Word is spreading on East 10th Street that the laundromat near Second Avenue that has served the neighborhood for so many years will be closing in the next few months.
Yep, the lease at this place where Mimi and her son have run is up and the rent is going up. Shocker. It will close in March, though we're not sure if that means at the beginning or the end of the month.
Anyway, who needs things like laundromats when we can have more noodle and dessert places to serve the students and people who don't live around here.
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ReplyDeleteDon't forget more bars and 7-11s and esp. banks, trustafarians need those to get their funds.
And who needs things like laundromats, when the people who do move in here (for only a year, an extended holiday, just to be around the nightlife), just buy more clothes and disposed of the old ones, or they move in a building where the apartments or buildings have their own washer and dryer. Screw us tenants who can't afford those.
All NYC neighborhoods need laundromats. Something is seriously off kilter when rents are too high for essential services. Home rule for NYC, please.
ReplyDeleteNew York City doesn't care about about its residents anymore. All it cares about is catering to the needs of those who temporarily stop by like the students and the tourists.
ReplyDeleteHa. I'm casual friends with some shop owners who have the same LL as this laundry place. The rent this guy is asking is insane. More than any of us are paying now on A between 10 and 11. The LL is out of his skull. He will regret it after he rolls the dice on a restaurant and it folds up like a cheap suit before '13 is out.
ReplyDeleteIs the landlord local or is he an out of towner using this as an investment property?
ReplyDeleteWhen you follow this trajectory of rising rents leading to only boutique and chain stores being able to afford to open shops, it is clear that essential city services like laundry, hardware, shoe repair etc. cannot possibly compete.
ReplyDeleteAs another commenter said, however, these LL's are often shortsighted and are shooting themselves in the foot as these boutique and chain stores often have zero loyalty to the neighborhood and will up and leave whenever they feel like it. Many stores sit empty for months and even years instead of the LL lowering his rent as he is waiting for the big fish.
Great for the rest of us as we will be taking the bus/taxi to do laundry on the outskirts of town.
the nearby self-service laundromat at 11/1st is my go-to place. but if you can afford to live in this part of the neighborhood you can probably afford to have your laundry delivered.
ReplyDeleteaxis of evill -
ReplyDeletehow can you assume that "if you can afford to live in this part of the neighborhood you can probably afford to have your laundry delivered."
how long have you lived here?
you certainly do not know anything about this neighborhood.