And Now: The Rainbow Cafe is for Rent

I guess the $3 Million sales price was a bit much right now. If you want to rent the Rainbow Cafe, however, it is still available.

Another Sunset Parker Bemoans Gentrification

A blog called Fuzzy Logic has a post about the (recent?) changes in SP. While she calls Bay Ridge "Chinese-Ruled" (news to me) and she states that One Sunset Park is the first condo building starting up (check out 7th and 8th Avenues in the high 40's and 50's), her main concern is one that a lot of us probably struggle with when we see UHauls chugging around looking for parking (or, more recently, holding a parking spot with trash cans...a big NO NO according to the many residents who loudly voiced their annoyance).

from the blog:

In a few years, the best taco shops and authentic Brooklyn pizza shops will be gone, replaced by chains and migrating hipsters from Williamsburg. Not to sound bitter, 'coz we sure can use a descent coffee shop and less 99c store... but I don't want to trade ma & pa's shops for yet another generic-face-lift-blah store. Oy, the dilemma!

I don't think she'll have to wait a few years for there to be severe changes (although Johnny's isn't going anywhere)...and I'm not so sure we'll be getting any "decent" coffee shops any time soon (La Gran Via is much more than decent anyway), but there is a definite chance that we'll be losing more and more stores to landlords' desires to raise rents...I know of very few store fronts that have been filled recently. Only 5th Avenue seems to be making any headway, and that takes a long, long time. 8th, 7th, and 6th all have plenty of rental space for small business to snap up, but there aren't any takers.

8th Avenue Heartache

Here's irony for you:

The Fillmore office on 8th Avenue and 45th Street has closed because the landlord wanted to double the rent. That information is from a Bay Ridge Fillmore agent. So, Ho Ho Cleaners is gone (and still empty), and there are several store fronts on 8th in the 40's that have been "for rent" for many months, and in some cases over a year, there is still hope for huge rent increases. These store fronts are all still empty (although now there is a ladder inside one of them.)

Not to fear, 8th Avenue has new construction that's sure to fill up quickly. Just look at these two buildings between 47th and 48th, just two storefronts apart:

Collection of Mini-Stories

1. The Post reports that a Falun Gong member was assaulted in Sunset Park:
'GONG' ASSAULT HATE CRIME: DA By ALEX GINSBERG

The Brooklyn DA is seeking hate-crime charges against a Chinatown man who attacked a Falun Gong practitioner with a steering-wheel locking device. Victor Yau, 60, is accused of smashing software engineer John Yu, a devotee of the controversial Chinese spiritual movement, in the hand on June 15 in Sunset Park. The clash followed weeks of simmering unrest between Falun Gong practitioners and critics in the city's Chinese-American communities.

2. Brownstoner.com posts that the funny-looking office building (just up the block from the GreenWalk condos) with confusing "smoker balconies" is finally ready for leasing.

3. Sunset Park doesn't seem to have any problem renting out apartments, even for a fairly attractive penny. This apartment, posted on June 27th and available for viewing on the 28th, has already been rented out. Of course, the infamous condos of 46th Street are still available for rent/for sale.

Commercial Rents in Sunset Park

My shock and horror at losing Ho Ho Cleaners got me thinking about what commercial rents actually are around here. I figured landlords were asking too much, but I really had no idea what the difference in commercial and residential rents are. I have a better idea now.

The two storefronts that sit just one block up from my beloved Ho Ho want $3000 per month for each space. The landlord suggested that a barber shop or fortune teller might work well in the spaces. When I suggested a tutoring center, he said that wouldn't make enough money. I guess fortune telling is more lucrative than I thought! By my unscientific estimate, those two store fronts have been available for close to a year. If approximately 450 square feet with a working bathroom and white paint job are what you want, call 347-424-3147. Both are still available.

On 6th Avenue and 45th Street, there's a storefront that has been available for a couple of years. Well, that's not entirely true. It looked like someone had rented it because clean-up was in progress for a while and a new awning went up. They cleaned out some nasty looking stuff. However, it didn't open. I never got a call back about the price, and the agent to whom I spoke couldn't find the listing. Hmmmm. That might explain why it hasn't rented. Or, maybe there's something nefarious going on with the building. I love intrigue. As the photo shows, it's listed with three separate agencies, yet it still hasn't rented! Looking it up on the RapidRealtyNYC.com site, I found a listing for a space "ideal for a cafe" that was listed on 7th Ave and 46th Street. Maybe they got the location slightly off? It was listed for $1900. Then again, it's described as being on a commercial strip, so probably not. This has another grocery across the street and a laundromat one block up. However, I too think it is ideal for a cafe. Coffee and sticky buns by day, wine bar and tapas by night? C'mon somebody! Step up! It's probably less than $1900 because it's not on a commercial strip.

Basically, there are quite a few deals to be had, but the locations (under the Gowanus?) and conditions of the storefronts are pretty sad. Based on my 90 minutes of research, it sounds like my friend on 8th Avenue with the two storefronts doesn't really want to rent out the spaces. Those are Park Slope prices. Or maybe he's holding out for good fortune. I just can't wait to find out what the new rent for Ho Ho will be. You KNOW I'm calling them to find out.