It would appear that the much maligned (or misunderstood if you prefer) landlord of 534 Flatbush (a/k/a Papa & Sons-Enduro-Lincoln Park Tavern-Blue Roost-beguiling 2ndfloorloft) wants to start anew. She's put the whole building's retail space up for lease. Here's the website that proves it: Massey. Poke around on there and you'll come across the following pics, graphs and blueprints:
Such a wholesale change to Lincoln Road would be a major shock to the PLG eco-system. So I put in a few calls to people "in the know" and I'm finding that there are many passionate opinions about this most peculiar little confluence of Dominican grocery, burrito joint/dive bar, homey coffee shop. The facts are just beginning to emerge and I'd hate to get them wrong, but it would appear that trouble's a-brewin' faster than an espresso.
For those of you who remember K-Dog's saga, Gaby Rowe felt unfairly pressured and nickel-and-dimed by building owner Rong Ge to the point that she threw in the towel. Ge maintained that she had a right to negotiate terms with Gaby, and that Gaby simply wouldn't meet her requirements and balked at paying her fair share of taxes. Most neighborhood caffeine-addicts naturally sided with the affable shopkeep. It was a sad story, but certainly not unusual in the rough and tumble world of NY retail real estate. Sunrise, sunset...
But the listing above shows that stakes have risen considerably for the remaining tenants. Unless this is some kind of bargaining tactic by Ms. Ge, it would certainly appear that she intends to kick out all the current businesses, save perhaps newcomer Blue Roost with whom she only recently entered an arrangement. Though I gotta say it's pretty darn super clear from the blueprint above (dated as it is) that even the new kid on the block is on the chopping block. Note the word "immediate" next to "occupancy." Seems like a smooth talker with a decent bankroll could come in and kick 'em all out tomorrow if he wanted. So...leases must be up, or terms broken, or this would be a pretty cruel trick to play.
What gives? Were the Q an actual journalist, he'd have asked for comments from all the key players before going to bed. But he's tired, and this story seems way more complex than he bargained for. Suffice to say, something's fishy in Lefferts, and perhaps when the Q regains his wits he'll get closer to the bottom of things...stay tuned. Or as we say in Blogland, keep refreshing that browser.
8 comments:
Just a quick correction - The Blue Roost is fine. They have a lease and aren't going anywhere. That is an old floor-plan from when the current owner bought the building - note that the Blue Roost space says "Existing Beauty Parlor."
The commercial brokers just haven't bothered to get an updated floor plan - shame!
So... by that account, Enduro and LPT are not fine? I would not be so worried about this if it weren't for the fact that the neighboring landlords are unreasonable. It's not like Jim could move Enduro to the former Mike's space - from what I hear, the landlord refuses to have a serious conversation with anyone about renting the space. Not to pry, Babs, but do you have any more insight?
Babs, who I'm sure is a lovely woman, is friends with the landlord, Ms. Ge.
I've heard some rather negative things from some people about this landlord, but for the sake of respect to the current tenants, they are best not repeated. Some rumors have already been stated here when K Dog was closing. No need to repeat them.
Agree with babs, looks like an old floorplan. However, Papa's is definitely going. In a way, makes me sad though I would prefer to see a more upscale grocer in that spot. As for Enduro and LPT I don't think they will be going anywhere any time soon, I believe the owner has signed new leases, at least for Enduro. The profits on both those places are up plus Rong gets her rent every single month on time. She's a hard driver but unlike Gabby, Jim Mamary is a different beast. If she tries to force him out, she'd suffer a great loss over a long period of time.
Not to be aggressive, but what's so low scale about Papas? They've put in a good amount of work to clean the place up and to add selections that the new comers would like. Papa's seems like every other "grocery store" in NYC to me. I've accidentally purchased rotting food at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. The up scale place on Church is nice, but it's not perfect either. Anyway, it's sad to see them go. They've put in a good amount of effort to meet the needs of the community.
What else would go in there? I've heard rumors that she wants a bank, but given that most banks are near or on Church Ave I don't see that happening. It may seem far for people living near Lincoln Rd, but for a bank that isn't far.
Hmm; if Church Ave. is close for banks on this side of the park why are they two to a block on the other side?
I totally agree with you Bob - just look at the proliferation of Chase and BofA branches and ATMs elsewhere in the city. Actually, Nostrand Ave. has two banks at Empire Blvd (Chase and Carver) and is closer than Church Ave for many neighborhood residents, but it is true that Flatbush Avenue is strangely under-banked around here by comparison with other areas.
This area might be "under populated" with banks because there might be a distrust of banks within the greater population of people in this neighborhood? Also, perhaps because of the income bracket of the majority of people. Additionally, I imagine that banks employ the same model as pharmacies, for example, where they open up across the street from one another in hopes of competing with one another. Also, if the demand is great enough in one location the same company will open up another location very, very close to it to compete with itself. What happens is there may be an initial loss but that loss is made up and then some result in a gain in the long run.
So in regards to my previous point, it's too close, because you may still be a costumer there,thus they aren't loosing too much business. However, to concede to your point, it's too far to participate in such an model that you'll get a bank to open up near you. Yes, I know a contradiction in terms...
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