When Bees Attack

A true neighborhood standy is officially gone. So long to the Giant Bagel Shop on the corner of University and 13th. Who knows what will take over that high-traffic space.

The stubby little building at 31 East 17th St. on the northern border of Union Square Park next to Barnes and Noble sits on a plot of land that has a very interesting history. Read all about it here.

Rumor has it that the recently departed The Adore on 13th St. will be replaced by another French cafe. More rumors soon.

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.

Standing on the southeast corner of 13th and 5th, looking west across 5th and down West 13th St. What would a townhouse like that be worth today?

The renaissance of the Jefferson Market on 6th near 11th is a letdown. While the prepared foods section is still OK, the rest of the store has been transformed into a humdrum Gristedes. All the local flavor is pretty much obliterated.