![]() Shi’s business is flourishing today, and Lee also recently renewed his lease with TF Cornerstone for another 10 years.īusiness has been so promising, in fact, that he just opened a new vinyl-record-inspired cocktail lounge/cafe across the street from Shi called Record Room. We just continued doing what we did - giving them a good product at a fair price - and our people were thankfully very loyal.” We didn’t have to do things differently, because if residents couldn’t go to work, then they were working from home. ![]() “They would order food and cocktails, and it was a win-win. “With a park right behind us, people would rather sit outside,” said owner Shih Lee. The upscale Asian restaurant Shi also benefitted from the wider sidewalks, park proximity and increased tendency to work from home, as its takeout food and cocktail business flourished. So they are making more cocktails and doing more wine tastings at home.”īralow took the opportunity to renew his Blue Streak and BLVD leases in May of this year. “Everyone started doing things on their own given how much cheaper it is to do that. “From a retail perspective, it’s a lot cheaper for people to purchase things and take them home rather than be serviced at a restaurant,” said Bralow. This has greatly benefited the primarily residential neighborhood of Long Island City, where many residents used to commute to Midtown Manhattan five days a week. “They found convenience in our delivery, and became more comfortable calling and emailing us.”īralow’s retail store has also profited from pandemic-driven trends making people more likely to work from home. “People really latched on to the online purchase aspect of things,” said Bralow. Today, this has resulted in a business that is more deeply plugged in to the wants and needs of its customer base, and is prospering because of it. It really brought us a good connection with TF Cornerstone’s tenants. “It was very nice to know the neighbors more rather than having them be just anonymous people that come in, buy a thing, and leave. “We talked to customers a lot more frequently and were able to give them more hands-on recommendations and more customer service,” said Bralow. Bralow burnished his online sales and set up a kiosk at the store’s front door, which resulted in a great opportunity to forge community. Since liquor stores were regarded as essential businesses early on, Blue Streak never closed once the pandemic hit. ![]() Rob Bralow owns two stores in Long Island City, Blue Streak Wines & Spirits and the neighboring wine bar BLVD. That was a real benefit of Long Island City.” Many have their very own outdoor terraces with views of the Manhattan skyline. “A lot of retailers took advantage of outdoor seating, benefiting from the wider sidewalks. “By the end of 2020, all Long Island City retailers were off the program,” said Gonzalez, who notes that the area’s special qualities helped make this happen. “We wanted to keep tenants committed to their spaces.”Īs a testament to the strength of the local retail community, Gonzalez notes that out of the entire TF Cornerstone portfolio, which extends throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., retailers in Long Island City were the first to completely exit the rent relief program. We were in the tenant retention business,” said Steve Gonzalez, vice president of retail for TF Cornerstone. “We were no longer in the leasing business. “The bar did very well.”Īlong the way, TF Cornerstone helped its retailers survive, initiating programs that allowed them to pay rent as a percentage of sales and by borrowing against their security deposit. “Nobody wanted to go to a bar, but people picked up a lot of drinks to go and drank in the park,” said Nieto. The fact that the pristine Gantry Plaza State Park, a gorgeous 12-acre park that abuts the East River with incredible, upfront views of the New York City skyline, is right across the street did wonders for their takeout business. Fewer people came in, but the average ticket sale grew because instead of spending $5 on a latte, people were spending $30 on pastries and bulk coffee.”Īs COVID restrictions loosened, Sweetleaf began selling cocktails to go. “We started selling bags of whole beans and growlers of cold brew. People wanted things to make at home,” said Sweetleaf owner Rich Nieto. ![]() When the pandemic hit, local coffee shop/cocktail bar Sweetleaf Coffee Roasters kept its business going by pivoting from retail to wholesale. SEE ALSO: Upper West Side Mixed-Use Property Changes Hands for $120Mīut the story of retail success in LIC is also one of retailer resilience and ingenuity. ![]()
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