Fewer empty stores, but challenges remain

Dan Glaun

Great Neck’s commercial center on Middle Neck Road has struggled in recent years, plagued by recession, business closures and empty storefronts. 

But local officials are now expressing optimism about the peninsula’s economic prospects. 

Store vacancy rates, they say, are in decline and Great Neck Plaza is stepping up efforts to attract businesses and younger residents previously priced out of Great Neck’s real estate market.

“Definitely there is an improvement,” said Great Neck Chamber of Commerce President Hooshang Nematzadeh. “I think with the improvement in the economy and consumer confidence, we’ll do better next year.”

Store vacancies in Great Neck Plaza have declined from 32 out of the village’s 260 storefronts in June 2012 to 28 now, according to Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender. 

The mayor touted the opening of several new business in the Plaza, including Bareburger and frozen yogurt shop Pinkberry.

“We’ve been working hard with the property owners and broker community to focus attention on the vacancies,” Celender said. “It’s been a struggle, but we do have some that have come in.”

Nematzadeh, a real estate developer, is personally invested in the Plaza’s efforts to revitalize its downtown with a construction plan that combineds housing and retail space in the village

The village approved mixed-use zoning in June 2011 that would place apartments above shops near the Long Island Railroad Station in an effort to make Great Neck more livable for commuters and younger, less well-off workers. 

And Nematzadeh is one of the developers with plans to construct housing and retail space in the village. 

Two Grace Avenue mixed use developments are in the works, including Nematzadeh’s proposed facility.

“We feel that that’s the way to have some sustainable development… that’s going to benefit the downtown,” Celender said.

Part of the village’s economic development plan is a marketing push to attract new business. The village just released a brochure touting the Plaza’s demographics, affluence and other market advantages, which is intended to bring both local and national retailers into Great Neck.

“I applaud the village for being so proactive,” Nematzadeh said.

Celender said the growth in e-commerce has put a strain on brick and mortar businesses.

“All the young people are so tuned into the internet and buying online,” she said. “It’s a lot more difficult to be a retailer now.”

And some local business owners say they are yet to benefit from the improving climate.

Eitan Cooper, a 40-year resident of Great Neck and the owner of Cooper’s Shoes on Middle Neck Road, said that Great Neck’s days as a retail attraction were behind it.

“Many years ago it used to be a gold mine here,” Cooper said. “The last few years, business here is terrible… people don’t shop here.”

Some landlords have reduced rents, said Cooper, but businesses continue to close.

Cooper said he did not know what should be done to improve the economic climate, but praised the village’s annual street fair as a major boost to his business.

“Every time there is a street fair… then I am doing very well,” he said, suggesting that the Plaza hold more street festivals throughout the year.

Yianni Psyllis, the owner of Tribeca Salon on Middle Neck Road, said that though village and Great Neck Chamber of Commerce events are somewhat helpful he has not noticed an uptick in business over the last year.

“We try to survive,” Psyllis said. “It’s a tough area.”

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