Tensions emerge over Downtown Brooklyn retail

There’s some tension in the mix regarding Downtown Brooklyn’s retail scene, but the conflict isn’t between retailers — it’s between retailers and residents, the New York Observer reported.

National chains and some high-end retailers have popped up in the Fulton Mall, occupying space alongside the long-standing mom-and-pop shops that almost entirely filled the strip previously. Examples include Victoria’s Secret, H&M, Nordstrom Rack and Swarovski.

When the City Point retail and commercial development brought in Armani Exchange, local residents showed up at the site to protest. “This isn’t for us,” Nashaun Taylor told the New York Times. “Why would we support something we can’t afford?”

But according to Hymie Dweck, an associate director with Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, “there’s a big push to get more notable retailers and prestigious retailers to take notice of Downtown Brooklyn,” he told the Observer. “Some retailers see that and they want to join the party.” [NYO] — Zachary Kussin