W42ST in-store research is back. While there are still many challenges to staying open in Hell's Kitchen, the good news is that vacancies are decreasing and Ninth Street is slowly making a commercial comeback.
While there are still many long-standing vacant stores across the West Side, this spring's survey shows improvements from both the spring 2023 survey of 224 vacant stores and the fall 2023 survey of 219 vacant properties. It was observed. In recent weeks, our team has been back on the streets of Hell's Kitchen, where we now have 200 vacant storefronts, 23 of which have been marked for future business, and 5 of which have completed inspections. It opened in the meantime.
Ninth Avenue has seen the most dramatic changes, with vacancies dropping from 48 (spring 2023) to 57 (fall 2023) to 44 (spring 2024), while 10th Avenue has remained relatively stable. It decreased from 23 (spring 2023) to 18 (autumn). 2023), will be backed up until 19 (Spring 2024). In the lower portion of Ninth Avenue, previously hit hard by the pandemic and post-pandemic closures, three new businesses are opening at W 43rd and W 44th Streets: Club Hero, Poppy Poppy Taiwanese Fried Chicken, and Mazzie's Chopped Cheese. (unfortunately Club Hero recently closed).
The east side of Ninth Avenue between W41 and W42 Streets is also undergoing significant development. In the spring 2023 survey, four of the eight stores were vacant, but now all eight are occupied, and renovation work has begun on the last remaining vacant space. More openings are opening up nearby, including a future nail salon at 534 9th Avenue, the potential reopening of the Elk Hotel at 360 W42nd Street, and a new market to replace the closed Empire Coffee & Tea at 568 9th Avenue .
One factor contributing to the region's rapidly changing population is the prevalence of unlicensed smoke shops in Hell's Kitchen and throughout the city. Unregulated and largely uncharted until the city recently tried to padlock pot shops without proper permits, many unlicensed shops have closed and many have taken their place. It seems so. Several W30's stores, High Life Smoke Dispensary and Green Light District on W42nd Street, and Exotic Town Convenience on W55th Street, were closed after city inspections, but Green Light has since reopened and is well known. It is repeating a pattern of shutdown and restart.
There's also at least one legal dispensary looking to fill a vacant storefront. Cannadreams is scheduled to open in the space formerly occupied by Bar Veloce at 862 9th Avenue, as well as the Indoor Treez legal dispensary currently operating at 584 8th Avenue. (bw W38/39th St). There are also vacancies at smoking stores caused by other circumstances. These include a fire at 346 W52nd Street at Hell's Kitchen Clouds, an unlicensed smoke shop that destroyed both the first-floor storefront and the adjacent Danji restaurant.
Some vacant storefronts have popped up, as in the case of 792 9th Avenue. Formerly home to Wondee Siam, it previously moved to a larger space at 782 9th Avenue. Some residents of Hell's Kitchen have long been troubled, but there is little explanation for the continued vacancies. The longest vacant stores in Hell's Kitchen include Elli's Barbershop at 314 West 36th Street, the former home of Thai Select at 472 9th Avenue, Duane Reade at 619 9th Avenue, Walgreens at 353 W57th Street, and 831 8th Avenue. Rite Aid and more. , (just a few of the several well-known neighborhood pharmacies that have closed in recent years), 734 9th Avenue (formerly the Petland supply store), 319 W47th Street (previously home to LaDuca Shoes), It moved to a larger store at 517 W45th Street in 2019), 724 9th Avenue (formerly the TAGG clothing brand), and perhaps most notably, the long store at 682 9th Avenue (corner of W47th St), where Starbucks used to be. It's an empty space.
For Hell's Kitchen entrepreneurs, the survey numbers reflect the experience of running a business in Midtown. Evan Stein, the longtime manager of Shorty's Cheesesteak who launched a new business, Old City Cheesesteak & Brew, at 576 Ninth Avenue in February 2023, told W42ST that the 9th While he's happy to see so many new businesses coming to town, he said there are still businesses left. There are many logistical challenges to ensuring long-term success. The outdoor storage area adjacent to the storefront has become a “hotbed” for sanitation problems, including rodent nests and late-night illegal activity, the agency said in a statement to the DOT, City Councilman Eric Bottcher and Manhattan Community Board 4. Evan said. But “any red tape that they would have to go through to shut them down hasn't happened.” While the restaurant is doing well, concerns about community safety late at night remain an issue for Evan and his staff. He added that there is. “Windows were broken and someone sprayed mace inside the bar.”
Stéphane Bibeau — Hell's Kitchen local and owner of several neighborhood restaurants including Lovely's Old Fashioned Burgers at 642 9th Avenue, Zillions Pizza at 360 W42nd Street, Steak Frites Bistro at 496 9th Avenue, and dive bar Local 42 at 574 9th Avenue. I am managing a newcomer. And we've seen a lot of changes surrounding W42nd Street. Stephens said there has been “tremendous growth and great improvement” in the commercial environment in lower Hell's Kitchen, adding to the type of “mini-restaurant” he and business partner Adam Schopp dreamed of building around steak frites. He said that he has reached the point where he has realized the concept of “Low''.
Stephan said Ninth Avenue between W37th and W38th Streets is now “all in,” with new restaurants, a budding apartment complex and the Arlo Hotel at 351 W38th Street becoming an eatery. He added that it has brought welcome patronage to the area. He said there were still hurdles to overcome, citing similar concerns about late-night loitering in the area and the closure of one of the two smoking areas adjacent to Gillions, adding: “The good and the bad. There is,” he said. There is an undesirable vacancy near you.
He added that the emergence of new businesses has also created a positive wave of confidence and camaraderie with other entrepreneurs in Hell's Kitchen. “Harbor Management Deli (572 Ninth Avenue) used to close at 10 p.m.,” Stephens said. “Recently, it's open 24 hours a day, so it's nice to be able to work close to each other.” [late]. The more stores open and the later they open, the better for us. ”
Data for this study of vacant storefronts in Hell's Kitchen was created with the support of a West Side Community Foundation grant. The dataset can be downloaded at w42st.info/storefrontdataspring2024. Information was collected from late March 2024 to mid-May 2024 by walking each neighborhood block (sometimes multiple times).