak Clapham, who has managed a mobile phone shop in the district for three   
   > years, agreed the outlook wasn’t good.   
   >   
   > “The T-Mobile closed a year ago. The Staples? Closed. I hope we’re not   
   > next,” Clapham said.   
   >   
   > He noted the area is also seeing less foot traffic.   
   >   
   > “We’re all dealing with it being slower and higher rents.”   
   >   
   > Vitamin Shoppe CEO Lee Wright also pointed to foot traffic patterns and   
   > rent costs in a statement to The Post on Monday.   
   >   
   > “As part of our ongoing retail strategy, The Vitamin Shoppe regularly   
   > evaluates our store locations in order to best serve our customers with   
   > lifelong wellness solutions. The store located at 655 Sixth Avenue proudly   
   > served our New York customers for over 14 years and closed in November   
      
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