Williamsburg has many small businesses, appealing to the ethnic sections of the neighborhood and repelling chain stores. If a chain store is set to move to Williamsburg, it will likely be on the news.
In South Williamsburg, the stores mainly appeal to the Hasidic neighborhood. There are bakeries, supermarkets, nail salons, shoe stores, hat stores, and more.
In another section of Williamsburg, there are stores and businesses that appeal to the Hispanic population. There were many bodegas and stores in spanish. Williamsburg is welcoming when it comes to small businesses.
There are many restaurants and clubs in the area, especially near the waterfront. Output, a dance club, recently opened in early 2013 and has been anticipated for a while. 1In 2011, flea markets opened up at the waterfront, attracting people with its many vendors. 2 Around the Williamburg bridge, there are a lot of places to shop. When I walked around in May 2013, there were still commercial spaces to be leased, waiting to be taken by new businesses.
The rezoning of the waterfront has invited many people to move in the neighborhood, and more retailers are looking at the area. Previously there were few chain stores, but more and more news of them are appearing. People didn’t mind when a Duane Reade opened on the waterfront to the people settling in there, but when another was opened on Bedford Avenue, it was met with some resistance. In response, Duane Reade included a beer bar, which satisfied people and had positive feedback. The second Duane Reader is in competition with Kings Pharmacy, a decade old apothecary. According to the Brooklyn Paper,
“Kings has some cheaper items — including that ultimate dating trio: ChapStick, cough drops and condoms. But now at Duane Reade, a bottle of Garnier Fructis shampoo is $4.29 (vs. $4.49 at Kings), Dayquil is $5.99 (vs. $7.99 at Kings), and a box of 64 Crayola crayons is $5.49 (vs. $5.89 at Kings).” 3
Wholefoods, a supermarket chain, is set to open in 2014 at North 4th street and Bedford Avenue. It may possibly be a threat to small businesses around it in the future.
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