Avatar of NotAndersonCooper

by

Evening Streets

October 30, 2009 in Grump Corner

Giant Halloween stores have opened in my neighborhood, two of them! One sits in what used to be Gristedes, a terrible supermarket chain. The other occupies space formerly leased by J & R Music which went Chapter 11 earlier this year and left. I was indifferent to the departure – prices were okay but service was iffy. I bought my Toshiba laptop from them and 2 years ago I succumbed to an HDTV for my bedroom. I’ve lived in Manhattan for 23 years and harbor neither nostalgia for nor relief from commerce past. Some folks are passionate about changes to the neighborhood. I’m not.

A number of years ago, my block association (hee!) was upset that Chemical Bank (quaint) closed an office and deprived citizens of nearby ATMs. Today we are overrun with banks – not thrilling store fronts – but the economy stinks and the balance of enterprise is less a concern when income is down 40%. Occasionally I’m disappointed by change, like when Club Monaco on 87th dropped their men’s line of European Slim-fit. Alternately, I am pleased with a switch; the new Dunkin’ Donuts is not so bad! And the Indian restaurant it replaced was not special. Mostly I observe and expend little emotion. I can’t remember who had the space at 101st before the T-mobile guy. Maybe a frame shop. Good news – the key guy next door stayed – tiny but convenient!

Back to the Halloween store – I have no objections to it, just curious if this is a good or bad economic indicator. I wonder what the Freakanomics guys, who I detest, think of it…

J & R had a fun window featuring big screen hardware. I usually gawked because men like big TVs. I own a modest 31 inches, but 7 foot plasma impress me! Today the display is fancy costuming and throwaway decoration. My gut is that a hardware economy is preferable for the recovery, although the Halloween stuff is kitschy artsy ironic and more New Yorky – I don’t know. I assume the Halloween stores will morph into Christmas shoppes on November 1. Or maybe two story Donut Emporiums.

I walked the blocks from 79th to 102nd/Broadway this evening. I stopped and bought a shirt. These are my streets. Hey, remember Gourmet Garage on 96th and Broadway? That was a great store. Oh wait, it still is, except for the prepared dinners which I do not recommend. I don’t care what was there before and promise not to bemoan its passing when it’s replaced by American Apparel in 2013.

Related Posts

Tags: ,  

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/perverseus/ perverseus

    You make me nostalgic for my time on the Upper East Side (not far from a Gristedes, actually), particularly for an Anna Maria combo, one of the world’s great Italian hoagies. The restaurant is closed now, of course, but I can still taste that sandwich. Which could explain why the joint closed.

    Anyway, I think the giant Halloween stores are a bad sign. Not of the end of civilization or an impending outbreak of zombies, mind you. You just have to wonder how bad it is when a landlord agrees to a three or four-month lease. Seasonal commercial property is probably not the fast track to riches.

    Now go find a Mister Softee truck and enjoy a vanilla cone with colored sprinkles for me.

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/mama-penguino-2-2-2/ Mama Penguino

    I thought everyone got giant Halloween stores around this time of year. Could it be that a phenomenon already well-established in the Midwest is just now making its way to the coast? Can I now say, “Well, we’ve had giant Halloween stores for years, but I understand they’re just now opening on the coasts” as if I think you all are quaint and not a little out of touch?

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/chillbearlatrigue/ Chillbear Latrigue

    As long as they keep growing the number of dumpling shops, I’ll be happy. The only one that I know of is on St. Marks and the friend whose apartment was I usually stay at has moved from the area. I love dumplings.

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/captainfantastic/ CaptainFantastic

    We always have these big Halloween stores move-in to vacant retail spaces for two months. Two months of rent is better than no rent at all! I always try to buy from the local shop that has a store open all year though.

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/captainfantastic/ CaptainFantastic

    Also: I too mostly “observe and expend little emotion.”

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/ninahagen/ Nina Hagen

    NAC: Can you tell me why there are 12 Thai restaurants between 14th & 23rd on 8th Avenue. It boggles me. But we have our temporary Ricky’s and are getting a Chipotle – sigh…

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/monkeyrash/ monkeyrash

    I loved Freakanomics and reference it often.

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/chillbearlatrigue/ Chillbear Latrigue

    @NH: You’re very lucky. Chipotle is really good.

    @Monk: I’m with you. What’s wrong with Freakanomics? They had some interesting studies.

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/mama-penguino-2-2-2/ Mama Penguino

    People who like Chipotle, be aware that every single thing on the menu is ridiculously high in calories. For example:

    Chicken Burrito: black beans/rice/cheese/salsa (990 cal/31 g fat/14 g fiber/)
    Vegetarian Burrito: black beans/rice/cheese/guacamole/salsa (1120 cal/42 g fat/20 g fiber/)
    Barbacoa Burrito: pinto beans/rice/cheese/salsa (1120 cal/35 g fat/14 g fiber/)
    Carnitas Burrito: pinto beans/rice/cheese/salsa (1130 cal/45 g fat/13 g fiber/)
    Steak Fajita Burrito: tomato/salsa/cheese & sour cream (925 cal/48 g fat/4 g fiber/71 g carbs)
    Soft Tacos: tomato/salsa/cheese & sour cream (785 cal/38.5 g fat/2.5 g fiber/56 g carbs)

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/strawberry-shortcake/ Strawberry Shortcake

    mama- yeah but it tastes yummy

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/mama-penguino-2-2-2/ Mama Penguino

    I agree, Short Stuff, but for a long time, I told myself it was healthy.

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/mama-penguino-2-2-2/ Mama Penguino

    BTW, I cannot believe I just posted the nutritional information for Chiplote on this otherwise excellent piece. NotAnderson, I apologize. It’s been a trying day, no one got any sleep at our house last night after a midnight prank phone call where a man who knew our names and address told us he was on his way to our house to murder our family. The police didn’t leave until after 1 a.m. and neither Mr. Penguino or I got much sleep after that. At one point, Mr. P had me sitting in front of Little P’s bedroom door with a .45 (and spare clip). This is not how I imagined small town living. The police have a trap & trace on our phone but god, I don’t want that guy to call again even to catch him. And really, I just effing hate guns.

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/curly-q-tips-2/ Curly Q Tips

    If music stores in Manhatten sell laptops, what do adult stores sell?

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/helene/ helene

    @mamaP: OmG! I think you just won the scary story contest!

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/ninahagen/ Nina Hagen

    I am so glad I live in NYC.

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/ninahagen/ Nina Hagen

    Wait – is the scary story MP’s creep or Chipotle?

  • http://wordsmoker.com/help/members-3/voxpopuli/ VoxPopuli

    I was reading along thinking…oh yeah, there’s two new Halloween stores in my neighborhood. Yep, new Dunkin’ Donuts here, too. Yeah, uh…wait a minute. We’re neighbors.

    I think the Halloween stores are a sign of the economic stall. I’ve lived in the same neighborhood for eight years and in that time nearly all the dollar stores have disappeared and the new businesses have mostly been more upscale than what they replaced or at least major chains.

    That one big Halloween store, where the old Gristede’s was, is in one of those two new big ugly buildings that went up at 100th Street that opened right around the time the economy tanked. The Halloween store is the first retail tenant they’ve had. The smaller one is where a kids’ clothing store that went out of business. The name is escaping me now.

    Soon the economy will pick up again. The neighborhood will resume classing itself up (oh hello, new Whole Foods!), the Halloween stores will be replaced by national chains and I’ll likely have to move when my rent is jacked up. Spoooky!