Since I own this blog I can do an incredible thing: take one of my recent comments and blow it up into an all-out post on its own to achieve maximum effect. So, I am exercising that right and ability below. You, as readers, cannot do that, but you can still enjoy my incredible wisdom. My God. I must be watching too many Trump press conferences...
By the way, I'm pretty sure the last time I was in the Target on Queens Blvd. that they sold books. And DVDs for that matter. So, for everyone crying about the loss of B&N, you most likely will still be able to buy books at that location—and if the Target execs are checking out this blog, I would assume they would be sensitive to the desire for books at their new location here.
Also, as I Tweeted yesterday, now is the time for all of you book-lovers with an entrepreneurial spirit to start checking out all those empty cute little storefronts on Austin Street for the future home of your indy book shop. Everyone complains about the loss of indies and quaintness and charm on Austin. Well, I can think of no better way to bring some of that back then a couple of small bookshops, which, by the way, happen to be popping up all over the city once again given the demise of the book superstore.
Yeah, but old people who haven't been placed in homes, parents who use B&N as a day care center, homeless people getting some rest, and old creepers trying to find some women while sipping on their Stabucks coffee for 3hrs won't be able to do this in an indie store...
ReplyDeleteHow do I really feel about the FoHi B&N ... :P
Rent too damn high on Austin St. If someone could make a living selling a book or 2 in a cozy little shop they would've done it already.
ReplyDeleteI do not understand the haterade coming out on this topic! Chill people, it is a Target, not a crack den. Each person saying they'll boycott will be there buying shower curtain liners and organic whatever. I do think the Target will raise the street's profile and attract other chains. This is the end of the indie business, unless the owner has an inheritance and is running the business for fun.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Drake. I love (sarcasm) how people have decided that Target is the "last thing" the neighborhood needs. What I've learned from this store closing is that many of my Forest Hills neighbors are elitist (surprise!), self-centered, complaining JERKS.
ReplyDeleteLove the idea of an indy bookstore on Austin Street! Hope it happens; would definitely support it, but don't have the capital to start it. And Drake, gotta disagree with you (which I do rarely), but I think Target is pretty schlocky. There could be a worse occupant of that space, but there could also be better (and I think B&N is the latter).
ReplyDeleteI hope that Starbucks stays (aren't there Starbucks in some Target stores?). The one on 71st is a shoebox. I've seen bigger kiosks than that joint. We deserve better. Why doesn't Starbucks take over one of these empty storefronts? Also, the Strawberry site would be great for a Blink Fitness. Lucille Roberts (ugh) and that skanky NYSC are not the best options to choose from. I personally don't mind these "modern" places like CVS and Target moving in… 50-something old fogey that I am. We can whine about "mom and pop" all we want, but they just don't have the resources or the selection to survive on Austin or 71st. The times they are a changin'. Deal with it.
ReplyDeleteWell, if you look at the concept photo Target has provided (on my previous post), the Starbucks is still there front and center, so looks like they want to keep it where it is, if not expand it.
DeleteOh, I didn't put 2+2 together, I thought it was a stock photo of the concept. My bad.
DeleteNot sure what standards you have for a gym, but the NYSC is a solid place to work out. It is clean, the equipment is updated and ... it is quite popular.
DeleteThe Starbucks could be changed to an eatery such as Taco Bell, Subway, KFC, or Pizza Hut Express. I've seen this in several Targets around the tri state area.
ReplyDeleteWhy? We only have one kiosk-sized Starbucks in the Austin St. vicinity. We also have a Subway already, and the KFC/Taco Bell thing already failed in the area once before. even though it shared a space with a 24-hour Walgreens and 24-hour convenience store that provided constant foot traffic. Pizza Hut, I can't even fathom. The big Starbucks in this spot is just fine.
DeleteWhy did KFC/Taco Bell fail? If you like fast food and many people do - that seems like a great combo. I wonder if it needed to be closer to Austin to succeed. The foot traffic from weekend shoppers and those coming for Austin's shops isn't really hitting that shopping center, IMHO. When we lived on 72nd, the 24-hour Walgreens seemed like it was in another town.
DeleteOHHHHHH!!!! I totally missed that other photo. I just looked at the fancy big-city-looking one. Now I see the one you are referring to, with "our" Starbucks incorporated. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteAlso, not all "indie" type stores are good. Case in point, that new party store on Austin Street across from Bareburger. To be honest, it sells only limited party items and most of the other things they sell are low end home goods that a Target has more of and better quality.
ReplyDeleteNo, indie=good. Chains=satan, except for B&N for some reason. Do we really need another indie shop selling used purses? Or jewelry that was made overseas and lasts for a week?
DeleteIts not a Target...its a Target Express. Very limited product assortment for less than 20% of a typical Target space. Books? Dvds? Why not sell typewriters, beepers, Vcrs, and boom boxes that play cassettes. Its going to be some groceries, snacks, and some apparel. Maybe toys. Thats the concept.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there will be housewares as well. You want to buy a dish drainer or a bath mat in the 71st/Austin vicinity? Good luck. Maybe Value Depot has one (one) if you're lucky, but don't count on it. We definitely need a place that sells decent home goods.
DeleteSo a Target that sells virtually nothing! Maybe you are on to something there! Quite the use of a two-story former Barnes & Noble superstore!
DeleteI am guessing it will focus on groceries, housewares (including small appliances, kitchen, bed & bath), pet supplies, some apparel and electronics. And seasonal stuff. Just a guess, though.
DeleteAs a recently returned Forest Hills resident, I am saddened by the demise of the Barnes and Noble. While it is true bookselling in NYC is becoming a thing of the past, B&N built up what was a dead stretch of Austin Street and added a level of sophistication that the area lacked. I believe that Target will lead to the continued decline in the quality of life in Forest Hills. I am not an elitist, but I do believe that what Forest Hills needs is high quality retailers that will reinvigorate the quality of life. What it does not need is more discount retailers. There aren't many quality dining destinations save for La Boulangerie, Nick's, Bare Burger, and Red Pipe Cafe (Haven't yet tried Station House or Jack and Nellie's). How about a real Thai restaurant as found in Elmhurst (not Amerithai) or Innovative Italian. In terms of retail, how about a Fairway, American Apparel, REI or Jacques Torres? Just saying that with all the retailers going out of business on Austin Street, I think aiming for high brow stores might inject the neighborhood with some adrenaline.
ReplyDeleteLook around you. I mean, honestly. When you walk the streets of this neighborhood, do most of the people you see look like they could afford to shop in "highbrow" stores? Don't make the same mistake they made in neighboring Glendale with the Atlas Park Mall, which was full of the "highbrow" places you're asking for. It failed miserably. We DO need more discount retailers, but mid-range ones. The problem in Forest Hills is that everything's either high or low, and there's very little in between, which is why nothing lasts. I'd rather see a Crate and Barrel than yet another clothing or jewelry store.
DeleteAs for B&N, every time I went in there (always to buy something), I could barely browse because of all the people hanging out in clusters on the floor, using or charging their devices, yakking at high volume… and as unbearably crowded as it was, I never had to wait more than 2 minutes to check out because NO ONE WAS BUYING ANYTHING. But now all of a sudden everyone's bemoaning the "travesty" and "loss to the community"??
When I walk the streets of Forest Hills, I see nothing but the Dead, lumbering, bumping into street signs. Oh, wait... too much TV-watching again...
DeleteMaybe Atlas Park mall failed because they opened a fucking mall in the middle of nowhere with absolutely zero subway access in New York City.
A little historical perspective it wasn't too long ago Barnes & Noble was the big bad superstore local residents were decrying. This too shall pass.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/03/nyregion/book-war-shops-vs-superstores-chains-grow-struggling-small-stores-stress.html
I have to agree with the above poster . High brow stores won't cut it here. Not even sure a Crate and Barrel would do well . Most of the FH folks I know shop in the city or in LI (Roosevelt Field) . FH is really a dining and shopping spot for those that live in others Queens nabes like Corona , Jamaica , Richmond Hill etc.
ReplyDeleteAbsurd. I eat out in Forest Hills all the time, just had a lovely dinner at Banter with a swell brew last night in their outdoor seating area. Quite the pleasant night!
Delete... Which, by the way, is why the owner of Jack and Nellie's on Ascan, is readying to open his newest place, Rove, right around the corner.
Delete