I did a little snooping yesterday, and have heard from various brokers in the area the following:
–the Pratt Area Community Council recently showed the Bodega’s space to North Fork bank. (Why not Commerce? The world’s greatest bank?)
–the store above the Academy Diner on Lafayette will become a clothing store (will I be able to afford anything more than a T-shirt? Doubtful.)
–the old French Cleaners on the corner of Lafayette and Cumberland will become a cafe, not a 7/11 as has been rumored.
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8 Comments
thank goodness on the cafe not 7/11 (sorry, i know we already have a lot of cafes – but i just couldn’t stand the idea of a 7/11 in the nabe – i love the old bodegas – and their cats!) and i would still really really prefer that bodegas be turned into a grocery store of some sort (the met is so skanky) there’s already a nice wamu bank (they give a lot of grants to community programs) just down the road…
i’m commenting on your post about the new shop above Academy as well as your previous post regarding Stuart and Wright. I agree on many of the points that you make but I really disagree with you on the “whitening of Brooklyn”.
I’m with you that i’m all for local residents starting their own businesses and your husband is right — i think all these stores are ridiculous but the market will determine whether or not i’m alone on that. My issue with your post is that while you speak of Stuart and Wright, there are a few stores on Fulton street in our neighborhood, like Addie and Faro (sp?), that are black-owned businesses which cater to the black-community and are just as ridiculously priced as the white-owned boutiques.
One thing to remember is that Fort Greene and Clinton Hill have always had a strong middle-upper class African American backbone supporting these neighborhoods during their toughest times. But to pick on the white owned businesses is somewhat offensive as I think that many of these boutiques cater to the wealthier black population and i think it’s a good thing for people who have watched this neighborhood grow for 20-30 years, to be able to enjoy the fruits of it ie: being able to shop for things they need/want in their own neighborhoods rather than having to go to Smith Street (How nice for your friend that he gets home early enough from his job to be able to go for sushi in Park Slope from Ditmas Park. Because lots of people, after working a 15-hour shift don’t want to go to another neighborhood for good, healthy food and to imply that greasy Chinese storefronts and nasty bodegas keep the neighborhood “real” is offensive). On that note too, I don’t disagree with your sentiments about these stores, I just think it’s more a class issue than a race issue (though, obviously I know the two often go hand in hand).
As for Fulton Mall – I read that article and was shocked by how clueless some of the interviewees were. Yes, Fulton Mall is full of cheap stores but have you stepped in to any of the main stores lining the mall? They all sell Baby Phat, Sean Jeans and other black-owned labels for ridiculous amounts of money. A Banana Republic would be one of the cheaper store to go there. I’m not sure why we criticize a Stuart & Wright for selling $300 dresses to women who feel bad they chose creative fields (read: their clients are able to make a choice between being high-priced lawyers or lesser salaried creative fields and often their paycut is made up by the choices their much wealthier husbands make) and not a Jimmy Jazz that caters to low-income blacks and suckers them into thinking that $300 spent on Baby Phat dress is money better spent than on rent or food.
I’m perpetually surprised by the rampant consumerism and marketing targeted at low-income residents in our neighborhoods and the lack of shock registered by this. Why are we too scared to say that it is inappropriate for a store like Jimmy Jazz to be selling Baby Phat at the Fulton Mall, which somehow prides itself on its “black” identity but we’re more than happy to slam the bougie clothing store for selling $900 purses? What’s the difference?
sooo glad we’re not getting a 7/11.
also, washington mutual? where? there’s the wamu home loan center on fulton, but they don’t have an ATM or tellers that handle everyday checking transactions. i’m glad they’re there, but seriousl, an ATM or something? please?
also, naz, it’s not about the dollar amount, it’s about the vibe. Stuart & White is a “whitening” of the community in a way that Addie & Faro isn’t, precisely because of their WASPY aesthetic.
North Fork is local, and a great bank.
Naz- good point on Fulton Mall! Also, I’m not positive, but isn’t S&W owned by an African-American woman?
Please, you’re trying to tell me that hip hop has not embraced the waspy/preppy aesthetic more than anyone else? Tommy Hilfiger made all his money on hip hop. and when’s the last time anyone saw Jay-Z or Diddy without a damn sweater vest on? I totally disagree with you on that one. waspy is the new ghetto-fabulous way to dress. i’ve never seen any white man pull off a 3-piece suit the way Andre3000 does. When you start talking about “vibes” — you’re really pushing the conversation into another direction. and like i said, it’s class and not race here. It’s just hard to separate the two most of the time.
[...] 6) Clinton Hill: Reports the Clinton Hill Blog: “A few weeks ago, I noticed this storefront on Myrtle. Now it’s a jewelry shop! I took a peek in the window and was surprised to find the space shockingly small. What are they doing with the rest of the space? Could this be a front for something?” BONUS: More Clinton Hill store rumors. [Clinton Hill Blog] [...]
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