Friday, May 11, 2012

People now petitioning in favor of a 7-Eleven and Dunkin' Donuts on the LES

On second, second thought. Earlier this week, the Seward Park co-op board agreed (for the time being) not to lease space to a 7-Eleven and Dunkin’ Donuts. Among other things, a group of residents started a petition drive opposing the franchises from setting up shop on Grand Street. But! Another group of residents just launched a petition in support of the two businesses. (The Lo-Down)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

excellent. why should we be beholden to overpriced boutique coffee shops and mom and pop swill coffee. dunkins are great franchise opportunities for family businesses and provide a great coffee product. don;t worry they wont hurt kossar's business one bit.

Jill said...

Residents? I think not.

THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N. said...

Let me guess, they just moved here from fill-in-the-blank state within the past two years, they're under 25, and already have a Kickstarter campaign to fund their "neighborhood activism."

THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N. said...

Give me a break anon 4:02! Dunkin Donuts shitty 99 cent troff of watered down Tetley Tea is the very definition of swill.

Anonymous said...

The Seward Park co-op residents want the chains because they want the high rent they can pay.

blue glass said...

their coffee is awful

Lisa said...

Here come the Jets!
Little world, step aside
Better go underground
Better run, better hide
We're drawin' the line
so keep your noses hidden
We're hangin' a sign
says "Visitors Forbidden"
And we ain't kiddin'
Here come the Jets, yeah
and we're gonna beat
Every last buggin' gang
on the whole buggin' street
On the whole buggin'
Ever-lovin' street!

Jeremiah Moss said...

if their petition said, "these chains offer goods at low prices that many of our residents on fixed incomes can afford," i might (might!) have some understanding and empathy for their viewpoint. but all they have to say in favor of the chains is this:

"The stores are open early and late which is something that will help make Grand Street safer… They both run very clean operations… They have great products that everyone can enjoy… If you are from Seward Park an added bonus is that they are strong tenants and they will pay top rents."

convenient. safe. clean. familiar. high-paying.

this is what the Joneses want everything in the city to be. they MUST be stopped.

THE NOTORIOUS L.I.B.E.R.A.T.I.O.N. said...

@Jeremiah At what point will these suburbanites realize they are paying out the ass to live in the city only to have the same stores and experiences they had back in the burbs for a fraction of the price? They're the most painfully dull people I've ever had the displeasure of being surrounded by.

Cookiepuss said...

These pukes have a lot of nerve - the Seward Park Co-Ops were designed for working class people. The Boards of these co-ops then decided that it was okay to sell them on the open-market. Many of the units have already turned-over two or three times. Now these people are trying to get as much rent as possible for the retail spaces. To tell you the truth, I prefer Dunkin Donuts to some chic lounge or something. But at any rate, these people have a lot of nerve. And furthermore the SPURA site was originally promised as affordable housing for persons who were displaced 40 years ago. I think that all the not-for-profit organizations dealing in affordable housing are a weak lot and that they need to come together and sue the Bloomberg Administration on the counts of racism and classism, and to create 100% affordable housing.

Anonymous said...

I walked into the 7/11 to check it out on St. Marks..it is a Goliath vs David..not much there but a chain

Anonymous said...

I lived on Grand, way past the bridge a few blocks from the water a few years back. I can see their point about the safety. Most of my neighbors were elderly, families who wanted to live near that school, or younger single women there on assistance (lots of friendly latina nurses who told me about their adventures in home ownership). Neither the deli nor the Fine Fare were a good source of anything that wasn't packaged, so having "fresh" food probably seems appealing. There was some gun violence north of the bridge when I lived there and my elderly neighbors told me that they felt unsafe at night. I know that no one here seems to be a fan of elderly people or families, but I can really see why they might want a 7-11 that doesn't have to do with them being yuppies who just moved here from Ohio. Try to see it from both perspectives instead of just assuming the other side must be a race or class you don't like.

Anonymous said...

I don't know anyone who lives in the Seward Park Co-Ops who is working class. I've known people who have lived in there since the mid-90s, and they all do quite well for themselves. And they are all the type of people who would be fine with big chains.

glamma said...

fresh food? what they sell is some of the most posionous chemical toxic gargabe you could ever put into your body.
trust me, seward park - these franchises are good for NOTHING.