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Where in the World is Evan Silver? Taco Bell Edition

When it comes to the year-end Holiday Season, Retail Specialist Evan Silver knows how to cast aside all of the distractions in order to get down to business.

During the two-week stretch where people traditionally tend to slack off on their duties, our own Evan Silver was hard at work trudging through two feet of snow to make it to our offices during the city’s sixth largest snowstorm to date.

Below is photographic proof of Silver’s heroics in braving the unforgiving blizzard of 2010 (Although he is not actually in the picture, he has assured us that he was the one who took it).

Somehow, Evan also managed to squeeze in a starring role in Taco Bell’s newest commercial for the Beefy Crunch Burrito loaded with flamin’ hot Fritos chips.

Check it:

Evan Silver, a true American hero.

[Disclaimer: Please disregard the uncanny resemblance, the actor pictured above is not actually Evan Silver]

Does this Bull Look Familiar?

If you’ve been on the internet within the past week, it just might.

Just a few days ago under the cover of night, Polish-born artist and exhibitionist Olek decided to give a makeover to the famed Wall Street Bull by means of crochet  during an impromptu art-expo, pictured above.

Obviously this playful act of “vandalism” set the internet on fire, and the media-coverage ensued, eventually catching the eyes of the folks here at Besen Retail.

Which got us thinking…

A few months ago we posted a few pictures of the interior of the retail space for lease at Tapestry, in East Harlem.  At the time, the vacant space was occupied by No Longer Empty, a cultural organization that arranges and executes artistic exhibits within vacated storefronts all over New York City.

The exhibit, aptly titled Weaving in and Out, consisted of a few familiar living-room fixtures outfitted completely with crocheted yarn, and was created by none other than Olek, the crocheter.

Check out the picture:

Small world, eh?

The complete works of crocheting artist Olek can be found at her website, here.

And here’s a nice article from crushable.com profiling the enigmatic Olek.

-Jerry

Game-changer.

This is a laser guided distance measurer.

It automatically records the distance between it, and anything lying within its line of fire, maxing out at around 130 feet.

It has officially replaced our standard 50 foot retractable tape measure for recording the size of our spaces, and turned this task from a two-man, pain-in-the-neck operation, to one that can be completed in a matter of  seconds.

With the time I saved in taking measurements at one of our newly constructed spaces for lease (Tapestry, at 124th St and 2nd Ave in East Harlem), I was able to sit down and write this blog post.

Bottom line:  it’s  awesome, and at Besen Retail we like awesome.

-Jerry

4865 Broadway Leased!

We just finalized the lease agreement for one of our Inwood spaces for lease, at 4865 Broadway. The new tenant is Rosado Fabrics, moving into the newly renovated 744 SF store from their previous location, right across the street.

We wish Rosado Fabrics the best of luck, and will be sure to visit once they’re up and running.

-Jerry

NYC Food Trucks.

One would think that to a retail leasing firm such as ourselves, the modern day food truck would in fact be quite the nuisance.

Why? you ask.

Well there are two ways to look at a food truck from the business perspective of a real estate firm:

 

1. They don’t pay rent.
2. They don’t pay rent, yet.

In order for a food truck to legally operate on the streets of this great city, they must first register with the NYC Department of Health which has absolutely nothing to do with us.

However, if said food truck would like to expand their establishment beyond the confines of a tool-shed on wheels, we have the know-how to help bring their business into the brick and mortar world.

So we love food trucks!

No matter which way you look at it, it’s nearly impossible to deny a good cupcake when it rolls up right in front of your office:

The PB&J, from the Cupcake Crew on 26th and Park

If you own or operate a food truck and would like to know more information about opening up a retail shop, let us know!

-Jerry

[Stay updated on the location of the Cupcake Crew via twitter - twitter.com/cupcakecrewnyc]

Converse Opened up in SoHo. This IS Your Daddy’s Shoe Store.

If you haven’t heard, Converse (that little company that created the most popular shoe in footwear history) opened up a brand new retail location at 560 Broadway in SoHo. The store boasts a wide array of limited edition sneakers and apparel exclusively branded to that specific outlet.

We were able to take some time out of our busy holiday schedule to see what all the fuss was about, and were definitely pleased with the outcome.

The walls were covered with floor-to-ceiling displays of the immortal Chuck Taylors, along with a nice selection of clothing inspired by the impossibly casual demeanor of classic American style.

So take a walk down to SoHo and pay respect to the definitive sneaker of the past century, even if you already own a pair.

The Converse Wall of Fame

A pop-up street vendor pushing vintage snap-back caps nearby, just because.

Check the link for more info on Converse SoHo: http://play.converse.com/play/blog/?p=6276

“Dump Truck”

[Photo credit:  Executive Director Matthew R. Mager, taken at the corner of 84th & 3rd]

“Who’s Your Edamame?” – Lunch from the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar!

Would you base your choice of food around a slogan? Well, we did! On our way up to Queens, we spotted the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar on 33rd and Park Ave (where it usually hangs out on Fridays), and couldn’t help but laugh at the slogan plastered across the side of their truck- “Who’s Your Edamame?”

I nominated myself to play guinea pig, and decided to go with an order of their trademark dish,  Edamame filled vegetable dumplings.

As expected, the dumplings were light and tasty, especially with a side of their tangy lemon- sansho dip.

So what’s the lesson to be learned from this?

It’s common knowledge in the food industry that a person eats with their eyes, and then with their mouths. So sometimes it’s OK to go with your initial  impression and judge a book by its cover!The only way to find out if you don’t like something is to TRY IT!

You can track the whereabouts of the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar by checking their website, or by following @rickshawtruck on Twitter.

Enjoy!

-Jerry

McDonald’s Gets a McMakeover

The newly renovated Mcdonald’s located on the corner of 29th and Park has finally reopened its doors to hungry (and busy)  New Yorkers, and the results are pretty impressive. The walls of the restaurant are now fitted with glowing LCD screens, and there’s  more wood detailing than you can shake a carrot stick at. The franchise manager informed us that the decision to remodel is not exclusive to this specific location, and that there are McDonald’s Restaurants all over the country   currently undergoing renovation.Upon first impression, the design kind of gives off a higher-scale Chipotle vibe, but  rest assured, the changes are purely cosmetic, and have no effect on the iconic taste of the food in any way, shape or form.

Executive Director Matt Mager put it best when he said, “Putting something in a pretty package doesn’t change what’s in the package. It’s still McDonald’s!”    

Either way, it may be worth checking out.

-Jerry