Top 10 Retail Leases of the Month: Building Furniture and Getting Tattoos

By The Editors October 9, 2019 10:38 am

Ikea plans to open up its first Queens location in the Rego Center mall. Rendering: Ikea

To those who say that the big box store is dead and buried we say, “Ikea!”

The Swedish-DIY furniture store announced a mammoth 115,000 square foot lease at Vornado Realty Trust (VNO)‘s 61-35 Junction Boulevard in Rego Park, Queens. Although, by Ikea standards, this is less than a third of their typical 400,000-square-foot warehouse, it’s part of the company’s plan to open up smaller-format stores in urban areas.

While no other retailers came close to taking as much space as Ikea last month, other companies did ink some pretty sizable deals. Adult day care center Social Adult Care took 14,859 square feet at 617 West 181st Street in Washington Heights while climbing gym MetroRock plans to open a 10,000-square-foot outpost in Tavros Capital Partners and Charney Construction & Development‘s The Dime project at 263 South 5th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

And if you’ve ever wanted to shop for art, get your photo taken and finally get that tiger tattoo on your arm all in one day, Inked magazine’s first retail shop has you covered. The publication plans to open an 8,500-square-foot storefront, art gallery and tattoo shop at 150 West 22nd Street, which will also serve as the brand’s offices. (It’s unclear how much of the space will be dedicated to retail or office.)

There’s also plenty of new eats coming to the city.

The co-owner of Tribeca’s Batard restaurant and the chef of Michelin-starred Piora plan to open a 3,969 square foot unnamed brasserie at 134 Broadway in Williamsburg. And if you work or live near the Feil Organization‘s 7 Penn Plaza you’ll have a myriad of new options to stuff your face: Salad chain Sweetgreen took 2,450 square feet in the office building, Middle Eastern build-your-own-bowl spot Naya Express will occupy 1,690 square feet and chicken finger restaurant Sticky’s Finger Joint will have 1,822 square feet.

And if you need to work off all those chicken fingers, fitness chain Orangetheory will open a 3,200-square-foot outpost in the Tangram development at 37-12 Prince Street in Flushing, Queens.

In case you’re on the hunt for a wedding gown, you’ll have even more choices to find the dress as bridal boutique Brideside Bride plans to double its presence at 20 East 20th Street by 3,500 square feet of retail and office space. The store, which has focused on bridesmaids dresses, is rolling out a new bride-focused concept.

Finally, if you’re looking for a school to send your little ones on the Far West Side, a new option will be coming your way. Hopscotch Montessori School — which has locations in Russia and the Upper East Side — plans to open a 6,855-square-foot campus on the ground floor of the Durst Organization‘s Via 57 West at 624 West 57th Street.