Bargain District Pushes Away its Bargains to Pull in Business

by Cristabelle Tumola

Friday December 20, 2002

A vendor selling discounted pairs of socks on the sidewalk shouts at pedestrians as he tries to advertise his bargain merchandise. He is set up next to a boutique that sells high-priced clothing, which is not marketed to the bargain shopper. These two images contradict each other, but they exist on the Lower East Side, which houses such contradictions itself as the area improves its business district.

Soho, before the 1960’s, consisted of decaying factories and warehouses; it was referred to as the “Wastelands of New York City.” The early 1960s through the mid-1970’s poor artists flocked to the area in search of places to live and work, and they started renovating these eyesores. Through the rest of the 20th century, Soho was revived: rents increased, galleries opened, celebrities moved in, trendy stores opened their doors. It became the famous Soho of today. The Meat Packing District, twenty blocks west of Greenwich Village was exactly what its name suggests-an area of slaughterhouses and packing plants, but fifteen years ago the meat started disappearing and was replaced with clubs, bars, and boutiques. It was a welcomed change for many New Yorkers, but not for the meat markets that had been there since the mid-1800’s.

The same transformation is occurring on the Lower East Side. Originally, this section of the city was known for its immigrant population. Its eclectic mix of inhabitants included freed African American slaves, the Irish, Germans, Italians, and more recently Hispanics and Asians, but it’s especially known for its Jewish population. The tenements that housed this mixture of cultures are now being converted to apartments, boutiques, galleries, and music clubs, attracting a new generation to the community. The Lower East Side’s Bargain District (located on Orchard Street, stretching five blocks north and south of Delancey Street) is following in the tradition of the area, by welcoming newcomers of its own. Formerly the district housed some of the few discounters in the city and was one of the only places opened on Sundays. The area is still a prime spot for Sunday shopping, when Orchard Street is closed to traffic and is turned into a pedestrian mall, but its nickname no longer defines all of the merchandise. Stores recently moved in include: Johnson (shirts cost over a $100 and a light jacket is over $200), M Shop ($40 dollars just for their logo shirt), and Michele Olivieri (who sells real crocodile shoes for $265). Since these stores’ items are not cheap, why are they allowed in the Bargain District?

The Lower East Side wants to become an upscale area, therefore they need to lure in cash from upscale clients. This plan has even given the area a new name-“The Lower East Side Business Improvement District.” On the website for the “new and improved” district (www.lowereastsideny.com) it says “those same entrepreneurial ideas [of the original immigrant inhabitants] hold true today, as the potato sacks of yester-year have paved the way for some of the most popular restaurants and boutiques in New York. The neighborhood that was so passionately sought out for its amazing bargains has become one of the top destinations for fashion, dining, theatre and nightlife.” The site also promotes the image of these new businesses coexisting with the bargains. It is an ideal picture: the area keeps its history and charm, but also moves into the twentieth century by becoming hipper, but will it stay that way?

The idea of changing the Lower East Side into a place that is more attractive and lucrative, is a positive and natural occurrence in urban development, but as sections of the city go through this transformation, there may not be any positive aspects left of the original area. As discussed before, Soho became an unaffordable place for many shoppers and real-estate seekers, and the Meat Packing District put many of its working class employees of the area’s original businesses out of work. Since the pattern of development of the Lower East Side parallels that of Soho and the Meat Packing District, there is a great possibility that the “Business Improvement District” will become an area not where the pricey and cheap live side-by-side in harmony, but where the boutiques have taken over the bargain businesses. Soon, the entire island of Manhattan could be turned into a place of boutiques, designer stores, and chains, overall a place of unaffordable living and shopping for students and the middle-class. They may travel to Brooklyn in search of lower prices, yet it also is becoming increasingly expensive. The Lower East Side’s Orchard Street is different from other shopping areas that have gone through change, however. Orchard Street’s sign not only says the name of the street, but right below it also says “Bargain District”. It’s a name that ensures that on this street you’ll be able to find a good deal, but soon the sign may no longer tell the truth.