Essex Crossing’s rock climbing gym tops April’s biggest retail leases, by a lot

Large national chains were notably absent among New York City’s biggest retail leases last month, leaving room for an eclectic mix of tenants on the top 10 list.

The 10 biggest deals signed in the five boroughs last month involved an indoor golf venue, a child care center, two restaurants and an online mattress retailer that’s pivoting to brick and mortar. It was a climbing gym, however, that secured the top spot with a mega-lease more than twice the size of the second-biggest deal on the list. 

Below are more details on the city’s 10 largest retail leases signed in April:

1. Vital Climbing Gym | 182 Broome Street, Lower East Side | 45,000 square feet

The rock climbing gym inked a 20-year lease for 45,000 square feet at the recently completed Essex Crossing mixed-use project on the Lower East Side. A CBRE team including Michael Kadosh and Lon Rubackin represented the tenant, according to the Commercial Observer. The larger 1.9 million-square-foot complex was developed by a partnership consisting of Taconic Partners, L+M Development Partners, BFC Partners, the Prusik Group and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

2. Golfzon Social | 11 Hoyt Street, Downtown Brooklyn | 18,000 square feet

The indoor golf simulator signed on for its first New York City location, taking 18,000 square feet at Tishman Speyer’s 11 Hoyt luxury rental tower in Brooklyn Heights. Don Cafero of JLL represented the tenant while a Tishman Speyer team represented the landlord in-house.

3. Round The Clock Nursery | 620 West 153rd Street, Hamilton Heights | 15,512 square feet

The early childhood education center signed a 15-year lease in a newly completed residential building in Hamilton Heights. Eli Yadid and Sholom Kanevsky of Kassin Sabbagh Realty represented both the tenant and the landlord, Jay Group, in the deal.

4. HeartShare Human Services of New York | 4507 Fourth Avenue, Sunset Park | 12,886 square feet

The nonprofit with an emphasis on education for children living in poverty is opening a new location in Sunset Park later this year. Meyer Dagmy of MOD Commercial Realty represented the landlord, Trinity Lutheran Church.

5. Saatva | 893 Broadway, Flatiron | 6,700 square feet

The online mattress purveyor inked a 10-year lease at 893 Broadway in the Flatiron District, taking over space previously occupied by Korean restaurant Barn Joo. Joseph Hudson and Greg Covey of CBRE represented the tenant while a Cushman & Wakefield team including Sean Moran and Christopher Schwart represented the landlord, RCLCO.

6. The Mermaid Inn | 335 Columbus Avenue, Upper West Side | 6,500 square feet

The New England-style seafood restaurant is reopening on the Upper West Side after taking 6,500 square feet at the corner of Columbus Avenue and West 76th Street. The restaurant closed its previous location at 570 Amsterdam Avenue last year. The building’s landlord is Olshan Properties.

7. Retro Japan | 87 Seventh Avenue, Chelsea | 5,830 square feet

The Japanese restaurant will take over a space vacated by another Japanese restaurant, Sushisamba, at 87 Seventh Avenue. Douglas Elliman’s Bradford Siderow represented the tenant while Gregory Tannor and Jessica Gerstein of Lee & Associates represented the landlord, David Heiden’s W Financial.

8. Antillana SuperFood | 1000 Westchester Avenue, Morrisania | 5,100 square feet

The supermarket inked a 20-year lease at 1000 Westchester Avenue, a large mixed-use development in the South Bronx. Marc Sitt of Kassin Sabbagh Realty represented both the tenant and the landlord, Peter Fine, in the deal.

9. (tie) Janet Mandell | 24 West 25th Street, Flatiron | 5,000 square feet

The fashion rental company will open its first New York City store in the Flatiron District. Jake Horowitz of Colliers represented the tenant while a Cushman & Wakefield team including Patrick O’Rourke and Steven Soutendijk represented the landlord, Savanna.

9. (tie)  Renzo Gracie Academy | 31 West 14th Street, Union Square | 5,000 square feet

The martial arts school signed a 12-year lease on 14th Street, just west of Union Square. A Kassin Sabbagh Realty team including Jeff Geoghegan and Laura Belocas represented the tenant while a team from Elysee Investments represented the landlord in-house.