The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

what's going on here part II

sw corner of bedford/empire
I mean, seriously? This is perhaps the most uninspired use of space I've seen in some, some time. Or at least since the explosion of "Fedders" buildings in the area. I'd expect it in suburban Dallas, but Brooklyn deserves better (no offense Texans...I've got nothing against your country.) It's a shame to see the once mighty Empire Blvd become such a dumping ground. But when the economic vitality of the street is tied to fast food w drive-thrus, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence. You end up with lowest-common-denominator stuff. It's all made bearable by the beautiful yellow self-storage building though. I'm a big fan of oversized buildings; thus my love for Fudgie the Whale over by Atlantic Center.

And what's to become of the above mini-strip-mall? Rumors of a 7/11 are circulating 24/7. Anyone got the real skinny on this one? And has anyone else struggled with the concept of 24-hour 7/11s? Anyone else had trouble with the concept of 24-hour-old rotisserie hot dog?

Perhaps most mind-bending all is that the 7/11 corporation would see a need for a "convenience store" in a town with literally hundreds if not thousands of "convenience bodegas." It's a bit like that Papa Johns on Rogers. Are there really too few actual pizza places around here? I guess the difference is that with Papa Johns they DRIVE their pizza to you, rather than walking or biking. I recently biked past the PJ's delivery vehicle and it had been hammered - probably by an SUV, a vehicle originally built for off-roading and notoriously difficult to parallel park on NYC streets. Nope. Still not making sense to me. I'll have to sleep on it.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It looks to me like it's built for multiple businesses.

Bob Marvin said...

RE:7/11, there was an item broadcast on WNYC last week [I think on Marketplace] to the effect that they plan to open large numbers of stores in Manhattan and the rest of NYC in the near future.

Anonymous said...

There was also an article in NY mag about 7/11's highly sophisicated system for managing inventory. They definitely plan on taking over NYC.

babs said...

See the NY Times article on the E Village's response to a similar invasion. There is absolutely no reason for this chain to exist in NYC anywhere! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/nyregion/east-village-protests-its-new-and-familiar-neighbor.html?_r=0&pagewanted=all

Anonymous said...

I walked by this mini-mall today. One of the shop spaces is going to be a liquor store, and as noted above, another one of them will be a 7-11. I think that leaves a couple of additional storefronts to be filled.