Bumping up Local Retail

While there is a lot of local quiet, retail and entertainment are not completely dead. Yes, many businesses have been shuttered for a long time with no end in sight and hundreds of thousands have lost their jobs.  But all is not lost.

One example is Arias, the contemporary women’s fashion label launched by Nina Sarin Arias.  Famous consumers of the brand include: Priyanka Chopra and Gigi Hadid among others.  Her first store was recently opened at Manhattan’s 466 Broome Street. Spanning 1,500 square feet, Arias founded her label initially back in 2017 as direct-to-consumer.  She explained:

“It’s always been a dream to open a store and it means even more to me to do so in this unprecedented time. I chose to open our doors and show support for the city as our collections are made in New York.  It’s an important moment in my brand’s development and I couldn’t think of a better location than in SoHo, which is an intersection of fashion and art. The Arias woman has always shopped our brand online and attended our trunk shows. I am now able to share the world of Arias with my clients — an experience she has been waiting for.”

Other encouraging news are the government initiatives that have been put in place to help the local consumer.  One of these is the new parking regulations which make things a bit easier.  According to Executive Director of the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business and Professionals Association, Jill Lamkin:

“Parking has always been one of the most difficult hurdles for businesses in Downtown Manhattan Beach and it’s further complicated by COVID. Our restaurants cannot welcome guests indoors and are surviving by serving outside. Locals embraced outdoor dining with overwhelming enthusiasm, and we are thankful! It does, however, further reduce our precious parking. Add beach-goers to that, and retailers and service providers are left with very little parking for the customers they so desperately need to survive. lease also help us by preserving parking for those who truly need it and we will save more of our businesses by allowing people to quickly drop into their favorite store, salon or grab a to-go meal. If you can walk or bike, please do. We know the shortened parking isn’t convenient, but we’re in survival mode and we hope you’ll support us in our efforts.”

Cycling Around Post-COVID-19

So much is currently up in the air in our newly-normalized coronavirus environment.   One thing that has been positive is the increase of bike use around lower Manhattan. This of course is good for so many reasons: environmental, health and fitness, etc.  Indeed, a recent  report  found that this could possibly become the new way of commuting to work for those in the region.

In part, this new trend has been made possible by increased accessibility for cyclists through the bike lane network that currently stands at close to 2.5 miles and is due for further expansion. As well there are more Citi Bike stations.

Given that so many individuals are concerned about exposure to coronavirus through public transport, bike commuters are likely to increase.  In related news, the South Bronx – E. 160th Street and Tinton Avenue – was the location of the 1,000th docking station installed by Citi Bike within the five boroughs.  According to Ruben Diaz Jr., President of Bronx Borough:

“This is a huge milestone for New York City’s Department of Transportation, Lyft, Citi Bike and The Bronx, opening the city’s 1,000th Citi Bike station in our great borough. Considering how important the Citi Bike program has become to the city’s transportation grid, especially helping our essential workers and healthcare workers get around during this pandemic crisis, I look forward to working on helping this program continue its expansion into The Bronx and throughout New York City. Micromobility is New York’s transportation future, so I’m glad to see Citi Bike’s 1000th station in the Bronx. We need affordable, green and accessible transit options, especially in areas underserved by public transit. The Bronx has waited a long time for Citi Bike to expand into our neighborhoods and I’m looking forward to further expansion into my district and other Bronx communities.”