A mall grows in Brooklyn

A mall grows in Brooklyn
City poised to approve Downtown center

An artist's rendering of the proposed Downtown Brooklyn shopping center. (October 31, 2007)

By Matthew Lysiak | Special to amNewYork
October 31, 2007

Pick up your marriage license, pay parking tickets and shop for a new scarf -- all without leaving the building.

That could be a reality in Downtown Brooklyn if the plan to convert the first two levels of the Brooklyn Municipal Building into 22,000 square feet of retail space is approved by City Hall. The building now houses a Finance Department payment center and the Brooklyn office of the City Clerk.

If the plan goes through, as many expect, merchants lucky enough to land a spot would hit a retail jackpot, at least according to Downtown Brooklyn Partnership President Joe Chan.


"The reason we proposed it is it's in one of the best retail sections in Brooklyn," said Chan, who said he talks to retailers daily and has received a very enthusiastic response. "This is a major transportation hub that receives as much foot traffic during the day as 86th Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan."

Chan acknowledged concerns that shoppers may not be thrilled about going into the same building to shop after just settling a parking ticket, but said being consumer friendly was an easy fix. "At least two retailers would have separate entrances from the government section of the building," added Chan. "It would have an independent feel."

Prudential Douglas Elliman spokeswoman Faith Hope Consolo, who specializes in retail leasing, said it doesn't matter what's next to the store -- it's what's inside that attracts the customers.

"If it's going to be attractive with a great retail mix, then it will absolutely be a success," said Consolo. "Brooklyn has really blossomed in the last 18 months, from Whole Foods to Trader Joe's; it is becoming very retail chic."

But one frequent shopper still didn't like the idea of visiting the building that collects taxes and parking tickets, but agreed that she would give it a chance if the stores appealed to her tastes.

"That place always seems sort of gloomy," said Lisa Tizzishillo, who does her shopping at the nearby Fulton Mall. "It just doesn't look like a friendly place to go into a mall, but maybe that will change if I see a Bed Bath and Beyond."