Brooklyn’s grande dame is getting freaky. Promising the “hottest, freakiest costume superstore in NYC,” homegrown chain Ricky’s Urban Groove is setting up shop on Montague Street, the longstanding central retail corridor of luxurious Brooklyn Heights.
Known for a distinctive mix of upscale beauty products, Halloween costumes and sex toys, Ricky’s chose 107 Montague Street for its first New York City store outside Manhattan. The store has 1,700 square feet of ground-floor space plus 1,500 square feet in the basement — where the “sexy novelties” will be sectioned off, to prevent the young sons and daughters of brownstone Brooklyn from inadvertently stumbling across them.
“We saw a great opportunity in a Brooklyn neighborhood in a fantastic location,” says Tommy Kim, creative director of Ricky’s. “We’ve been popping up stores left and right in Manhattan and been wanting to explore the outer boroughs.”
Ricky’s is the second trendy company to choose Montague for its Brooklyn debut. Also joining the fray is Greek beauty company Korres, known for “natural” makeup and body products. Korres is making its U.S. launch at 138 Montague Street, in a space formerly occupied by a local florist. Ingram & Hebron Realty represented Korres and the landlord in the transaction.
“The Heights crowd is an affluent crowd; that’s why Korres came in,” says Paula Ingram, a broker at Ingram & Hebron, which also represented the landlord in the Ricky’s deal. “They said, ‘We see a lot of expensive baby carriages.'”
Ricky’s and Korres, as well as a new Housing Works thrift shop at 122 Montague Street, are providing a much-needed boost to Montague’s cool factor. Once the main retail stretch in the area, Montague is facing steep competition from nearby Smith Street, where Starbucks and Lucky Brand jeans have recently landed. Meanwhile, formerly gritty Court Street, which is perpendicular to Montague, is now dotted with hip clothing boutiques as well as eateries that compete with Montague stalwarts such as Lassen and Hennig, a 58-year-old family-owned deli at 114 Montague.
“It adds to the flavor again,” says Tim King, a partner at Massey Knakal Realty Services.
A thrift store is hardly an automatic boon to a retail corridor, but so far Housing Works — which often gets higher-end donations of furniture and clothing — seems to be the kind of magnet Montague needs. On a recent weekday at 1 p.m., two dozen people, from middle-aged adults to giggling tween girls, crammed the space. Shoppers sorted through bargains such as $15 designer skirts, used books and furniture.
Outside the store, stylish retirees Grace Edwards, 75, and Diane Teibowie, 65, stopped to show off their purchases. Both used to work at nearby Cadman Plaza, and had traveled back to Montague to shop at Housing Works. Edwards picked up a black blouse for $5, while Teibowie showed off a pretty beaded necklace she nabbed for $8. The two planned to linger on Montague for lunch.
“I’m happy Housing Works is here,” says Edwards.
Despite the hopeful signs, the challenges Montague Street poses to prospective tenants continue to cloud its prospects. At $100 to $125 per square foot, Montague’s rents are the highest in downtown Brooklyn after the mall on Fulton Street, according to Massey Knakal. Many of the retail spaces are either upstairs or a few steps below grade, which can discourage shoppers. In addition, foot traffic comes from two distinct sources: office workers and residents. This divide has only widened with the huge run-up in residential real estate prices in the Heights over the last few years.
“On Montague, the real problem is that dichotomy — customers with $4 million brownstones are very different from the people who come out for lunchtime,” says William Ross, executive director of sales for Halstead Brooklyn. “If you don’t cater at least to the lunch crowd in part, you’re not going to do well on
Montague Street.”
Major vacancies remain. The largest is at Montague Mews at the corner of Montague and Henry Street, where 8,000 square feet of space on the second floor and about 2,600 square feet on the first floor are available. Landlord Midwood Management did not return a call seeking comment. Thor Equities is marketing a site at 130 Montague, while Liberty Travel has vacated 155 Montague for the Atlantic Center Mall. Marshalls repossessed the former Tasti D-Lite at 101 Montague, which is also for rent.
As Ricky’s and Korres kick off their new locations, strong results could continue to burnish Montague’s faded sheen. In Manhattan, customers flock to Ricky’s before Halloween, and lines stretching outside the store the day of the holiday are a common sight. That prospect has even some chain store opponents wondering whether feather boas might be a boon to Montague.
“At first I was aghast at the idea of Ricky’s,” admits Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, which advocates for mom-and-pop retailers. The popularity of the other 22 Ricky’s stores, plus its heritage as local company, softened her stance. “I think it is going to bring traffic.”