Exceed Physical Culture, the gym that took over eastern half of the former Bell Bates health food store six years ago, has closed this location permanently. While I did not hear from them directly, the space was emptied in August (thanks to B. for the note) and the location is as of recently no longer on their website. Their UES location, on Third Avenue at 84th, seems to be operating on some level, and they are livestreaming classes daily. See the schedule here.

That space, while midblock, is one of the nicer retail spots in the neighborhood, with its huge ceilings and cast iron facade. Gotham Bikes was next door for two years after it moved from West Broadway to the western half of Bell Bates, the health food store that was a mainstay in the neighborhood until Whole Foods opened. (Bell Bates closed in June 2013.)

Just to remind everyone, Gotham Bikes was on West Broadway for 32 years before it was forced out by rising rents in 2014. It made it two years on Reade before rents there were also unsustainable, moving out in November 2016. Lucky for us, Sammy Acevedo, who worked there for 16 years, got crafty and tricked out the bike repair van — GothamFix — that now has lines out the tailgate every day.

But I think I am pointing out the obvious here: with storefronts closing every week, we may be at a critical inflection point, and this time we won’t have Whole Foods to blame.