The gentrification of the retail scene on 125th Street looked uncertain for a little while earlier this year when shopping mall developer Kimco failed to find financing for its planned office/retail project at 125th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, and had to invite back an evicted former tenant. But soon enough Kimco was feeling optimistic again.
Sounds like a new neighborhood slogan if we’ve ever heard one. Harlem: Our Acceptance is Growing!
Today it revealed the reason for its optimism: the project is no longer stalled, the Journal reports. The developer is seeking a permit to demolish the building that currently stands on the site, and is in talks with national retailers to occupy a new “retail complex.” No one’s signed on the dotted line, but Kimco exec David Henry isn’t worried: “There is a growing acceptance by national retailers that (Harlem) is a proven market.” Sounds like a new neighborhood slogan if we’ve ever heard one. Harlem: Our Acceptance is Growing!
But there is a little history standing in Kimco’s way. Currently on that corner is a 110-year-old building that was originally home to the Kelly Brothers saloon. Too bad it’s not still there: Local mom-and-pops might want a drink once the identity of Kimco’s mystery national retailers gets revealed.
As democrats regroup after the election and the Congressman deals with ethic issues Harlem burns.
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The Face of Harlem is Changing, And My Friend Is “Holding On.” http://bit.ly/igljQR