Earlier this week, Grub Street reported that Starbucks has signed a lease on the storefront at 239 Bleecker Street, a space formerly occupied by Bleecker Street Records. Now, Observer real estate writer and editor Kim Velsey has penned a brief but epic rant lamenting the current state of the Village, and New York City as a whole.
We'll just let her take it away:
Still, our dimmed outrage at what should clearly be an outrage leaves us almost woozy with regret and sadness. For the days when it was not a foregone conclusion that everything cool and interesting, singular or unusual would be replaced by something awful at worst and anodyne at best. For the days when opening yet another branch of coffee shop that already has 280 locations in the city, as Grub Street reported, in a neighborhood that is already blessed with a plentitude of good coffee shops, would not elicit a lazy grumble, a shrug of the shoulders or a sigh of resignation.
The 1,500-square-foot space hosted Bleecker Street Records for over two decades, but was forced out in 2013 when the landlord reportedly raised the rent to $27,000/month. However, against all odds, the beloved Village haunt managed to secure a lease at 188 West 4th Street.
· "This Is New York Now: Starbucks, Frozen Yogurt and Juice Bars" [NYO]
· "Starbucks Will Open in Original Bleecker Street Records Location" [Grub Street]
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