Openings and closings on Broadway

The changing look of Hewlett and Woodmere

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The Hewlett and Woodmere streetscape along Broadway continues to be altered by businesses closing and new enterprises opening, as many of Long Island’s downtown areas feel the pinch of a slow economy.
Ian Leigh, the senior director of Pugatch Realty’s commercial division in Woodmere, explained that much of the country is dealing with vacant storefronts and working to fill them. “The weakness in downtown retail real estate is not unique to our area,” Leigh said. “Most of Long Island and much of the country is suffering with vacancies at a higher rate than 10 or 15 years ago. Property taxes are passed along to tenants, and these taxes keep rising. Also, the malls offer a shopping experience that downtowns can’t match.”
Leigh compared the differences in vacancy rates among communities in the Five Towns. “Cedarhurst is hot right now,” he said. “The vacancy rate is way down, and stores with reasonable asking rents will go right away, with 30 to 60 days vacant. Woodmere has a lot of vacancies and not much demand, while Hewlett is stronger, with not many vacancies, and 60 days are the typical average vacancy time. Rockaway Turnpike is a very strong market commanding high rents, and with reasonable landlords, properties don’t stay empty very long.”
Leigh said that commercial rents range widely. “Every landlord is different in the area,” he said. “Some will do a deal under market rent to fill up empty stores, while some will wait until they get what they perceive to be the ‘right’ rent and won’t rent until that happens.”
Prime retail for the Five Towns, according to Leigh, is along Rockaway Turnpike, with rates as high as $60 per square foot — $120,000 per year in rent for a 2,000-square-foot building. On Broadway in Hewlett and Woodmere, the average is $27 per square foot, he said.

A Hewlett Burger King, at 1 Veterans Memorial Plaza and Broadway, closed on July 10. Representatives of the chain declined to say why. Jaime Wysocki, president of the Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association said, “Burger King did close and didn’t want to renew,” she said. “TD Bank will be taking over the space. It depends on permits as to when, specifically, TD Bank opens. It will be a few months before they get into this space. The property will not be
sitting vacant.”
Loehmann’s, at 1296 Broadway in Hewlett, closed this winter, and Wysocki said that the HWBA is actively pursuing a tenant. “There was a rumor that HomeGoods wanted the property,” she said, referring to the home furnishings store, “but the space was too small for them. We’ve placed quite a few phone calls to other companies to see if they’re interested in the space.”
Two years ago, the Woodmere-Lawrence Methodist Church held its last service, and it has not been re-established anywhere else. But the building may be sold in the near future. Nearby business people, such as Valeria Perrella, the manager of Gibson Custom Framing, at 1019A Broadway, say they look forward to a new owner having a positive impact.
“I’m hoping that having them next door will increase business, and hope they will support our family business,” Perrella said. There are rumors that a synagogue or a funeral home may buy the vacant church.
Toby Klein, an independent broker affiliated with Brooklyn-based real estate company Massey-Knakal, said she has been working on selling the church property. “At this time, per my clients’ instructions, I can’t give any information about the sale,” she said.
Wysocki said that the majority of local business owners are Hewlett and Woodmere residents. “About 98 percent of restaurant owners live in the area,” she said. “We give business opportunity to our local residents. The HWBA also tries to contact larger businesses in communities such as Babylon and Huntington to see if they’re interested in expanding to our area.”
Many new businesses are expected to open in Hewlett and Woodmere at the end of this year, according to Leigh. “In Woodmere, a children’s gym called Great Gyms will open in the former Key Foods Shopping Center,” he said. “A ladies’ sportswear store will open on the corner of Broadway and Brower in Woodmere, which was formerly Rabenko Photography. Rabenko has relocated to another location on Broadway in Woodmere. A specialty salad shop, 27 Dressings, will be opening next to Trader Joe’s in Hewlett.”
Leigh added that the Burger King is moving to 440 Mill Road, in Hewlett’s Peninsula Shopping Center.
Despite the current activity, Leigh said he does not foresee an increase in rental prices for commercial properties in the near future. “Rents are holding steady in the Five Towns’ retail segment overall,” he said. “Vacancies are being filled up slowly.”

Have an opinion about the changing Hewlett and Woodmere streetscape? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.