A (Corporate) Nightmare on Smith Street

The NY Times takes a look at Smith Street and the corporate companies creeping into the area and setting up shop. The most recent big announcement is that Trader Joe's is taking over the old bank on Atlantic Avenue and Court Street. How long until more big fish come to feed?

Urban Outfitters originally wanted the new Trader Joe's property, so we suppose they'll be hawking "Ski Cobble Hill" T-Shirts soon enough. Just last week Lucky Brand Jeans opened a store on Smith Street, joining American Apparel, Flight 001 and, of course, a new Starbucks (which took over a dollar store). Mixed in with the corporate staples are smaller fashion designers with storefronts, condos and restaurants. While it's not quite as gentrified as Park Slope, interest in the hood is escalating, and some in the area actually refer to it as the West Village of Brooklyn ("sophisticated, refined and slightly bohemian").

This area of Smith Street, from Atlantic Avenue to Carroll Street, brings together Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens (which some call BoCoCa...really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?). The Times reports that "stores that rented for $50 to $75 a square foot earlier this year now are $100 or more" and by years end may be closer to $135 per square foot.

At those prices, hopefully the more interesting shops without corporate backing can stay open. Michelle Sauer and Jose Portes just opened Homage, a skateboarding shop and natural food cafe, in a storefront that housed a barber shop. If the upscale really do take over Smith Street and the Paris Hilton crowd ever shows up to drop some dough, you can be sure the heiress will pass right by Homage - as Michelle Sauer's father is the one that sent her to jail!

Photo of Starbucks on Smith St via Matt MacDonald's Flickr.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in News on July 26, 2007 12:08 PM

Comments [rss]

guest

As long as Flight of the Conchords is on tv, i'm happy....

guest

You are sooooo far off it's criminal, Poster #[53] ! The only reason's for those "Yuppies" and the rest of you "Out of Towners" Moving into the outer borough's has to do with the fact that {A}-> You can't afford the outrageous rents currently charged to live in the city ! Because {B}-> You all realized that it's not worth paying it if Ur going broke every month ! Then you factor in {C}-> There will always be someone with more money, OR Wealthier Parents . To pay the rent so the Landlords don't need you, If you can't pay their price then they will find someone for whom will ! Finally {D}-> You probably were sitting back somewhere analyzing Ur current predicament and arrived at the following conclusions . You either move back home to Mommy, & Daddy & face facts that big city life was just not Ur "Cup Of Tea" . If you feel that you can still make it on Ur own you decide to move to what you perceive to be a "Poor Neighborhood" & set-up shop ! Where you will drive-up the rents forcing those living there before you to either pay up, Or Move out ! Resulting in some of them treating you like shit, & Or trying to Rob you at every turn ! (I don't wish for things of that nature, but it has happened before .I witnessed a Family of six chase and beat the hell out of this couple because they moved in to their building complained about them sitting on the stoop . This resulted in the Landlord using the complaints to get a judge to evict them for ""Creating a hazardous venue, & Depleting the property value "" So she could drive up the rent .) So please don't use the whole "Real" B.S. to sell the reason you moved Out of the City . It just comes off sounding Really Cheap ! Posted By; "Still Not Amused"

guest

Well it used to be MY neighborhood until all you rooineks came over from England. Now all the farms, fens, and fields are gone and it's nothing but streets and buildings. Why must progress advance, we don't need Mr. Edison and his big-corporate electrical devices. Bring back stables and dirt streets ankle deep in horse manure and cholera.

Yours- cranky Dutch farmer trying to eek out a living in New Amsterdam.

guest

#13 is the biggest moron ever. "Brooklyn sucks"

"it's not like the projects are going anywhere.

You're still gonna get harrassed and have shit thrown at you when you try and walk home at night."

I've been living in Brooklyn for 9 years and not only are the "projects" you speak of way out in the middle of nowhere (yes, a side-effect of low-income), the majority of Brooklyn is safe. In fact, the only people I know personally that have ever been mugged have been in Manhattan. End of story.

guest

To quibble with the article, the corner of Court and Atlantic is in Brooklyn Heights, not Carroll Gardens. Its two blocks from Smith Street.

Also Trader Joe's is replacing a bank, on one of the more boring and dismal stretches of street in the city (Court Street between Borough Hall and Atlantic). This really doesn't belong in a piece on Smith Street, which I agree is slowly getting ruined, if it wasn't "over" a few years ago when Halcyon closed.

guest

people seem to not understand that hipsters hate corporations and move to brooklyn because its "real" and no suburban America. The majority of them are also poor and end up living in a tiny ass apartment with their gf. Hipsters dont have trust funds and wherever that came from has always confused me.

maybe thats just me tho.

guest

Good for them ! This is what happens when you invade a neighborhood and turn it into something it's not and something you want ! I admit, Some change is a good thing, Just on a moderate scale ! What's going to happen on Smith Street is the same thing that happened in Brooklyn Heights, Bay Ridge, Park Slope, Etc. Let's see how the folks that invaded that neighborhood displacing those that were there for decades deal with the prospect of being priced out themselves ! Because you don't have to be an Economics Major to know that when Corporate companies start moving in the general lifestyle of the neighborhood changes dramatically ! Posted by; "Still Not Amused"

guest

I'm not saying it's good or bad...but they wouldn't put these places around town if there weren't such astonishing demand for them.

If you're not into it, tell your neighbors to stop going there so often.

JMH

I think the oversaturation may be causing people to overreact about Starbucks. As far as having one on every corner, I agree with [48] and others about the homogeneity. (I don't really NEED three of them within two blocks of my office.)

But on a small scale, they're not so bad. They're not a bad employer to have around for job-seekers (they give health benefits to qualifying part-time employees and provide 401(k) matching; Fortune Magazine consistently ranks them one of the best companies to work for in the country); they don't tear down old buildings to put in new stores; they provide reasonably clean bathrooms you can use without buying anything. I can think of companies I'd be less pleased to see opening locations near me.

Automocar

I never go to Starbucks, but I don't really care if other people do. New York is turning into an American version of Dubai, so what does it matter?

janelle

oh happy day! oversimplified comments teeming with hyperbole on gothamist!

i'm from the midwest. i live in brooklyn. i rarely (*maybe* 6 times a year) go to starbucks. in fact i know more than a few native new yorkers (the golden ones who can do no wrong!) who drink starbucks almost daily.

my current gripe against the over-corporatization of the city/country/planet (besides the bland homogeneity) is that i think it's a myth it makes one's life more convenient or better serviced. i've had plenty of bad experiences at national corporate chains where they seem to operate at 75% capacity, because they know that if they don't have what you need they can always send you to one of their many other outlets. this easily becomes an unproductive wild goose chase when you have to hunt down the 1 location in the city that has what you need.

guest

#38 - Do you mean Me and My Egg Roll? I have been on the wrong side of Hoyt for almost 18 years now and I remember those days. I also remember when Buddy's opened and we were so excited that there was another delivery option until we found out they wouldn't cross Hoyt. We offered to meet them on the corner of Hoyt but that was a no go. After much cajoling they did finally agree to deliver that one time.

guest

I realized something. Half of these neighborhood names didn't exist 20 years ago.

Learn something every day.

-Ph

zodak

paul, #29 is right, but he forgot 2 mention the weak dollar. google it.

Gregoire

I dont mind when one Starbucks comes into a neighborhood. I mind when six or twelve of them do, on every corner.

The LES Starbucks on Delancey is actually a nice addition to the neighborhood, certainly no worse than the crappy Burger King or four hundredth Duane Reade. I still prefer going to locally owned coffeeshops, and will only even consider Starbucks of the other places are closed or ultra crowded.

guest

We don't have Starbucks in Greenwood Heights/South Slope/North Sunset Park. We are awesome.

guest

Will someone please explain why they think the 99-cent store was so much better than a Starbucks?

At least I can use the bathroom and get free ice water at Starbucks (since I don't care about the coffee). Plus, there are still plenty of 99 cent stores all over this neighborhood for those of you who like cheap crap. Also, I know Starbucks are corporate, boring, and take away from the uniqueness of a neighborhood. But THIS PARTICULAR Starbucks is replacing a store that was crappy, boring, and looked exactly like every other 99 cent store in NYC.

JRod5417

Oh and back to guest#13, I didn't know that Brooklyn was comprised solely of projects. Who knew?!!! It only took 30 years of living here to learn that from the trolls on Gothamist.

And don't even get me started with guest#24. I second JMH on that one.

JRod5417

"However Brooklyn will always suck. No matter how many "corporate" looking stores and restaurants move in it's not like the projects are going anywhere. You're still gonna get harrassed and have shit thrown at you when you try and walk home at night. Apparently it's especially bad if you're Asian."

Huh? Have you ever actually been to Brooklyn? Let me know when you're on my block so I can throw some garbage at you.

bklynd

Oh, and BTW, it's not all about "Sex and the City" - there's also the lure of music, art, and employment and shit. Pretty much everybody wants to live here and nobody wants to live in Cleveland.