Brace yourself: Apple is scouring Brooklyn, seeking a home in the 718 area code for a flagship Brooklyn Apple Store, sources tell Racked. While Apple's urge to hawk iPhones to Brooklynites is all but a certainty, what's not known at this time is which neighborhood the computer maker is targeting for its first Brooklyn foray.
Red Hook: Sure, Ikea's coming in. And rumors have swirled about a Bed Bath and Beyond coming in on the waterfront, too—there's at least 20,000 square feet of retail space still to play with there. Still? Apple likes stores in neighborhoods with serious foot traffic, and Ikea or not, that ain't Red Hook. Odds: 25-1
Smith Street: Foot traffic, check. And plenty of little boutiques lend an air of elegance. Okay, an air of quasi-elegance. Okay, an air of fresh Dunkin' Donuts. Transfats aside, the issue here is the lack of a retail footprint big enough even for Apple to open one of its smaller factory stores. And empty development footprints are few and far between. Odds: 15-1
Dumbo: Two Trees has been looking for a tenant in the long-vacated ABC Carpet and Home warehouse space, and there's something about the Apple and Dumbo brands that just seems to go together (overly precious, check; overly branded, check; we're over both of them, check). A longshot, though one we'd sort of love to see. Odds: 10-1
Downtown Brooklyn: Hey, if it's good enough for Target, right? By far the most boring choice, but also probably the most logical. Let's move on. Odds: 4-1
Williamsburg: Can you think of a major big-box retailer with a presence in the Burg? Exactly. Which is why this has to happen. Picture the hipsters, fresh off the L Train, wandering up North 6th and into the Apple Store, firm in their decision to avoid the $40 used iPod Shuffle on Craigslist in favor of the real $99 McCoy. These are the moments of our lives. Steve, baby, make it so. Odds: 3-1, in our wildest dreams
My guess is definitely downtown Brooklyn. I'd be very, very, very surprised with a Williamsburg location choice. Very much pioneering on the franchise front! Opens the door to others, that's for sure.
I have to second the Park Slope theory. Although a location in Wburg does make sense, perhaps near the American Apparel? And then maybe they could build an Urban Outfitters! It would would be like an outdoor mall for wannabe hipsters.
Why would Apple choose to locate a store in Brooklyn so close to its existing stores in Manhattan, when northwest Brooklynites are already prone to going to Manhattan anyway for their Apple and other shopping needs. There are at least 1.7 million other people in the southern and eastern parts of the Borough and I'd venture to say that Apple places a store at King's Plaza which is much farther from existing Apple Store outposts but still in a high traffic area.
Another possible location for a Brooklyn Apple Store: Flatbush Junction at the intersection of Flatbush and Nostrand where Target is building a 220,000 sf store similar to the one at Atlantic Terminal.
Dumbo is the soho of Brooklyn. Williamsburg the East Village. Park Slope the upperwest side. Down town brookklyn......Um Park Avenue south....Smith street...Nolita. I say it's Smith and Atlantic.
...the old abc carpet in dumbo has been divided up into smaller retail, a new dog spa, something called neighborhoodies, and art gallery and something tba behind some brown paper.
I agree Park Slope would be a great choice in terms of traffic, but where the heck would it go? Have you seen the stores on fifth and seventh aves? They are tiny.
Also, I'm sure the Park slope people would like the convenience of having an apple store close by, but part of the charm of PS is that there are not huge stores around. Not sure how well it would go over with the neighborhood
I would have to agree that the likely option is somewhere near the junction of Smith and Atlantic. Or Court and Atlantic. That area got the ellusive Trader Joe's. Apple is probably even easier.
What about the corner of Atlantic and Adams (aka Brooklyn Bridge Boulevard)?
1) Great visibility from all the Brooklyn Bridge traffic.
2) Potential for a large retail space. Either develop the parking lot next to the Court House apartments or the development parcel across the street that used to be a gas station.
3) Location is great. Trader Joe's is a block west and Smith St is a block east away (not to mention other great places to shop on Atlantic like Sahadi's), so constant foot traffic is pretty much assured. It's the nexus of a lot of neighborhoods--Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Downtown Brooklyn, etc.
Plus it's only 4-5 blocks from every major subway line.
atantic and court doesn't have enough foot traffic. not the type that shop at apple anyway. trader joe's will draw people. perhaps an apple store would too, but it makes more sense to have it in a spot that already as people walking by on a regular basis.
park slope...perhaps on flatbush near american appareal as someone suggested up in the north, perhaps at the base of the richard meier building, perhaps at the old d-agostino across from methodist hospital all seem like terrific options. somewhere on union near the food co-op would do well also. they also have the new whole foods coming next year. all signs to me point to the slope.
there are also a lot of tourists in park slope, more so than any other brooklyn neighborhood which would be attractive. all those new condos, hotels, bars going up on 4th avenue...those are all the kinda consumers apple goes after.
the downtown brooklyn scene is still quite a few years away from being more than a 9-5 destination.
dumbo hasn't done well with its retail. very few people outside of those that live there travel down there to shop.
williamsburg would be ridiculous. it's too easy a trip to manhattan. it's not in the heart of brooklyn.
#14 - parcel in the old gas station is already slated to be a condo across the street from the other vacant lot slated to be a condo.
PS is possible, but 4th is the only foreseeable ave. and it would probably have to be close to Atl. Yds. with the subway lines/lirr, flatbush/atlantic ave traffic -- close to gowanus whole foods and probably added parking space.
Montague St. is a potential spot, it's already a mall and there is a new empty spot near court st. where the bank of ny used to exist. some new condo developments in the downtown area.
aside from PS, it's the only place that tourists go to in bklyn with the promenade. agreed that downtown bklyn is a ways from existing after 5pm, but you're close to brooklyn law, packer, $$, and tons of foot/bike traffic to/from the bklyn bridge.
if it prevents me from having to go to soho, all the better, bring it! but, will it be 24/7?
#15, I'd wager that the Brooklyn Heights/Downtown area has much more tourist traffic than Park Slope. And if you think that the Court/Smith/Atlantic shopping corridor doesn't cater to the "typical Apple consumer", well, I'd guess then that you haven't been to that part of town lately.
As far as pricey condos, hotels, bars, shops, etc--well, there's more development (both residential and retail) happening in Downtown Brooklyn (to the tune of $10 billion) than anywhere else in BK, including Park Slope. If that's a major draw for an Apple store, then it'll open in the Downtown Brooklyn area, no contest.
Downtown Brooklyn was the choice for Trader Joe's for a reason (and I know plenty of Park Slopers who would've given up their bugaboos for TJ's to have come to their nabe)--large and affluent customer base, convenient location, and superior access to many (not just one) neighborhoods. I suspect Apple will come to the same conclusion. After all, as you yourself alluded to, I bet the people who shop at Apple are the same folks that shop at TJ's.
I'd bet dollars to donuts that Apple will open a store in the Downtown area over Park Slope.
Oh, and I don't think you can claim the Meier building. It's in Prospect Heights, isn't it?
I don't think, out of all neighborhoods in Brooklyn, that Apple is going to choose Williamsburg to open a store. Like someone mentioned above, almost everyone in Park Slope and the surrounding areas owns a Mac; it only make sense to target that demographic section first. Besides, people in that particular area of Brooklyn may better afford the higher margin iPods and even better, buy multiple ones in one household.
Are you kidding? the best place is big old former furniture store on Atlantic Avenue between Clinton and Court. It is the charming old building with the painted advertisement for "canvas sails" -Please... perfect. and the new storefront is both landmarks correct and cool. It is between Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights, in other words: all the money in the world! You posseurs in B'burg dream on! Money beats grundge any day.
Definitely within one mile of where Trader Joe's is going. Trader Joe's didn't randomly pick a spot to put their second NYC store, they did some research, and it's the same market.
I think they'll build it on the site of the Coney Island Nathan's. Or maybe they'll make it a cube-shaped plexiglas barge and call it the Floating Apple Store Lady.
I suggest Apple take over the ground floor of one of the Condo's within BAM.
There are literally thousands of sq feet of 1st floor retail up for grabs... not to mention the hundreds of wealthy people who are buying (Hanson Place, Forte', Rockwell etc.).
If that's not enough,
Think of what is/will be in the area...New Fulton mall...Atlantic center...Atlantic Yards/Nets...City funded landscaping...EVERY SUBWAY
New fulton mall after it's redeveloped. I'm guessing there will be a whole bunch of chain stores like Banana Rep., Pottery Barn, B B & Beyond. Atlantic Center currently doesn't seem high-end enough, although maybe they will revamp it after they mess up the rest of the surrounding area.
It'll never be One Hanson. The bank interior space is the most logical there but apple is too modern to occupy it and (maybe hoping on my part but) nobody would ever dismantle that space. It'll be downtown on Montegue or Remsen with the slight possibility of one of the large warehouse spaces on Bergen west of Smith which are all but abandoned and for sale.
Best spot in BK is clearly the Commerce Bank space at the foot of montague and court. it's a transit hub, loads of foot traffic, close to metrotech and many different schools (private schools, colleges and brooklyn law school. Its the perfect confluence of business, student and residential users for apple's products. Since that space is occupied I would imagine it will be someplace very close by.
They should definitely open up on 7th avenue. Infact there is a largish vacant store front on 7th avenue near union. Kings plaza is a option but in that area no one is going to fork 2k for a computer.
And if they are of the rich variety from the area chances are they are going to go to the city anyway to pickup a mac.
Maybe Ave. J and Coney to replace the Rite Aid, that area has serious foot traffic. And its very middle class italian/jewish foot traffic.
The old Kings County Savings Bank Building on Broadway in Williamsburg is possibly the best space in Brooklyn i can think of for them (similar to their space in SoHo. However the location is definitely lacking in foot traffic.
80% of the unborn store's revenue is going to come from people living within two miles of the Atlantic Center. No one is living in this zone is going to want to get in their cars and schelp to freaking Wbg. While it might be quaint to plant a store in hipsterWbg to serve the base that lives there, that store's gonna go belly up in such a location faster than you can say Apple.
This store is going to be within a half-mile of two spots: Atlantic Center, or the Borough Hall stop. I put my money on it. Anywhere else (Red Hook, Dumbo) would be plain dumb and bad for biz.
The most perfect location is Adams at Willoughby. Next to the Marriott. There is a beautiful old empty courthouse building for rent. Brooklyn law,Polytechnic university (which is merging with NYU),are steps away. There are plenty of additional colleges and private schools nearby. It is a major Transportation hub. It is surrounded by Boerum hill, Cobble hill,the heights and the "new downtown",which are all inhabited by Creative folks who use Apple computers. It is also one of the few locations where you can quickly hail a cab to haul your purchases home!
If Apple places a store in Park Slope, mark my words, I will never give them another red cent again. That would have to be the most uninspired placement, ever.
And re the vacant Blockbuster on Court Street: Have you SEEN the size of that store? It ain't big enough. Not by a long stretch.
It will NOT be Williamsburg for the simple fact that Hipsters are poor and don't buy Macs at retail price. They buy G3 iMacs off of Craig's List because they're "vintage" (translation: cheap.) No one in other parts of Brooklyn would be willing to go to Williamsburg either since it's not a convenient area to get to from other parts of the borough. It certainly won't be in an area like Canarsie or Bushwick either because of the same fundamental reason: the don't have the money to afford a mac at retail and it's not convenient to get to from other parts of the borough. The SoHo location isn't exactly convenient to get to from other parts of Manhattan but in Manhattan there are cabs to make lugging home your new Mac Pro a cinch. What someone else had said earlier about Brooklyn Heights because of the ability to hail a cab... now you're talking. Park Slope inhabitants may be Mac zealots, but they're too pretentious to ruin the decor of their neighborhood for the purposes of a retail store... it's the whole "not in my backyard" mentality.
@#33:
I think the glass cube submerged in the Gowanus would be a great idea. That way Apple's customers can see which cement shoes were the most popular 20 years ago and what everyone ate 10 years ago...
Park slope is a Terrible choice..There would be too many entitled parents with double wide stroller checking their email and never buying.And they think you'd be charmed by their sticky child banging on a keyboard.
Empire-Fulton Ferry warehouses. A stealth Spitzer initiative. The largest Apple on the planet. Visible from two bridges and east side from the seaport to 14th st.
"while these are EXTREMELY busy and profitable shopping areas, they are mostly for the african american population."
To the Ignorant post...
FYI, The entire flatbush ext. will have the highest income living over any other part of brooklyn. Notice the condo boom, city take over of BAM, City redevelopment of albee sq., City pooring millions into a median on Flatbush???
The few brownstone owners are out numbered by the renters in both Wbrg and Pslope...Apple is looking for $$$Profit$$$
"aside from PS, it's the only place that tourists go to in bklyn."
I always thought the Brooklyn Museum in Crown Heights, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Aquarium and Coney Island are the big mainstream tourist traps in Brooklyn. Do tourists REALLY visit Park Slope? Or do they just wander over for tea?
Atlantic Ave near Sahadi's...yes. Near Atlantic target..not so much. You have to look at what the neighborhood commands. Macy's couldn't survive as well as a few others. Apple isn't racist just into doing profitable business. You don't go where the customers may already be or might eventually come to. You go where you know you'll do well. There's a very large plot of land on 9th street right above 3rd ave in the Slope. P.S. Many Brooklyn people don't even consider Williamsburg and Greenpoint part of Brooklyn, anyway. Too close to Queens and a pain to get to. Why should we travel to Manhattan anyway? If there were only stores in Brooklyn, you'd be screaming to have one in Manhattan, right?
I think PARK SLOPE is by far the best choice. (Atlantic Center or Downtown a close second). Williamsburg seems like a mistake, any of those shoppers would frequent Manhattan stores already...
Geez, I'm hearing it all here except for the ill fated Atlantic Yards site. I go with One Hanson for the transit hub, landmarked interior (has anyone seen the end scenes of 2001: A Sapce Odyssey?), and the super rich demigraphic that lives there or will be moving in over the next 0-15 years. Right now there is over 10 Billion (that's with a B) $s of development slated for the Atlantic Ave. Flatbush corridor from Vanderbilt to the Manhattan Bridge. One Hanson is open now that Border's pulled out due to retrenchment. Plus it's a 5 min. walk to my Brownstone. Or, Park Slope or Downtown or Fort Greene/Clinton Hill (sorry, it is Fort Greene), around the corner from the BAM cultural district, etc., etc. centrally located and lots of cache/cash.
Apple reps take note: the perfect location would be the building planned for Boerum Place at Fulton St. Modern glass tower to rise there, perfect aesthetic, accessible from the Heights, Slope, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, one stop from Manhattan, and the number of tourists in that area is already sickening.
I moved out of Staten Island five years ago and I know that NYC has been immune to the downturn and also commercial property has exploded with interest, but this is ridiculous. The downtown Apple store is close to Brooklyn and many Brooklynites simply go over the bridge or via the subway to get there and have been for decades. Anything close to the Staten Island border is closer to the store in the mall but Brooklynites have their own malls and a non-Staten Islander would never set foot in a mall in Staten Island. I would say that Apple tries to capitalize on foot traffic and subway lines and that would not be the Brooklyn Navy Yards (Red Hook). They would do better to settle for a smaller store in order to locate in a neighborhood where there are latte shops and little fru-fru stores because that's their clientele and people who pay retail for stuff. Downtown would make sense or maybe a little off the beaten track, like Carroll Gardens or Flatbush. How about King's Highway? We travelled their often to visit the Crazy Eddie's. (1117 Kings Highway, remember?) There was much there and still more potential and that was 1977.
Court and Atlantic area. This is right around the corner from Smith Street, and there are some big spaces open, right across from the huge barnes and noble and near the big trader joes coming in. right near the ACE192345 and F trains (might be an NR as well)
how about the ground floor of this building, right at the head of smith st? http://www.75smith.com/
People think that SI is sooooooo far away which is why they never consider going there. I have a friend stationed on the base there and another friend there as well so I'm quite familiar with it. Besides that, I think that people just don't want to pay the $9 admission fee to go shopping when they can use their unlimited ride metro card or drive somewhere else for free. As far as Crazy Eddie and Kings Highway... people will drive anywhere for a deal and traffic in 1977 was VERY different from traffic today.
I think one excellent option would be in the BAM area. I think rockwellplace will have great street level retail space. This is ideal b/c like Hanson it is in the middle of evrything, but more visible.
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