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Garment Center, Next Hipster Neighborhood?
By admins | March 11, 2010
It stared with a recent article in the NY Times and the rumblings continued online and throughout the city, is the Garment Center about to become the new “it” neighborhood? For those of us familiar with the neighborhood, it certainly seems to contain all of the proper elements. Lower rents then surrounding areas (check), large loft spaces (check), artist and designers (check), a certain grungy feel (check), old school mom and pop shops (check), plus, unlike Williamsburg or LIC the Garment Center is centrally located. We’ve written many times before about the shrinking of the Garment Center as domestic clothing manufacturing has moved overseas leaving our neighborhood factories vacant. Thankfully much of the area has zoning protection to support the local fashion industry. However, due to our close proximity to the theater district, many smaller theater companies have started infiltrating the Garment Center. So in addition to fashion industry designers and artists, there’s also a growth of actors, musicians, costume designers, and directors. As Shira Beckerman the Director of the Pearl Theater Company told the NY times, “If you walk through the area it sort of looks like an arts district developing.”
While it’s hard for us to imagine our neighborhood (directly between two of the country’s biggest tourists spots, Times Square and Herald Square) becoming the next SoHo, it’s not exactly unthinkable. Add in an overpriced nightclub, indie bookstore, a gastro pub, a pop-up art gallery, and we’re a haven for hipsters. In some ways that could be very good for the neighborhood, as long as our workspaces (which should be protected for the fashion industry) don’t become high-end lofts for wealthy parents to buy for their recent grads. Perhaps the Garment Center can improve and update their grungy hip factor, while at the same time protecting our manufacturing and fashion core.
Here is more related scoop;
Topics: garment center, trend | 3 Comments » 
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March 12th, 2010 at 1:43 am
It’s not the most unheard of thing. Remember what the meat packing district used to be?
March 13th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
But it would be great if the garment district could be a new model of hipsterfication, by actually protecting the artists and encouraging more to come in, while creating a desirable neighborhood. how much is loft space around there??
March 14th, 2010 at 10:08 am
I think this would be a great opp for the neighborhood – as long as it doesn’t become the new Jersey Shore crowd weekend hangout spot (like how it is with meatpacking from thur-sun, LOL).
Hope you are well doll ;-)
XOXO