What bothers me in addition to the empty store fronts is how awful Main Street looks from Midland up to the Mobile station. Steve would know this, the value of your home is partly influenced by how Main Street looks and how much it is thriving.

… And good luck to Marianne with Sour Kraut. I think you will do very well. Being that it’s different and authentic and not what you would find in the mall it should do well and be good for Nyack.

I sat with the store empty for 9 months; having turned down many unqualified potential tenants and chose to take a chance on myself. In this economy, it is a veryhigh risk even if you are your own landlord.

Walk up and down Main St or Broadway at any given time of day and all you will see is empty stores. How can these merchants pay their rent and overhead. Many don’t break even for the entire winter and fall way behind in their rent. At this moment we are in serious jeopardy of loosing more businesses.

Many people can’t tolerate the bars, but without them, we certainly would not have a village at all. Young people are the only ones with disposible incomes. Many live week by week spending their entire paycheck.Older and married people are paying their mortgage and supporting a family. Seniors spend money but often look for bargains. Those married with children will go out once a week for dinner, sometimes more often. When they go out with their kids, they look for a cheap fast deal; kid friendly. Parents spend money on their children, grandparents spend money on their grandkids. We should cater to the needs of those people whose needs are not being met here in Nyack.

I’ve been to many places across the country with newly restored downtowns and many do have upscale ancor clothing stores,shoe stores, furniture and kitchen stores. J. Crew, Anthropology, Frye Boot store, Victoria Secret, Crate and Barrel, high end accessories and jewelry like David Yerman or Michelle, or Marc Jacobs etc would fly off the shelves. Young people with disposable incomes like nothing but the best.

Little Mom and Pop operations have been failing unless it’s family run and they devote all their time to the business.

Landlords have it difficult. Commercial landlords pay 1 1/2 times more in taxes and often end up in court to try to collect on failed business ventures.

I say God bless those that are taking a chance on going into business now. I’m one of them and I’m scared but I can’t stand to see the storefront empty. Luckily for me, I have my future son in law who is from Germany to run this new venture. I hope you all come and give it a try!

Nyack needs a partnership with merchants and the village community. We need each other, we need help, we all need consumers to survive. Encourage people to shop in Nyack. Be business friendly and welcoming to all visitors so that they return happily.

check out the rest here…

http://blog.ted.com/2007/04/james_howard_ku_1.php

Another sports bar in Nyack, by the way, would pretty much finish the village off…in my opinion..

Regarding art in the former Chase storefront: I already tried this with Royal Properties who manage the Chase property. I wanted that space for our Circus Art Exhibit for our summer production of Circus-in-the-Park-Extravaganza. My reasoning was that we would fill the storefront, maybe attract a renter, beautify the street and drive traffic into town. I got a resounding “not interested.” No reason. Just not interested. The idea is a sound one, though.

Secondly, might there be merit to calling a ‘Summit of the Nyack Landlords’ to collectively discuss with them how they can help Nyack? The Chamber of Commerce would gladly help coordinate this. With Streetscape in the wings, the Citizens’ Committee Report logged and a lagging retail economy, it may be time for a landlord intervention. What about including the retailers, merchants and restaurateurs who have been here the longest and been successful?

Thirdly, Nyack has plenty of fine bars and restaurants…we need stores that our local residents can shop in daily: yes, a shoe store, a children’s clothing store, a men’s clothing store, an outdoor store, etc. Our local residents need daily reasons (besides a cup of coffee) to visit Nyack on a regular basis. Foot-traffics lead to spending. We need to give the locals a reason on their way out of town, for lunch, on their way home and on the weekends to spend their dollars locally.

Lastly, in Pennsylvania and California I have had the pleasure of shopping in ‘village-styled’ mini malls anchored by boutique versions of regionally and nationally-based clothing, food and entertainment stores that are mixed in with the privately run entrepreneur store owners. It is a formula that works across the country. This is going to be controversial, but we need to discuss it.

Nyack lacks an Economic Development plan. It is quite possible we have relied for too long on ‘being’ Nyack. Understanding the demographic of Nyack is the first step in attracting new businesses to our village. We have to make a compelling argument for why an entrepreneur wants to set up shop here.

I bought lunch at a store today in a shop I have never been in before in Nyack. The store has been here three years. I asked the proprietress if she was happy doing business in Nyack. She said her lease was up in June and she was considering leaving Nyack. Why, I asked? She said she can’t keep making excuses to her customers for Nyack anymore, from the parking, to the taxes, to the rents, to the crazy parking meters (her phrase)…she’s just about had it.

What is the message we deliver to visitors with six or seven storefronts empty? Is it natural attrition or something we can help fix? Maybe landlords have a story to tell us that we could learn from? Nyack has a different demographic from Tarrytown, from Piermont, from Ridgewood, et al. But until we determine what we want in Nyack, it’s going to be hard to attract the right mix of stores. Til then, we will be beholden to whomever shows up and takes their best shot at staying in business here.

How can we help businesses in the village stay in business, and how can we help the right new businesses open up here?

Just say no to EMS GAP or 9 West. I don’t believe, like some others, that Nyack needs to sell her soul (just yet) but I do see a major flaw in the Chamber of Commerce of the Nyacks including the Palisades Mall as a Partner. I’d be happy to be proved wrong on this point but so far no-one has challenged this assertion. Its one thing to recognize the 600 lb gorilla in the room, its another to invite it into bed with you.
The building on the corner of Main and Broadway with the dentist office in it tried to do something positive with its facade but was shot down by the the land use boards and said “screw it” basically. Be careful what you wish for with the Presidential Building. We need these kinds of jobs too in order to maintain a balanced portfolio.

I would say Nyack needs another bar like a fish needs a bicycle. (or a hair stylist for that matter).
I go to Vlads or Locksmith

Now these are privately held properties and we certainly can’t tell the owners what to do with these properties, but think of what it would mean to this town if you were to put in two anchor stores to attract more shoppers.

In places like Rye, Brooklyn Heights, and others, I have noticed anchor stores like Banana Republic, Nine West, or the Gap. While many people think giving into these large corporate stores can hurt the boutiques in a downtown like Nyack, I think they would add greatly to foot traffic.

Something like an EMS, but on a smaller scale and where you could rent kayaks would be nice as well.

Re: Possible sports bar. We need another bar like we need another hair stylist in this town. There are too many already.

Great ideas. I really like the one about allowing local artists displaying their work in the empty stores. I will mention it to some of my clients and to the agent for the Chase Bank space. I heard a sports bar might be going in there. Not sure if we need another one.

I love the idea of a village green and arts center. I am a supporter of the Riverspace concept. I hope that we can keep this dream alive and make it a reality.

The early morning coffee shop sounds great too. I agree that we can use that. The kayak/sporting goods concept is great. I know that Cold Spring and New Paltz have those stores. It would capitalize on the area’s sense of outdoor adventure. Also kayak and canoe rentals, bicycle rentals, scooter rentals maybe. Just some thoughts.

I hope that more people chime in and submit their ideas and that word spreads to entrepreneurs ready to meet the needs of the market.

Thank you for your fresh ideas.

Steven Dolinsky
Wright Bros. Real Estate