I’m a proud New Yorker — one who has always bragged about the eclectic nature of the city. Different cultures, different people, different foods — a place to get anything you want, when you want it and fast. One of a kind. Original. Well, maybe in it’s hay-day, but can’t deny the “mallification” of the city these days.
Retail stores have pretty much pushed out any “mom and pop” type shop you can imagine. In the course of a city block, you’ll pass at least one of the following stores (in some cases multiples of each): Starbucks, Duane Reade, CVS, or Subway. Earlier this year I wrote a post about how I’m currently working in the same area of Manhattan where I had worked three years ago. Have I noticed a difference in the stores in the area? You betcha.
For instance, when I was working on 39th and 3rd a mere three years ago you couldn’t find a Dunkin Donuts. Now, there’s 3 Dunkin Donuts in a three block radius. No joke.
So I shouldn’t have been too surprised when I saw Gothamist post this data compiled by The Center for Urban Future ranking national retail stores in NYC, but I was. It was eye-opening to actually see the store tally and breakdown for boroughs.
Dunkin’ Donuts actually tops the list with 341 locations throughout Manhattan, but Starbucks leads Manhattan with a whopping 186 stores! Again, not really surprising when put in context since my office is surrounded by Starbucks with six stores in a three block radius, but still crazy to process. Do we REALLY need that many coffee shops? Aren’t NYers wound up enough?
The interesting stat to note is that there are actually more Subway chains throughout NYC than there are Mc Donalds — maybe we should thank Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me” for that.
I do have to give Gothamist props for this astute observation “yet despite the fact that the city’s small businesses are being rapidly replaced with chain stores you can find in any depressing strip mall across America, there still isn’t a single Dairy Queen in the five boroughs. And that burns.”
I’m with ya man. There’s nothing more defeating than seeing those Blizzard commercials on TV and not being able to get one — ever — unless you go down south somewhere. That goes for Sonic too!! Check out the rest of the table below…
