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Robert Ripps book
History of Tribeca Buildings
Prime Essentials is going out of business
Prime Essentials, the corner store plus pharmacy in 88 Leonard (or 345 Broadway), is going out of business. I have not heard back from owner Josh Rahmani, but both T. and P. sent photos that tell the story, sadly.
The store opened in April 2011, and as Erik Torkells described it, it was “a little Macy’s, a little Bed Bath & Beyond, a little Duane Reade, a little Whole Foods, a little corner deli.” It was also 7500 square feet on one floor — substantial and easy to navigate.
At the time, Rahmani was hoping to expand to the Upper East Side and in Midtown, but to my knowledge that did not happen.
This is a real loss for the neighborhood.
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Not strictly Tribeca – but the closest real pharmacy for many of us in North Tribeca – Hudson Square Pharmacy has set up a gofundme to keep their doors open. I’ve used them a lot to fill prescription and they have been very good with COVID test turnaround even during the holiday surge. Would be a shame to see them close!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-hudson-square-pharmacy-keep-its-door-open
I’m not surprised Hudson Sq Pharmacy is struggling to keep their doors open. I “work” in that neighborhood, and every time I visit my office it’s a ghost town. Crazy to think that 2 years ago Hudson Sq was the hottest office market in town, and thanks to the pandemic every tech and advertising executive who was based by that pharmacy are working from home for the foreseeable future. I relied so heavily on Hudson Sq pharmacy as it was the ONLY drug/convenience store in the neighborhood. Would be so sad to see this place close down!
try kings, great owner and great d elivery all hours, all weather
It’s the fault of the unvaccinated!
Yes! We should round up all the unvaccinated (it wouldn’t be hard to sift through who is and who isn’t vaxed because most people are now trackable via vax passports) and put them in camps!!
Sad they went out of business, but also a filthy place where you’d get home and find things expired
As opposed to Amish Market, where you’d find expired things on the shelves…
Does anyone know if the space is being taken over by another store or if it will be vacant?
I’d be shocked if the space isn’t vacant for at least 6 months. Turnover on vacant retail is horrible in the city, especially for a space that size.
Would love a Trader Joe’s or something, but that space definitely isn’t big enough.
Spoke with the owners on Sunday, they are devastated that they have to close but they are not meeting their margins. Went from 25 employees to 10. The building give them limited Covid rent abatement. Rent continues to be $50k+ for the space, will likely sit idle for much longer than 6 months. Store will officially close at the end of March
Sorry to hear about both this store and Hudson Pharmacy.. I am not in the neighborhood any longer but shopped in both., especially during the pandemic.
And always sorry to see any place close.
It’s a loss.
I now live across the street and this is devastating. The owner told me that the landlord was going to increase the rent and with the latest wave of the pandemic they just couldn’t make it work.
All the landlord had to do is loop up and down this stretch of Broadway and see almost all empty storefronts; what a shame.
Anyway everything is 20% off (except beer) and some stuff is 50% off so stock up. They will be open until early March.
Rent increase. Sales are down. Wrong economics.
Slow location.
Some really disappointing and nasty comments here. A man lost his business and that is sad. BS on it not being in TriBeCa because it is on the west side of Broadway and is indeed TriBeCa. And the quibbles about vaccinated vs unvaccinated. Soulless comments. The person who thought the store was dirty also drove in their unimpressive opinion. I personally thought they were very nice people who were trying very hard during an untenable situation.
Before the vaccine they did not inflate their pricing and stayed open at their own peril for us. I wonder who and what many of my neighbors have become. Very sad to see yet another local business close. Wishing them best of luck.
The “not technically tribeca” comment is about hudson square pharmacy
This was my family’s lifeline in the neighborhood. It provided for almost every need from antacid, birthday cards, cream cheese, garbage bags, storage bins, school supplies…you name it, they had it. Such a loss.
Sad. Sadder are the obnoxious comments some people just had to make. Another business out, that’s sad to me.
Especially given the few choices in the neighborhood, I was glad to have the store in the neighborhood.
When my apt. lease was up for renewal recently, the landlord – after 15 years of having taken market-rate rent from me – tendered a renewal with the usual increase. In midst of a pandemic.
Now with the option to work virtually, I sadly decided to leave NYC, but still come back to visit the empty office, and see friends.
The full weight of the pandemic has not yet hit NYC. Commercial leases and tenants are locked in – staff either doesn’t want to return, or they want to relocate when the lease is up. I will be looking to move our company from an office downtown on Broadway when the lease comes up.
In the meantime quality of life issues are on full boil, and the ongoing erosion of basic amenities like grocery stores continues. But most of all, if landlords continue to drive out tenants with pre-pandemic expectations for rent, the city’s in for a long slog.