Bronxville, long a square mile of prosperity, has seen its share of empty storefronts in the past few months, but the downtown shopping districts that straddle the train station remain strong, according to two Realtors who do business there.
For that strength to continue, the mayor has reminded shoppers that village businesses ”“ “not Amazon.com” ”“ hold the key.
Leah A. Caro, president and principal broker of Bronxville-Ley Real Estate L.L.C. and associate broker Virginia Esposito have been doing business in the village for almost two decades.
“It hasn”™t changed that much in the sense that it”™s always been boutiques,” Caro said of the shopping district. “Rye went through a transformation, Greenwich went through a transformation where their main drags started to incorporate the Victoria”™s Secrets and the Ann Taylors and the Gaps and a lot more of the chain stores and the national stores. Bronxville never got there.”
Although the pedestrian-friendly village did have a Gap, the store didn”™t last long and the space is now occupied by a gift store.
The village”™s hospital, movie theater and restaurants are big draws to the village, Esposito said. In the past year, several stores have already relocated or are in the process of relocating elsewhere in the village.
Caro estimated there are approximately six vacancies in the downtown shopping district right now.
“People have said, ”˜wow, there are a lot of vacancies,”™ but it”™s the evolution of the village,” Caro said. “There”™s always going to be four or five storefronts as things move and come in and get ready to move and expand and contract.”
Recent closings include Joan Manning”™s interior decoration store, Scarborough Fair market and Accessorie, an accessory store for tweens. Existing stores Kensington Paper, Weezie D. and Park Place Bagels are all expanding.
Admiral Real Estate Services Corp”™s Web site lists four available retail spaces in downtown Bronxville with monthly rent rates ranging from $6,352 for a 1,694-square-foot space to $1,833 for a 400 square-foot store.
“Our business district too is suffering like all our neighbors, though I am hearing that two of our vacant stores have recently gone into contract to rent, which is a very positive sign,” said Bronxville Mayor Mary Marvin. “The solution for communities to ride this out is to buy local and buy from the small shopkeepers. We are fortunate that many of our businesses have been in the village 10 and 20 twenty years so they have very loyal customers and a real connection to the village. Residents must remember that it is the local merchant who donates to every raffle, charity event, etc; it is not Amazon.com. Also, residents should remember that their real estate values are directly affected by the attractiveness and vibrancy of their local main streets.”
