Broadway (West 72nd Street to West 84th Street)

What can we say about Broadway? We can say that the stretch of Broadway from West 72nd Street to West 96th Street - where as recently as last summer just about every business appeared to be thriving - now has an average of at least one vacant storefront per block. We have divided this part of our survey into two posts due to the sheer number of items - this first post will cover Broadway from West 72nd Street to West 84th Street.

West 72nd Street to West 73rd Street













Full-screen

2091 Broadway. Until recently, home to Sleep Number Store by Select Comfort, purveyors of an adjustable air supported sleep system and nation-wide chain that claimed to have numerous celebrities among its clientele (and which also provides beds for Ronald MacDonald House Charities). The store survived at this location from the summer of 2004 until the summer of 2009.


West 74th Street to West 75th Street

RIP to this quirky little card and gift shop, La Brea, which was located at 2130 Broadway. The store opened in the late 90s and lasted for more than a decade at this location (1997 to 2009).


West 75th Street to West 76th Street

Fu












The last known business at this location - 2141 Broadway - was the national chain Health Nuts Natural Food Store. We're not sure when it opened in this location, but we do know it closed in June 2008.














Ahhh, bacon. For 15 years, the smell of this delightful smoked meat (among other delicacies) wafted down Broadway from this storefront at 2144 - giving veracity to the deli's name. Broadway Delights, a true vanguard of the old Upper West Side (opened in 1984, closed in June 2009), will truly be missed.


West 76th Street to West 77th Street














Full-screen

Jubilee Shoes was the last known business here at 2169 Broadway - a local chain of shoe stores that always seemed to be running a "last-chance" sale. The store closed during the summer of 2009 (we're not sure when it opened).

At least in the case of this storefront, 2160 Broadway, the tenant (Cosi, the national chain of sandwich shops which moved in 1997) simply relocated a bit further uptown. On the down side, no one has taken over the space since Cosi moved out in the summer of 2006. Perhaps the landlord is looking to demolish the building?


West 77th Street to West 78th Street














Ruby Foo's at 2182, an offshoot of the famed mid-town restaurant, opened here at 2182 Broadway in 1999, and closed unceremoniously in 2009.














Elizabeth Julian Jewelers opened here in 2004 and ceased operating in 2009. Other than that, we know next to nothing about the last known occupants of this storefront at 2192 Broadway.


West 80th Street to West 81st Street














As evidenced by the ghosted sign and tell-tale blue storefront at 2233 Broadway, this used to be a Best Buy Mobile. Not open for very long, and generally never that busy, the store left town during the summer of 2009.














Let's file this one under - it could have been MUCH worse. Rather than shut down operations entirely, this neighborhood landmark - H&H Bagels at 2239 Broadway, arguably the best bagels to be found on the island of Manhattan - simply divided its store in two. The new left half of the space(created in the summer of 2009) will hopefully be rented soon. H&H originally opened in this location in 1972.














There's not much to add about this electronics giant that went under in March 2009, one of the most visible corporate failures of these hard times. Circuit City opened here at 2232 Broadway more than a decade ago in 1996. This enormous storefront now sits empty, ripe for another national chain to take over.


West 81st Street to West 82nd Street














This short-lived children's clothing store at 2265 Broadway closed some time in 2009. We're not exactly sure when Zeyna and Phillipe opened, but it was likely within the last year or two.














The real estate company JC Deniro Associates opened shop here at 2265 Broadway around 2005. With the industry particularly hard hit by the economic downturn, it's no surprise that the company went under in the summer of 2009. It looks like a barber shop may be on the way.


West 83rd Street to West 84th Street














An inexpensive costume jewelry store, Temptation was in business at 2284 Broadway until 2009. (We're not certain when it opened).

West 72nd Street (Broadway to West End)

This is a blog about the changing Upper West Side. The last 2 to 3 years have been tumultuous times for neighborhood businesses. First, the overheated real estate market pushed up rents, forcing many business--small and large, institutions and newcomers alike--out of the neighborhood. To add insult to injury, the fiscal collapse (see overheated real estate market above) meant that many of those vacated storefronts would remain empty, and that, on top of it all, even the large chain stores would go under, leaving lots and lots of "Space for Rent" across the neighborhood.

We decided to document the somewhat empty state of the neighborhood now, and (hopefully) the coming recovery. We started on our block, W 72nd Street between West End and Broadway, which seems to have been been particularly hard hit. These pictures document the block as it was, mid August 2009.




247 W. 72nd. The former Nargila Grill. It opened in 2006, replacing Dougie's, which like Nargila was a kosher establishment. Nargila seemed to do decent business, but closed up shop in 2008 (apparently due to tax issues). Nargila is the only vacant space on the north side of the block. The south side has not fared as well...


250 W. 72nd. The All State Cafe. This well loved institution shut its doors in October 2007, about a year short of its 40th year anniversary. The All State was one of the most storied, long-lived institutions to close in recently on the Upper West Side . The space has been sitting empty for more than a year now. One day the storefront will be occupied again no doubt (there are already rumors circulating that a far more upscale joint is getting set to move in), but the All State will never be replaced.




Home to the short lived 24 Carrots, a juice bar and vegan food shop, open from 2007-spring 2009 at 244 W. 72nd. There were already signs of new life here when this picture was taken. Perhaps something is on the way. (Update: It seems as though a Kosher coffee shop is on the way.)



238 W. 72nd. A former stationary store run by an extremely friendly old man. It was particularly sad to see 72nd Street Stationary go. It had been here since 1981, only to succumb to rent hikes in 2006.



The low cost dental services chain occupied the storefront at 226 for a brief time, 2007-2009.