Dozens of businesses on Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport are closing down after nearly three decades to make way for a long-planned renovation. Ida Siegal reports.
The sun set on the old shops at Pier 17 at historic South Street Seaport Monday as developers get ready to build a glass shopping mall at the site.
The Dallas-based Howard Hughes corporation introduced a plan to revamp the iconic lower Manhattan shopping center last year. The redeveloped shopping center will be finished by 2015.
Developers have said the new mall will feature high-end shopping and a big rooftop venue with spectacular views, but to some businesses and shoppers, the last day is bittersweet.
“It’s really sad that they are closing it down,” said Darryl William, one of the shoppers at the pier Monday. “They’re going to have some sort of high-end dollar place. For a guy like me, that’s not my kinda store.”
Some stores are closing for good, selling every scrap they can before closing time. But for other store owners like Ryan Benz, the new development could bring new opportunities. Benz closed down his clothing shop at Pier 17, but is moving across the street.
“It’s nostalgic, we’re going to miss it,” Benz said. “But from a financial sense, we’re really excited about the opportunity.”
