Once-bustling NYC Flatiron District struggles with empty stores, theft

Manhattan's Flatiron district now filled with vacant storefronts, rampant shoplifting

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Flatiron is in shambles.

The once-thriving Manhattan business district is now a virtual wasteland littered with empty storefronts — with locals blaming spiking crime and the Big Apple’s disastrous post-pandemic retail real estate market.

“Big Box” retailers — including Lowes, Bed Bath & Beyond and Staples — have fled in the last few years, leaving one of the city’s shopping meccas peppered with vacant retail space.

Businesses who are trying to hang on have been plagued by rampant shoplifting and thefts, according to workers and city crime statistics.

“Business is horrible,” said Tenzin Tsethar, manager of The Wine Gallery at Sixth Avenue and West 16th Street.

“Some people have tried opening up new businesses in the empty stores on Sixth Avenue, but most didn’t survive four or five months.

“Inflation is through the roof,” he noted. “How can you balance your expenditures and income? Work from home has also hurt our businesses because so many corporate buildings are vacant.”

The Post counted nearly a dozen empty storefronts along Sixth Avenue between West 16th and West 21st Streets on Monday.

Those included one-time anchor stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, which was located at 620 Sixth Avenue, between West 18th and West 19th streets, before shuttering last July.

The Flatiron District has become riddled with “for rent” signs as shops have gone out of business and major retailers have left the area. On Sixth Avenue between West 16th and 21st streets alone, at least 10 storefronts remain vacant.

Staples: 641 6th Avenue (corner of 6th and W 20th). Was a Staples (the sign has been scraped off the front). Renovations ongoing inside but no “for lease” sign up.
Lowe’s: Closed in 2019 641 6th Avenue (opposite corner of 6th and W 19th). Was a Lowe’s. Empty. Facade repairs ongoing. 36,166 square-foot for rent.
Bed, Bath and Beyond: Closed July 2023 620 6th Avenue (between W 19th and W 18th). The Bed, Bath and Beyond on the ground floor is gone, walled off and guarded by security. TJ Maxx and Marshall’s are still operating on the second and third floors.
T-Mobile 595 6th Avenue (corner of 6th and W 17th). Was a T-Mobile. For lease sign advertises “ground and/or second floor” available.
ClearMD 600 6th Avenue (across the street from the shuttered T-Mobile). Was a ClearMD. Empty inside.
Terry’s Gourmet Foods 575 6th Avenue (cor ner of 6th and W 16th). Was Terry’s Gourmet Foods deli. It has been gutted, renovated and is being advertised as retail for lease.
Bank of America 670 6th Avenue (southeast corner of 6th and W 21st), formerly Bank of America, according to the rental agent.
Vitamin Shoppe Closed November 2023 655 6th Avenue (across the street from the Bank of America at the southwest corner of 6th Ave and W 21st).
Unknown 625 6th Avenue (across from B,B&B) is empty. The entire building of 105,000 rentable square footage is available — 35,000 RSF per floor.
CVS Closed July 2022 636 6th Avenue (corner of 6th and W 19th). Lock and zip ties on the doors, anti-theft shutters pulled down, empty inside.

Also gone are CVS, Vitamin Shoppe, T-Mobile and Bank of America.

The sign at the front of the former Staples outlet — at 641 Sixth Avenue on the corner of West 20th Street — had been scraped off the façade as if it was never there.

The space that once housed the Terry’s Gourmet Food deli, between West 16th and West 17th Streets, was gutted and being advertised as retail space up to lease.

“There’s been a domino effect of store closures,” said local resident Bobby Lewis. “On Sixth Avenue between 14th and 23rd, a few businesses are coming in but most are going out. It’s sad.”

State Conservative Party Chairman Gerard Kassar called the scourge “the sign of a decaying community.”

“It’s like a cancer. The more stores close, fewer want to return. The Flatiron District is not the same,” Kassar told The Post.

“It’s not just the storefronts,” he added. “It’s the declining real estate values, which reflect the decline of the area. There’s a general sense that the quality of life isn’t what it used to be.”

Merchants blamed the rise in online shopping — which boomed during the COVID-19 shutdown — and the spiraling effect of pandemic-fueled business failures that made the neighborhood less appealing.

Crime has also been a constant headache, with recent spikes in retail theft and petty larceny, according to data from the NYPD 13th Precinct, which covers the Flatiron District.

Over the past two years, retail thefts have gone up by 55.7% and petty larcenies have jumped by over 34% within the precinct boundaries, according to the data.

“People just walk in, grab bottles and run away. Someone tries to walk out with a bottle at least once a week,” Tsethar, manager of The Wine Gallery, said of the surging thefts.

“Calling the NYPD does not help at all. They just ask us if we’re ok and tell us not to confront the thieves,” he claimed.

“It’s gonna get worse,” Tsethar added. “I see that happening every day. It’s certainly not getting better.”

The stats also showed that it’s only gotten worse so far this year.

Through Sunday, police reported 853 retail thefts in the neighborhood, up from 484 over the same period last year — for a massive 76% jump, according to the data.

Over the same period, petty larceny reports leapt up to 1,013 compared to 645 in 2023, for an increase of more than 57%, according to the NYPD numbers.

Zak Clapham, who has managed a mobile phone shop in the district for three years, agreed the outlook wasn’t good.

“The T-Mobile closed a year ago. The Staples? Closed. I hope we’re not next,” Clapham said.

He noted the area is also seeing less foot traffic.

“We’re all dealing with it being slower and higher rents.”

Vitamin Shoppe CEO Lee Wright also pointed to foot traffic patterns and rent costs in a statement to The Post on Monday.

“As part of our ongoing retail strategy, The Vitamin Shoppe regularly evaluates our store locations in order to best serve our customers with lifelong wellness solutions. The store located at 655 Sixth Avenue proudly served our New York customers for over 14 years and closed in November 2023, after we assessed key factors, such as lease costs and foot traffic patterns—as well as the availability of other nearby The Vitamin Shoppe stores at 257 Eighth Avenue and 385 Fifth Avenue,” Wright said.

A CVS spokesperson said the decision to shutter the company’s outpost on Sixth Avenue in July 2022 was also due to several issues.

“Many factors go into store closure decisions, such as local market dynamics, population shifts, store density and access to pharmacy services,” the rep said. “Decisions are not based on one factor alone.”

Other major retail chains that have fled Flatiron in recent years did not immediately respond.

Additional reporting by Carl Campanile