Upper West Side Sees Business Boom and Bust: New Openings and Notable Closings
Table of Contents
- Upper West Side Sees Business Boom and Bust: New Openings and Notable Closings
- safta’s coffee & Fine Foods: A Kosher culinary Haven
- Poppie Toys: A Limited Return by Appointment
- Party City: A Farewell After Nearly 40 Years
- Marinara Pizza: A Comeback This Week
- Aperture: New Headquarters Opening This Fall
- Stunning Body Work: A New Spa on the Scene
- Bagels & Cream: A Familiar Name Returns
- Transforming the Upper west Side: A Deep Dive into Its Buisness Boom and Bust
The Upper west Side is experiencing a wave of business changes, with new ventures opening and established businesses closing after years of service. From a kosher market aiming to become a community hub to a beloved toy store’s limited return, the neighborhood’s commercial landscape is in constant flux.
safta’s coffee & Fine Foods: A Kosher culinary Haven
Safta’s Coffee & Fine Foods, a kosher market at 2345 Broadway (southwest corner of West 86th Street), is set to open later this week. Offering a wide array of Middle Eastern-inspired pastries, grab-and-go meals, and curated pantry items, the market promises a diverse menu. Owner Sonny gindi, also the operator of Fridges, a kosher market in Midtown, envisions Safta’s as more than just a store. “Safta,” meaning grandma in Hebrew, “is an endearing term. It’s suppose to make peopel feel like they’re home,”
Gindi explained. The menu includes bagels, sandwiches, wraps, dinner entrées, bourekas, focaccia, and challah, all prepared by specialty chefs.Catering services for Shabbat and Jewish holidays will also be available. The space, formerly occupied by Francesca’s, a women’s clothing store that closed in 2020, will feature seating for approximately a dozen customers and a freezer section stocked with items ranging from Eggo waffles to sambousek, a syrian puff pastry. Gindi’s ambition is clear: “My goal is to have this to be like a community center for the people around us,”
he stated.
Poppie Toys: A Limited Return by Appointment
Poppie Toys, located on the corner of Broadway and West 83rd street, will reopen in March, but with a twist. Owner Carlijn Joosten confirmed that the store will operate by appointment only, primarily on Thursdays. This follows a successful holiday pop-up in November 2023, where the store showcased toys and children’s furniture made from rattan. Joosten secured a month-to-month lease extension with the landlord, allowing the store to remain until a permanent tenant is found. “We have a month-to-month agreement, and it is very generous of them to give me this chance. I am grateful for every extra month,”
Joosten shared. The temporary December closure was due to low revenue despite meaningful effort. “I put in a lot of effort and hours but the revenue did not make it worth it. With the new concept of appointments and workshops for families coming soon, I hope to find a better balance,”
she explained.Appointments can be made by texting joosten at 646-504-3537. She also plans to host family workshops this spring.
Party City: A Farewell After Nearly 40 Years
Party City, the party supply store at the corner of West 92nd Street and Columbus Avenue, is closing its doors. A store clerk confirmed a clearance sale is underway, though a precise closing date remains unannounced. The closure follows the company’s bankruptcy from January to September 2023 and a late 2024 proclamation that all stores would be closing after nearly 40 years in business. A letter from management on the company website cited “an immensely challenging environment with inflationary pressures on both costs and consumer spending,”
as the reason for the closures. This Upper West Side location opened in 2015. Party City maintains one other Manhattan location on west 14th Street.
Marinara Pizza: A Comeback This Week
Marinara Pizza,located at 2578 Broadway (between West 97th and 98th streets),is slated to reopen this week,according to a clerk at the Amsterdam Avenue location. the pizza shop,which opened in summer 2023,has been closed for over a year due to a Con Edison gas shutoff,as indicated by a notice on the storefront. Marinara operates several pizza shops in New York City, including another on the Upper west Side at West 83rd Street and Amsterdam Avenue.
Aperture: New Headquarters Opening This Fall
Aperture, the photography foundation relocating its headquarters from Chelsea to 380 Columbus avenue (between West 78th and 79th streets), has revised its opening timeline to this fall. Initially slated for early 2025,the new space will feature a blend of offices and public areas,including flexible spaces for programming,a bookstore,and production areas for publishing. The groundbreaking ceremony took place last April.
Stunning Body Work: A New Spa on the Scene
Stunning Body Work, a spa offering a range of services including massages, facials, and foot treatments, opened February 10th at 162 West 72nd Street (between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues). The spa occupies the former location of Gartner’s Hardware, which moved to a larger space across the street last summer.
Bagels & Cream: A Familiar Name Returns
Bagels & Cream is “coming soon” to 926 Amsterdam Avenue (between West 105th and 106th streets). The cafe, owned by the same family that operated the 72nd Street Bagel (which closed in 2016), will serve bagels, fish, sandwiches, and schmears. They also have a location in the Bronx.
Transforming the Upper west Side: A Deep Dive into Its Buisness Boom and Bust
Are Revitalizing Neighborhoods Mimicking the Big Apple’s Upper West Side Transformation?
The Upper West side of Manhattan stands as a testament too urban resilience and adaptability, as it cycles through an era of business boom and bust with poise and community focus. New establishments are closing in to support longstanding clientele and modern demands, while established fixtures face the complex reality of economic pressures. In this interview, we speak to Dr. Emily Rosenberg, Professor of Urban Studies at Columbia university, about these shifts and what they signal for the future of urban neighborhoods.
Questions from the senior Editor of World-Today-News.com
1. With the constant influx of new startups and the closure of long-standing businesses, how do you interpret these dynamics in terms of neighborhood resilience and cultural evolution?
Dr. Rosenberg highlights that such cycles of change are indicative of neighborhood resilience. The Upper West Side exemplifies how communities respond to global and local economic trends. While longstanding businesses like Party City succumb to financial strain,new ventures such as Safta’s Coffee & Fine Foods and Flying Body Work inject vibrancy and cater to the evolving needs of locals. This vibrant interchange is characteristic of healthy urban ecosystems. It mirrors broader trends seen across diverse urban centers globally.
Long-tail Keywords: Urban resilience,business dynamics,neighborhood evolution.
2. Safta’s Coffee & Fine Foods aims to be more than just a store by becoming a community hub. How significant is this model for modern retail success, and do you foresee its sustainability?
Historically, retail spaces transforming into community hubs have thrived, particularly in densely populated urban areas. Safta’s vision aligns with this model by fostering community interaction through its offerings of kosher culinary delights and holiday catering services. The success of such hubs depends on thier ability to adapt to demographic changes and community input. Emphasizing customer connection can drive long-term sustainability, positioning businesses as integral parts of neighborhood life.
Long-tail Keywords: Community hubs, retail trends, neighborhood integration.
3. With poppie Toys’ decision to reopen by appointment only, what does this say about current retail strategies and customer engagement trends?
Poppie Toys’ move to an appointment-only model showcases a creative adaptation to contemporary retail conditions. This strategy enhances personalized customer experiences and allows for specialized activities such as family workshops. Aligning with broader customer engagement trends, it reflects how businesses are diversifying offerings to maintain relevance and financial viability in a rapidly digitalizing world. This trend is likely to expand, with many businesses blending physical and virtual interactions.
Long-tail Keywords: Appointment-based retail, innovative engagement strategies, customer personalization.
4. Considering Party City’s closure due to challenging economic conditions, how should businesses prepare for potential economic downturns, and what lessons can be derived from its experience?
Business preparedness for economic volatility can be strengthened through strategic adaptability and diversified offerings. Party City’s closure underscores the impact of external economic factors and lessons in the importance of robust financial planning. Diversifying product lines, scaling operations, and leveraging technology to adapt to consumer habits are crucial strategies. Businesses that invest in understanding their communities and incorporating versatility into their business models are better positioned to weather economic downturns.
Long-tail Keywords: Economic downturn preparedness, strategic business planning, business resiliency.
Final Thoughts
The upper West Side’s tale of closing and new openings is more than a storyline of economic change, it’s a blueprint for how neighborhoods can retain vibrancy and adaptability. Whether through community-centric hubs or innovative retail models, these transformations reflect a universal theme of dynamism inherent in urban life.
What are your thoughts on how businesses in your area are evolving? Share your perspectives in the comments or social media to join the conversation about local urban resilience and change.
