Empty storefronts on Henry St.

anonymous · March 2006

What's up with the disconcerting number of empty storefronts on Henry St?
First, the little candy store next to Pig'n Out closed, then Chez Henry, and
then the video store next to Cranberry's. All within the past 6 months.

amyskittysitting · March 2006

Subject: Re: Empty storefronts on Henry St.

DM wrote: What's up with the disconcerting number of empty storefronts on Henry St?
First, the little candy store next to Pig'n Out closed, then Chez Henry, and
then the video store next to Cranberry's. All within the past 6 months.

They have to make more room for the real estate offices

anonymous · March 2006

That legendary video store, with all of its classic tapes, probably closed due to popularity of DVDs and competition from movies-by-mail. The neighborhood will miss it.

The little candy store was dirty and smoky; I had stopped shopping there in favor of the one down the street on the corner of Clark.

The restaurant Chez Henry was in a spot (SW corner of Cranberry St.) that is well-known by neighborhood residents to be cursed. Many restaurants have opened there in the past decade only to die. Mediocre view; building often scaffolded; too much competition from established favorites like Henry's End and Noodle Pudding; opposition from people living above. (One woman warns everyone away, telling them the food is bad; she doesn't like the cooking smells that drift up from the outside vent.)

Now I see that El Cubanito, just across from Chez Henry, is closed up. Didn't survive the dearth of tourists in the winter?

anonymous · January 2007

I'm curious as to what landlords are charging on Henry. It seems to be well-established as a place where businesses, restaurants in particular, go to die. Are the rents too high?

tugj · February 2007

Anonymous wrote: I'm curious as to what landlords are charging on Henry. It seems to be well-established as a place where businesses, restaurants in particular, go to die. Are the rents too high?

I suspect they are. Chez Henry, Isobel, Tapas...all gone the way of the Dodo. What is now "Food Maestro" (what a laughable name) was one much larger space...just imagine the heating and electricity costs for such a large space.

Some have mentioned the entrenched competition as the death-dealing culprits. I suspect this is partly the case. However, I also think that there's just something about our nabe's demographic profile which doesn't bode well for the new guys. Just a thought--no real data to back that up tho.

Someone else mentioned this as well: the scaffolding. No one with a street business EVER wants that in front of her storefront. That's death in a can.

Tugj

anonymous · March 2007

One problem is that the food at a few of those places was just plain bad.

babyfishmouth · June 2007

on a related note, what is up with that thai-looking place that is perpetually closed (whenever i walk by)? it looks like a huge place, and it actually seems like a thai place in this vicinity might be in demand...?

Empty storefronts on Henry St.

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