Image From Columbia Journalism School NY City Lens NY City Lens is an online news site produced by Columbia University Graduate School Of Journalism students. NYC Lens recently profiled Roosevelt Island’s Main Street retail scene with a story titled:
Roosevelt Island Gambles on a Brighter Future
Here comes Cornell and Riverwalk, and a renovated downtown is feeling optimistic.
According to NY City Lens:
… Hal Shapiro, managing director of Winick Realty Group, which does retail leasing, said the problem is that many people dont really know the island. He needs to explain things about it, such as its beautiful scenery with open space and parks, its population and economic increase and in the past years with finished new residential buildings, and its potential growth since Cornell is coming. And most importantly, he pointed out, that the island is underserved. He said, now he is talking with three potential tenantsa Thai restaurant, a daycare center, and a bank, asking for 50 dollars per square feet.
Things are happening, said Shapiro. Saks-Rosenberg agrees. Five years ago the Main Street Retail Study said that Roosevelt Island residents do just 12% of their shopping on the Island, she said, and now people start to really shop on the island and go to the stores, which was not the case two years ago.
However, many residents are still used to their off-the-Main-Street shopping habits. Rachelle Sumersford orders from Fresh Direct online, Fidel Lakew walks across the bridge to the Costco in Queens and gets a cab back, and Dorothy Jefferies goes to Fairway and Agata on Manhattan Island by public transportation….
and:
… Kaie Razaghi and his son Alex come to the island every day from Astoria to work on the renovation of Trellis Diner. He was excited and proud of what he is doing. We are gonna provide a restaurant dining experience, said Razaghi. Now I only have three different burgers. I will have eight when I open up. When I say eight, I dont mean eight beef burgers with different toppings; I mean eight different meats!
Razaghi hopes people will come to the Main Street for what he is doingthe modern design of the storefront, the new menu, and the dining experience. I havent been making money for the past two years. Its either take the money and go buy somewhere else, or put the money in, and take a chance. I put the money in here, and take a chance….
Hezi Jiang is the reporter on the Roosevelt Island retail story. She did an excellent job. Click here for the full article.