Here’s what local folks are saying:

The Union Square Partnership reports:

Amid the broader success of the Union Square area in 2024, the performance of 14th Street between 1st and 6th Avenues stands out as exceptional. This segment alone welcomed 18 new businesses in 2024, including Q4 openings such as Adonis Barbershop, Upperz Café & Bar, Kamisama, and Harlem’s famous soul food restaurant Amy Ruth’s. These family-owned establishments enhance Union Square’s vibrant and diverse retail and food scene.

Thanks to strong leasing activity this quarter, the storefront vacancy rate along 14th Street between 1st and 6th Avenues has dropped to 9%, with just one available ground-floor listing east of Broadway.

According to LiveXYZ, this is below the average vacancy rate for Manhattan Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) (16%) and the vacancy rate for the Union Square Partnership BID as a whole (16%).

Beyond retail growth, investments in residential developments and transit upgrades have modernized 14th Street’s appearance and accessibility at Union Square’s western gateway. The completion of upgrades to the F/L/M/1/2/3 subway station at 6th Avenue has made the station fully accessible, complementing new residential landmarks like FÖRENA (540 6th Avenue) and 101 West 14th Street at the intersection’s northern corners. Meanwhile, construction is underway on a 71-unit condominium at 525 6th Avenue on the southwest corner, poised to complete the transformation of this important intersection.

From the Union Square Partnership:

Union Square’s fourth quarter performance capped a strong
2024, marked by year-over-year growth across key metrics:

Ground Floor Leasing: 49 new businesses opened in 2024,
with Union Square’s signature culinary scene driving 65%
of leasing activity.

Foot Traffic: An average of 370k daily trips in 2024
reflected a 4% increase over 2023, which itself saw a 15%
rise compared to 2022.

Consumer Spending: A 5% increase in 2024 over 2023,
fueled by higher spending at restaurants and bars (+7%),
entertainment (+18%), and retail (+3%), continuing upward
trajectories from 2023 (+8%) and 2022 (+17%).

In Q4, the district experienced a 23% surge in visits and a
28% jump in consumer spending during Urbanspace’s Union
Square Holiday Market, highlighting Union Square’s appeal for
unique experiences and shopping. With notable Q4 restaurant
openings such as Leon’s and Le Basque driving momentum,
18 new businesses are already set to debut in 2025. These
include Seahorse at the newly renovated W New York – Union
Square, Café Zaffri at The Twenty Two, and Flight Club,
signaling strong economic growth for the year ahead

The stubby little building at 31 East 17th St. on the northern border of Union Square Park next to Barnes and Noble sits on a plot of land that has a very interesting history. Read all about it here.

Zoning changes around Union Square, specifically to OUR zone, C6, are designed to make it easier for a wider variiety of businesses to set up shop at the ground floor level and above. The details are here. For example,

• Arcades

• Axe-throwing

• Billiards/pool halls

• Bowling alleys

• Escape rooms

• Golf simulator driving range

• Indoor go-karts

• Indoor skateboard park

• Interactive or virtual reality attractions

• Laser tag

• Miniature golf

• Observation towers

• Ping pong/table tennis

• Play spaces/family fun centers

• Wax figure exhibitions

• Seasonally: haunted houses and similar fright attractions

• Comedy shows

• Concerts

• Dancing

• Open-mic night or poetry reading

• 3-D printing

• Brewery

• Ceramic studio

• Jewelry making

• Wholesale and/or large-scale bakery

• Woodworking

• Other food and beverage producers, such as coffee roasters, ice cream makers, and shared commercial kitchen or food business incubator space

• Other makers

Bring your electronic junk to the north end of Union Square on January 12 from 10-2. Here are the details:

We accept the following working and non-working consumer electronic equipment:

• Computers (laptops & desktops, servers, mainframes)
• Monitors (CRT and flatscreen)
• Network devices (routers, hubs, modems, etc.)
• Peripherals (keyboards, mice, cables, cords, chargers, etc.)
• Tablets and e-readers
• Components (hard drives, CD-ROMs, circuit boards, power supplies, etc.)
• Printers under 100 pounds, scanners, fax machines, etc
• TVs, VCRs, DVRs, DVD & Blu-ray Players
• Digital Converter Boxes, Cable/Satellite Receivers
• Portable music players
• Audio-visual equipment
• Video-games
• Cell phones, pagers, PDAs
• Telecommunication (phones, answering machines, etc.)

We no longer accept:

Batteries (except lead-acid batteries from UPS (uninterrupted power supplies) systems, rechargeable batteries can be dropped off for recycling at any store that sells them, also check out IKEA and Staples stores for battery recycling.

Media, such as disks, DVDs, VHS tapes, cassette tapes, etc.

Please visit greendisk.com to purchase a shipping label to get these items recycled

Party City begins the new year with its demise.

Sad to see that Patisserie Fouet on 13th St. is no more. It closed suddenly and without much explanation. Perhaps an end-of-year lease situation. They do have another location at 776 9th Ave at 52nd St.

This remarkable site from the Greenwich Village Society for Historical Preservation takes us on a lot-by-lot tour of Lower 5th Ave. from 8th St. to 14th St., telling the story of every building at every address over time. Layer after layer of history is revealed, with lots of photos. A remarkable effort!