Neighborhood Threat

This storefront on Manhattan Ave., between Norman and Meserole, was empty for a very long time. It had one of those great recessed entrances, maximizing the window space, as each side was a box and you walked in between them. It was the classic window-shopping setup.

There are still stores like this on Manhattan Ave. Part of me is amazed, that with the wealth of stores across the river, people in the neighborhood still happily shop here. It's not that they're carrying special lines of clothes imported from Poland (that I could understand - we have at least half a dozen shops carrying Polish health and beauty products), or even small local designers. It's just clothes, sneakers, jackets, jeans, that you could probably get anywhere. Not discount, not unique. Just clothes.

Unfortunately, this location was abandoned since before I moved to Greenpoint. I became interested in this space when , back when I was still in real estate, a commercial client was looking for space for an insurance brokerage. When I looked the address up on Property Shark, I saw that the landlord had applied for a permit to convert to office space. And when I called to inquire, they told me they already had a tenant.

I walked by there the other day - when I took this photo - and the construction is finally done and the carpet is in and the desks are set up, and it could very well end up an insurance brokerage. Someone I know suggested a travel agency, but although they are still popular in Greenpoint, even in these days of do-it-yourself-online, I doubt one would take on this much square footage.

I will have a cow if it's another goddamn bank -- unless it's Commerce (to be a complete hypocrite). Why there is no Commerce Bank closer than Ridgewood is beyond me.