Bedford Avenue is part of Williamsburg and is also Brooklyn’s longest street, which stretches from Greenpoint to Sheepshead Bay (Brooklyn Based). During the 1990s, Williamsburg was an industrial site, and a large portion of the area was taken up by factories and warehouses. The cheap cost of living attracted many artists and hipsters to the area (Cuny). Bedford Avenue is especially enjoyed for its trendy restaurants and small boutique shops. The creative energy of the area makes it a popular destination for visitors, however, it is at risk as property values rise. The average rent of the neighborhood increased by 78.7% between 1990 and 2014 (Pereira).
“Dramatic is an understatement. In certain ways, the neighborhood has lost its character,” says City Councilman Stephen Levin (Pereira).
Although many stores in Bedford Avenue were run individually in the past, a change has been observed in recent years where these shops are being replaced by corporate chains. One explanation for this phenomenon is the rise of property values which is a major issue that prevents independent businesses from staying in the area. Bedford Avenue is now the most expensive retail strip in Brooklyn, and while the average commercial rent was $50 in 2004, it has now risen up to $347 per square foot (Plitt). This resulted in major Companies such as Whole Foods and an Apple Store moving into the neighborhood (Plitt).
“Every open bit of space I see, by one week later, has a “for sale”, or “building in construction” sign,” says a resident (Brooklyn Deep).
“It’s not as affordable as it used to be. The rent was going from $800 to $2500 a month and its hard to even try to maintain a rent without my overhead being high,” says the owner of the Napoleon Southern Cuisine (Brooklyn Deep).
“We came coincidentally in a time when changes started to happen. There was no calculated thought in a sense of “Oh, Bedford Avenue is being gentrified. Let me open up a juice bar,” All the customers that were native to this community I no longer see. A lot of the new faces I see are young, white females that have just finished college. And of course if the income patterns change then ownership might be paying attention and have the assumption that I am making a whole lot of money, and say “therefore, your rent should be twice as much.” And if it is that case, I cannot look forward to maintain what I do,” says Peter, the proprietor of Jo Juice and Salad Bar (Brooklyn Deep).
According to NYU’s Furman Canter, Gentrifying neighborhoods saw an increase in white population, and a decrease in black population, despite a citywide decrease in white population (Furman Center).
“I’d say that I have been in ten different banks, looking for small amounts of loans that we can work with, and there was no way. I mean, either we are too new in the business or they are not lending money to small businesses. It’s been really hard,” says Alejandra Escalante, the owner of Pip Squeak, a children’s shop.
The high rent in Bedford Avenue is becoming a struggle for many independent shop owners to maintain their businesses. If this trend continues, then these areas will be available only to a selective few. There is a need for organizations to ensure that these small stores will not become replaced to ensure equity and diversity as the neighborhood develops.
Works Cited
Pereira, Ivan. “Williamsburg Leads NYC in Gentrification, Report Says.” AmNewYork, 11 May 2016, www.amny.com/real-estate/williamsburg-leads-nyc-in-gentrification-report-says-1-11786129/.
Brooklyn Deep. “The New Commercialization of Bedford Avenue.” Brooklyn Deep, 29 Dec. 2017, brooklyndeep.org/the-commercialization-of-bedford-avenue/.
Blankslate. “A Guide to Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn: from Greenpoint to Broadway.” Brooklyn Based, 7 May 2014, brooklynbased.com/2014/01/29/guide-to-bedford-avenue-brooklyn-from-greenpoint-to-broadway/.
Plitt, Amy. “Surveying Williamsburg’s Bedford Avenue, Now Approaching Peak Post-Gentrification.” Curbed NY, Curbed NY, 1 Aug. 2016, ny.curbed.com/2016/8/1/12342638/bedford-avenue-williamsburg-brooklyn-gentrification.
“Gentrification in NYC: Rosenberg 2018.” Gentrification in NYC Rosenberg 2018, eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/genyc/williamsburg/.
“Report Analyzes New York City’s Gentrifying Neighborhoods, Finds Dramatic Demographic Shifts.” NYU Furman Center, furmancenter.org/news/press-release/report-analyzes-new-york-citys-gentrifying-neighborhoods-finds-dramatic-dem.
.
