Ghosts of the Garment district

Everything must change. 

I assure you, that although it will seem so, this is not a sad post. Not sad at all.  This is progress. The death knell is tolling for many in the garment district for sure, but it is summoning the strongest businesses to resurrect and reinvent themselves.

New construction encroaches upon old buildings... luxury high-rises push others out...

And Lou Lou Buttons... the sign remains, and the storefront sits empty now, but the shuttered business is gone...  

10/14/15 - Update!  Not gone... but definitely at half-mast these days. Click here to see a recent update.  They were sidelined by a recent flood, and when I've walked past recently, I haven't seen them open, but I have been assured that they are...

And, it affects all types of businesses in the area, not just the garment-related.

And the rents push businesses out, victims of skyrocketing rents

And what will the Parsons building (below) become?  A luxury hotel, apparently... Read the NY Times article that chronicles the building's history, and you will be amazed.  See Tim Gunn's tour on Project Runway here.

Parsons School of Design building - soon to be torn down...

So, what are the resilient garment district businesses doing?  Stay tuned for the next series of posts, and I will share my perspective with you...