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

 

 

Besen Retail Line of the Week! 11/12/10

Photo courtesy of pjpress.com

BIG NEWS,

We’re bringing back the Line of the Week!

This week’s entry comes from Besen Retail’s newest agent, Luxury Retail Specialist Hilly Soleiman!

After mastering the high-end retail landscape of the Upper East Side, Hilly set her sights downtown, and began to focus her efforts on learning the ins and outs of the West Village.

When discussing her experiences canvassing the historic downtown neighborhood, Hilly mentioned that she had noticed a surprising number of upmarket retailers such as Christian Louboutin, Cynthia Rowley, and Marc by Marc Jacobs, to name a few.

From a retail perspective Hilly said that “The West Village is the younger sister of Madison Avenue,” and that it is starting to show its kinship to its older sibling.

If you, or someone you know are interested in opening a retail space in the West Village, don’t be shy and let us know!

-Jerry

Rosario Dawson Promotes the Lower East Side Girls Club on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

 

Photo courtesy of Rosario-Dawson.net

 

Last night on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, award winning actress Rosario Dawson spoke about her work with the Lower East Side Girls Club at 101 Avenue D.

The development will be a HUGE addition to the expanding community in Alphabet City, and we can’t wait to see it flourish.

Embedded is a YouTube clip of Ms. Dawson at the ceremonial groundbreaking of the Girls Club, and below that is a link to a video of her appearance last night on Late Night.

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/2010/11/tuesdays-interviews-3/

Overbearing Traffic? MTA got you down? We Have Two Words for You: Pedal Power

Remember going to your local bicycle shop as a kid.  Getting that first bike with the banana seat.  Putting baseball cards in the spokes for what seemed like the coolest sound around!  Well, local bike shops are back.  Whether it’s nostalgia for simpler days of yore or the greening of our collective conscience, it’s cool to see that bikes are back.

In the Prospect Park/Lefferts section of Brooklyn, Bike Life signed a lease for 229 SF at 50 Lincoln Road.  A real mom and pop bike shop, Bike Life caters to the kid in all of us, as well as to health-conscious and green-conscious consumers.  Besen Retail represented both owner and tenant in this deal.  According to Senior Retail Specialist Elliott Dweck, who represented Bike Life, retail in this neighborhood is making a move away from the ubiquitous deli and nail salon, and trending more towards boutiques, organics, health/health food and, of course, cycling.  Take it from Elliott, the proud owner of a Trek Beach Cruiser bicycle!

In Williamsburg, in another deal negotiated by Besen Retail, BicyclePlus.Net signed a lease to open a 1,500 SF bicycle showroom at 145 Borinquen Place.  Stop in to check out the bikes, both new and used, and you just might find Elliott loading up on the latest gear.

Stay on your bike and take a ride over the bridge into Manhattan to Echelon Cycles and its 1,200 SF showroom of performance bicycles at 24 Horatio Street.  Besen Retail negotiated this deal too.  Could Lance Armstrong (or Elliott Dweck) be riding for the Besen Retail Cycle Team in the next Tour de France?

While we’ve blogged about these openings in previous posts, we’re just excited to see this trend.  So, if you want to get back into biking, check out one of these new bike shops.  Happy biking!

 

They buy used bike!

 

If you’re interested in selling a used or new bike, head over to BicyclePlus.Net (The brick-and-mortar store, because the website happens to be down, ironically).

BicyclePlus.Net

145 Borinquen Place

Williamsburg, Brooklyn

(G Train to Metropolitan Ave. or L Train to Lorimer St.)

-Matt

The Bronx is Burning (that’s a good thing)

We love to shop in the Bronx.  For the latest . . . .

Visit 985 East 174^th Street (500 SF) and get yourself a new Boost Mobile cell phone.  Call your friends and cruise on over to 1479 Westchester Avenue (1,500 SF) for some local grocery shopping, then walk next door to 1471 Westchester Avenue (500 SF) for the latest in music and musical instruments.  If you’re looking for some good ol’ fashioned Caribbean food, visit Veraboy Island Grille at 764 Burke Avenue (834 SF) and ask for Chef Peter.  Mmmm, jerk chicken!  Need the latest in auto sound and security, stop by Hi-Precision at 1580 Jerome Avenue (621 SF), and while waiting for your car, walk around the corner and get your hair cut at Mike’s Barber at 11 East Mt. Eden Road (500 SF).  Mike makes hair cutting an art!  Speaking of art, check out the art studio of famed artist Wallace Whitney III, located in a former synagogue at 53 Antin Place (840 SF).  For a candy bar or a turkey sandwich, stop into Sammy’s Deli at 3423 Boston Road (800 SF).  Let Sammy know Retail Specialist Evan Silver sent you and get an extra pickle!

These are just some of the many new deals in the Bronx.

And by the way, Besen Retail represented both owner and tenant on each of these leases.  Way to go Besen Retail!

Checking in with the Lower East Side Girls Club

As  The Real Deal reported earlier this week, construction is well underway on the Lower East Side Girls Club. Located at 101 Avenue D, the LEED Gold-certified building, developed by the Dermot Company, boasts 78 affordable rental housing, 30,000 square feet of recreational space for the Girls Club members, as well as 4,700 square feet of prime retail space (which is where we come in).

We paid a quick visit to the construction site, and couldn’t help but notice the beautiful murals created by the members of the soon to be Girls Club, pictured above and below:

Although the development is still in the preliminary stages of construction, we are still actively seeking potential tenants for the retail space, so let us know if your interested!

http://www.besenretail.com/lower-east-side-girls-club.htm