Jewel in Brooklyn's crown or soulless mall? The Commodification of Luxury in Williamsburg
Step into any store in Williamsburg right now, shopkeepers know what's to come, as do the bakers, artists and longtime residents who rock what has become one of New York's most altered neighborhoods.
When news broke at WWD last month that Hermès was planning to open a permanent full-size store in Williamsburg, it seemed to many like the flashy cherry atop decades of head-spinning gentrification. In the space of 30 years, Williamsburg has transformed from an industrial area to a safe haven for Jewish, Italian and Latin American immigrants and now, emblematic of New York's larger real estate market, it has become a shopping center outdoors.
"If you gave me 100 guesses about the next big brand, I don't think Hermès would be one of them. It's wild to be honest, it just feels like it's a wild thing There's Hermès and then what's the next thing to come here?" said Rony Elka Vardi, founder of Catbird, a hip, first-wave Williamsburg store that opened in 2004 in the middle of a bustling neighborhood. thriving artists and craftspeople. Vardi moved to the area in 2000 and, like many, has been scratching his head at Williamsburg's evolution ever since.
Related Galleries"My wife works in fashion and said, 'This is huge, in the fashion industry, this is the biggest business,'" said Biagio Fortunato, co-owner of Fortunato Brothers, the bakery classic Williamsburg Italian who, given the changing neighborhood, has updated their 46-year-old business to offer oat milk and no-minimum credit card transactions.
Fortunato's, a destination for spongy, marzipan-speckled rainbow cookies, has endured despite a changing clientele. While many new residents of Williamsburg appreciate its southern Italian charm, Fortunato said others were less supportive. "They say – 'This is our neighborhood now, where's the vegan stuff? "I love it here [in Williamsburg] but I wouldn't live here anymore, now I'm like, 'Leave me alone, I want to shut up,'" said Fortunato, whose father and uncles opened the bakery together shortly long after landing in Brooklyn from Naples.
Fortunato's experience is in many ways representative of greater tension across Williamsburg. The neighborhood was a perfect real estate storm – one subway stop from Manhattan and surrounded by a prime waterfront and desirable new-age neighborhoods including Greenpoint, Dumbo and Bushwick – all of which have also seen rapid gentrification and in large scale. It puts Williamsburg at the center of a larger boom in North Brooklyn, making it a great place to shop and eat.
The scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Lexie Moreland/WWDOne day, Williamsburg could be a case study for urban evolution, examining how social media can spread traditions around a seedy neighborhood and turn it into an unstoppable commercial hotspot. For now, that's the subject of a Cornell University master's program thesis on how to get rich in commercial real estate, titled "You Must Be in Williamsburg."
In recent months, Williamsburg has become an example of post-pandemic opulence and unbridled spending. In many ways, it's one of the symbols of a new New York, where this post-pandemic summer feels like...
Step into any store in Williamsburg right now, shopkeepers know what's to come, as do the bakers, artists and longtime residents who rock what has become one of New York's most altered neighborhoods.
When news broke at WWD last month that Hermès was planning to open a permanent full-size store in Williamsburg, it seemed to many like the flashy cherry atop decades of head-spinning gentrification. In the space of 30 years, Williamsburg has transformed from an industrial area to a safe haven for Jewish, Italian and Latin American immigrants and now, emblematic of New York's larger real estate market, it has become a shopping center outdoors.
"If you gave me 100 guesses about the next big brand, I don't think Hermès would be one of them. It's wild to be honest, it just feels like it's a wild thing There's Hermès and then what's the next thing to come here?" said Rony Elka Vardi, founder of Catbird, a hip, first-wave Williamsburg store that opened in 2004 in the middle of a bustling neighborhood. thriving artists and craftspeople. Vardi moved to the area in 2000 and, like many, has been scratching his head at Williamsburg's evolution ever since.
Related Galleries"My wife works in fashion and said, 'This is huge, in the fashion industry, this is the biggest business,'" said Biagio Fortunato, co-owner of Fortunato Brothers, the bakery classic Williamsburg Italian who, given the changing neighborhood, has updated their 46-year-old business to offer oat milk and no-minimum credit card transactions.
Fortunato's, a destination for spongy, marzipan-speckled rainbow cookies, has endured despite a changing clientele. While many new residents of Williamsburg appreciate its southern Italian charm, Fortunato said others were less supportive. "They say – 'This is our neighborhood now, where's the vegan stuff? "I love it here [in Williamsburg] but I wouldn't live here anymore, now I'm like, 'Leave me alone, I want to shut up,'" said Fortunato, whose father and uncles opened the bakery together shortly long after landing in Brooklyn from Naples.
Fortunato's experience is in many ways representative of greater tension across Williamsburg. The neighborhood was a perfect real estate storm – one subway stop from Manhattan and surrounded by a prime waterfront and desirable new-age neighborhoods including Greenpoint, Dumbo and Bushwick – all of which have also seen rapid gentrification and in large scale. It puts Williamsburg at the center of a larger boom in North Brooklyn, making it a great place to shop and eat.
The scene in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Lexie Moreland/WWDOne day, Williamsburg could be a case study for urban evolution, examining how social media can spread traditions around a seedy neighborhood and turn it into an unstoppable commercial hotspot. For now, that's the subject of a Cornell University master's program thesis on how to get rich in commercial real estate, titled "You Must Be in Williamsburg."
In recent months, Williamsburg has become an example of post-pandemic opulence and unbridled spending. In many ways, it's one of the symbols of a new New York, where this post-pandemic summer feels like...
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