On a busy night, White Plains”™ Mamaroneck Avenue mimics a lively, young Gansevoort Street in Manhattan”™s meatpacking district or the bar-and-restaurant row on Third Avenue in Murray Hill.
All three neighborhoods cater to the nightlife-savvy urbanite that throughout the late 1990s and into the early part of the 21st century moved into and established roots in areas that “once were.”
White Plains”™ ushering in of a retail renaissance over the last decade has dramatically changed the face of its downtown ”“ the Recession did the same.
Just two years ago, plenty of visible vacancies ”“ it”™s estimated the rate was over 10 percent in the central business district ”“ left landlords, brokers and business owners in a state of uncertainty.
The tide may be turning for tenancies.
“We”™re getting real, viable calls now and a huge amount of interest from established restaurateurs and other tenants to come into downtown White Plains,” said Bonnie Silverman, president of Silverman Realty Group, a commercial real estate brokerage and property management firm in downtown White Plains. “I attribute it to all of the new residents coming into town with the new residences: Trump Tower, The Ritz-Carlton, The Avalon”¦ I just think it”™s a vibe.”
Silverman Realty Group”™s latest lease signings include: Energy Kitchen, 2,050 square feet, 40 Mamaroneck Ave.; Delicious Licks frozen yogurt, 60A Mamaroneck Ave. and Milonga Arepas & Tapas Grill, a 1,383-square-foot space at 74 Mamaroneck Ave., which will be operated by the same owners of Milonga Wine and Tapas Restaurant on North Broadway in White Plains.
“We”™re seeing chains come in or additions to successful businesses,” said Rick Ammirato, executive director of the White Plains Business Improvement District, who at press time was completing his last week at the BID before relocating to Florida. “If you have a bar or restaurant, those people are opening second or third spaces. They”™re well-capitalized and nimble enough to take advantage of the market.”
Prophecy nightclub on South Broadway, which operated first as Coughlan”™s in 2003 and became event-and-party space Prophecy in 2007, has hired on restaurateur Salvatore Callarame as managing partner and introduced an affordable tasting and wine-pairing menu through Prophecy Restaurant.
Prophecy”™s event bookings have been strong; the venue hosts bar mitzvahs and business groups on back-to-back weeks.
But it hasn”™t been easy for the area as a whole to make it through the downturn unscathed.
Just down South Broadway, upscale Italian eatery Antipasti shuttered, as did Via Quadronno and Peniche Tapas Restaurant.
“We had the events and the nightlife that we could fall back on, but I think the White Plains area did take a big hit,” Callarame said. “There”™s always something to be said about every place and so many stories going out there, but if you don”™t run a business properly? It can fail. People have a bad experience? They talk.”
Silverman said patrons are looking for quality and a good price-point “whether it”™s independently operated or a franchise.”
You”™re seeing numerous microchains that have garnered success in busy, urban areas open up, such as Serafina, which opened in Via Quadronno”™s space and Sofrito Puerto Rican Restaurant, which Callarame said will fill Peniche”™s vacancy.
More restaurants have moved in, including Pranzi-Enoteca Ristorante at Trump Tower, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Cheeburger Cheeburger and Impulse Hibachi.
There is talk of hotspot Butterfield 8 Restaurant and Lounge opening, which has New York City and Stamford, Conn., locations.
“I believe they”™re coming to the Kinkos spot (147 Mamaroneck Ave.) on the corner,” noted Ammirato; calls to the landlord were unreturned.
Without hesitation, Callarame nods “no,” that new competition will not disrupt his venue”™s flow of business.
That”™s the thing about nightlife. Spillover business from neighboring establishments creates somewhat of a culture of congeniality ”“ and a progressive party atmosphere.
“It”™s like a giant family of restaurants,” he said. “God forbid I run out of an alcohol or a food, I can call a ton of restaurants in the area and ask them if they can help me. Since we are a nightclub, we do carry a lot of liquor and we do have a lot of locations that call us asking for liquor and as common courtesy, we”™ll supply to them and they”™ll return the favor to us.”
