New initiative #ShopBleecker hopes to combat the historic street’s vacancy rates
Photo via Nick Sherman/Flickr
Bleecker Street is one of New York City’s most historic and eclectic arteries. It housed clubs where Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix cut their teeth, inspired beatniks and, in the early 2000s, became what The New York Times called a “fashion theme park” as some of the industry’s heaviest hitters opened retail shops. Today, however, is a different story as many of those stores that made Bleecker a bustling hotspot have shuttered, thanks in part to online shopping and drastically rising rents. Across its 20 blocks, the historic street now has a vacancy rate of 18.4 percent, or 38 storefronts, according to The Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce (GVCCC).
To combat that, especially now that holiday shopping season is upon us, the GVCCC today is launching #ShopBleecker, a monthlong initiative to drive foot traffic and remind New Yorkers that Bleecker Street remains a destination.
