Expensive Vegetarian Eatery to Arrive

Everyone complains that Whole Foods is too expensive. What to do? Track the weekly sales, which sometimes have excellent deals on fresh meat and vegetables. Friend Whole Foods Market NYC on Facebook or follow on Twitter, and you’ll see the deals every week.

Allbirds, the shoes that Silicon Valley loves, signed an 8,000-square-foot lease deal with The Bromley Companies at 120-122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District. The clothing and shoe company will be moving into the two-floor space at the Bromley building after The Gap moved out in the summer of 2021 after nearly 30 years. The retail space on West 17th Street and Fifth Avenue will serve as Allbirds’ U.S. flagship store. The sudden vacancy left by The Gap marked the first time in four decades that the retail location had been empty, having been home to the first Barnes & Noble superstore in the nation prior to the clothing store coming to the Flatiron.

The closing of The Adore is a real loss to the block. Here’s a great article on the history of that fascinating little building. Rumored to come next: a high-end cocktail lounge.

Toy store chain Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy protection last September, and it has been downhill ever since. Today, the company informed 33,000 employees it would be selling or closing all of its 700 U.S. stores, according to published reports. In addition, Toys “R” Us said today it would close its 75 remaining stores in the U.K., CNN reported, after failing to find a buyer to save it from insolvency administration, which is similar to bankruptcy. (It already closed 25 stores in Britain.) Stores in New York State include a Babies “R” Us at 24-30 Union Square East and a Babies “R” Us at 139-19 20th Avenue in College Point, Queens.

Got $15 million? That’s what it will cost you to buy the burned out deli on the corner of 13th and 5th, which has stood vacant for the past two years. At that price, and given the zoning regulations, the most likely outcome would be a 10-story luxury condo building. But now doesn’t seem to be a good time for new condo development, so there are no takers. Even the New School, which as we all know is interested in increasing its presence in the area, has said that it is uninterested in the lot. Check out the fascinating history of the building.

Next week (October 7 to October 11), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on the academic floors inside the building. Additionally we will be using a lift on the sidewalk to wash the exterior of the building.

The following week (October 14 to October 18), material and equipment deliveries and installation work will continue on academic floors.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, October 5th for interior activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City.