Last weekend, I took a day to go leisurely around Manhattan and pay close attention to what was happening on the streets and sidewalks of our city. I rarely get the opportunity to do this because I always rush between appointments, trains, Citi bikes, meetings, etc. But last Saturday, I got the chance to observe – and true to form, New York City showed me a lot to love and a lot that was deeply upsetting.
I started the day driving slowly around and noticed that the blight on retail is genuine and has a major negative impact on our city. So many storefronts were either empty or a bank, a fast food restaurant chain, a drug store, a nail salon, a gym, or a smoke shop.
Retail broadly defines a city. It’s the canvas of our sightline, and it sets the tone of the interactions we have and the lifestyles we lead. Shops give towns and neighborhoods their identity; for instance, independent boutique coffee shops feel very different from Starbucks.
One of the most neighborhood-defining retail shops closed their doors last week. Village Cigars has been around since the early 1900s. I’ve walked past it more times than I can count, and it’s probably one of the most photographed retail stores in the world. The shop has been selling cigars to residents and commuters since the early 20th century when it was called Union Cigars. There’s a small triangle on the floor of the sidewalk outside the store known as the “Hess Triangle,” a mosaic set into the concrete in front of the store, which reads, “PROPERTY OF THE HESS ESTATE, WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN DEDICATED FOR PUBLIC PURPOSES.” The tiles appeared in 1922 after the city had demolished buildings in the area to construct Seventh Avenue and the subway line. Surveyors overlooked the tiny triangular parcel of land when appraising the site at the time. The Hesses, who had owned the apartment building on that parcel, had refused to give the land to the city; they chose instead to install a mosaic memorializing their defiance.
The current owner, Jon Posner, is in a dispute with his tenant of 26 years about rent, a license, and the lease term. Thankfully, the owner understands that this facade is a staple of one of the most significant crossroads in the Village and will maintain it. The building is also within the Greenwich Village historic district, so it can only be altered by going through the Landmarks Preservation Commission first. So, this one is safe. The fate of Village Cigars is more hopeful than what happened to my beloved Coffee Shop on Union Square – now a Chase bank.
Meanwhile, above most stores are primarily vacant office buildings. And on the flip side, if the building is residential, it’s fuller than it has been since 1968. The vacancy rate is now below 1.4%. A healthy vacancy rate is between 5 to 8 percent. So, as I’ve been saying for years, we are in a housing crisis in the city, and as I have also been saying for years – we have no plan to fix it.
After my drive around town last Saturday afternoon, my wife and I went to The Blue Note to watch Kenny Garrett. The venue isn’t what it used to be, but the music was world-class. Incredibly, you can still watch the best artists any night of the week in this city. After the show, we went for drinks and snacks, and the Village looked and felt like it did when I was a bartender 30 years ago. It was awesome. Full of life, and it all felt just right. New York is this feeling. This is why people move here, it’s why they visit here, it’s why they dream of coming here. If they want to spend their afternoon strolling past Chipotle, CVS, and Wells Fargo – they can easily do that at home in Iowa.
New York is like nowhere else, but we must work to stay that way.
Side Bar:
Next Friday, Padkos will be coming to you from Melbourne, Australia. I will be on an early graduation trip with my youngest daughter to see Taylor Swift in concert- oh, and to see my family and friends, too. Yes, I’m a Swiftie Dad – for many reasons. Not least of these is the fact that she can write thoughtful lyrics, compose lovely music, and be a message of positivity for young women – and as a Girl Dad, that is appreciated more than she could ever know.
Let’s Do This!
-Shaun