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Chelsea Park complex to pump iron in basement

320 8th avenueA Chelsea apartment building is bulking up. For the good of its tenants’ health and its own bottom line, Chelsea Park, the new residential complex at 260 W. 26th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues, has inked a lease with Blink Fitness for a new outpost in the building’s basement.

The 15,500-square-foot gym will have an entrance on Eighth Avenue, which will lead downstairs to the fitness center. It is scheduled to open by the end of 2014. The asking rent was $55 per square foot.

The space was originally intended to be a garage for the building, said Winick Realty Group’s Alexander Hill, who represented building owner Chelsea W26. Blink Fitness was represented by Peter Levine of Charter Realty and Development.

Blink Fitness is a growing, Equinox-owned chain of affordable gyms. The Chelsea outpost will be its 14th in the city.

Mr. Hill said he expects the gym to be particularly popular with students in the area at the School of Visual Arts and the Fashion Institute of Technology.

“It’s affordable fitness for the area,” Mr. Hill said. “Students are looking for a $20- or $30-a-month option for working out. It should be a great fit.”

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CRAIN’S_043013_Chelsea Park complex to pump iron in basement

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Real Estate Deals: Bare Bones

forest hills tower118-35 Queens Blvd.

Asking Rent; Term: Mid-$30s per square foot; 10 years

Square Feet: 4,200

Tenant; Rep: Central Medical Services of Westrock; Noel Caban of Winick Realty Group

Landlord; Rep: Muss Development; in-house representation by Nicholas Forelli

Back Story: The healthcare-services provider moves into its new ninth-floor space at the Forest Hills, Queens tower in May.

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CRAIN’S_042913_Bare Bones

Social Apparel swallows former BK outpost

Prom season is still a few months away, but party dress seller Social Apparel is bulking up its presence. The six-year-old company recently signed a 13-year lease for retail and office space totaling 10,000 square feet at 255 W. 34th St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues. The company plans to use 1,800 square feet on the ground floor plus a mezzanine as retail space. The remaining 8,200 square feet in the five-story building will be used for storage and offices. Asking rent was $60 per square foot, though the deal closed near $50 per square foot.

Social Apparel already has a store nearby at the Manhattan Mall, but the lease there ends at the end of the year, according to the company’s broker, Young Byunn of Winick Realty Group.

“The Herald Square area is a very important market for them—the people who shop there are their main clientele,” he said, noting that Joon Kim, Social Apparel’s owner, has not yet decided if he will close the Manhattan Mall store later this year or operate both locations.

Mr. Byunn is in the process of seeking out additional outposts in Union Square and on Fulton Street in Brooklyn for the clothier. It currently operates four stores, including locations in Queens, West Nyack and White Plains.

Social Apparel is subleasing the retail space from Burger King, which is closing its outlet as part of a nationwide reduction in the number of outposts. The clothier plans to open for business by April.

Jason Pruger and Aaron Cukier of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank represented Burger King in negotiations.

The building is owned by David Maleh.

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CRAIN’S_011513_Social Apparel swallows former BK outpost

Duane Reade swallows another prime spot

The city’s biggest drugstore chain has signed on for yet another location. Duane Reade, the homegrown pharmacy founded 52 years ago and bought by Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co. in 2010, has signed a 20-year deal for 18,000 square feet at 711 Third Ave., on the corner of East 44th Street. The deal includes roughly 7,000 square feet on the ground floor and an 11,000-square-foot basement. Ground floor asking rent for corners in the area is $175 per square foot, according to brokers.

Duane Reade plans to move into the SL Green Realty Corp.-owned building in February, taking over from plus-size apparel retailer Avenue which vacated the space several months ago.

According to sources, the 253-unit local drugstore chain may eventually shutter its outpost one block south in the Chrysler Building East at 666 Third Ave., where it has leased 20,000 square feet of space since 2000. Duane Reade did not return calls requesting comment.

Jeff Winick of Winick Realty Group represented Duane Reade in negotiations. SL Green was represented in-house.

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CRAIN’S_121812_Duane Reade swallows another prime spot

 

Canadian cosmetics chain cuts Lush deal

Canada-based cosmetics chain Lush has just signed on for its fourth city outpost, a 10-year deal for 3,500 square feet at 783 Lexington Ave., between East 61st and East 62nd streets. The deal includes 1,100 square feet on the ground floor, 1,400 square feet on the second floor, and a 1,000-square-foot basement. Asking rent for the ground floor was $545 per square foot.

The enduring allure of high-end department store Bloomingdale’s is drawing a new generation of retailers to the neighborhood, according to brokers. In recent years, trendy apparel store Superdry and cupcakes purveyor Sprinkles have both set up shop nearby.

“Lush’s presence in the neighborhood further enhances the Lexington corridor and helps solidify it as a top location,” said Peter Braus, the Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services broker who, along with colleague Garry Steinberg, represented landlord 783/15 Lex Associates.

Opening this summer, the uptown store will be Lush’s first outpost here with a spa. While the first floor will be dedicated to retail, the second level will offer spa services, a first. The company, which boasts all-natural bath and beauty products, has over 840 retail outposts worldwide. It replaces a Jean Louis David hair salon whose lease expires in June.

Joseph Isa of Winick Realty Group represented Lush.

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Juice bar moves into lo-cal dessert shop space in West Village

Elixir Juice Bar, a retailer known for its popular juice cleanses, has just signed on for its first street-front store. The company inked a 10-year lease for 375 square feet at 434 Sixth Ave., between West Ninth and West 10th streets. Asking rent was $336 a square foot.

Though Elixir operates eight locations within Equinox fitness centers as well as at locations at Mercedes House on the west side and the World Financial Center downtown, this will be its only outpost with street access. The company, which was founded in 1999, chose the West Village location for its proximity to young, health-focused professionals, according to Charles Rapuano, the Winick Realty Group broker who represented the tenant.

“They felt it was the perfect mix of healthy, young, vibrant people,” he said, noting that the building, which is owned by Harran Holding Corp., hosts several yoga classes and a ballet school.

Elixir plans to open additional locations next year in Dallas and Los Angeles. It will open its Sixth Avenue outpost in December, a bit later than expected, owing to construction delays spurred by Superstorm Sandy. It replaces a low-calorie frozen dessert shop.

Harran was represented in-house in negotiations.

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CRAIN’S_110612_Juice bar moves into lo-cal dessert shop space in West Village