Have you ever noticed that sometimes change and progress doesn't always mean that things improve? Sometimes change will come to a neighborhood, and while it might seem on the surface that things look cleaner, shinier, more modern...the change can destroy the character of the neighborhood, indeed even take its soul away.
To me this happened on the area around the the entrance to the Williamsburg bridge in Manhattan, the area around Delancey and Essex streets. This area was an enclave of cheap shops, especially clothing and fabric shops, and also cheap rental tenements. If you needed quality fabrics or clothing that didn't cost you a small fortune, or find cheap and affordable rentals, you would head to Delancey Street.
There you had a so many little shops to choose from: coats, handbags, office wear, shoes, fabrics so you could make your own clothes, and so on. The owners would haggle with you about the prices. Also the little restaurants, or bodegas that would sell you a great variety of food from all corners of the world.
Most of the owners were recent immigrants or the latest family members to take over the business that had been open for years. No matter, the feeling was one of discovery, of family, where the merchants genuinely cared about you the customer and everyone felt equal. The buildings were old-world, little brownstones with architecture and details that reminded you of the Dutch (the first Europeans that owned Manhattan). In all -- the place felt alive and was always buzzing with activities.
The other day I went by, and was genuinely saddened when I saw that half of the old buildings were gone, and a sign proclaiming that a new hotel was being built here, right at the entrance to the Williamsburg bridge. Most of the quaint shops were gone, only a few have remained open, as this part of Manhattan has become yet another victim of greed, as the real estate value here has zoomed out of sight. The old, nearly historic buildings have been replaced by characterless glass boxes, that are too big and tall.
The shops that are now open are colorless stores, all part of the big chains that are slowly taking over Manhattan. And as you can expect, the store owners there couldn't care less about the customers, it's all about making money, and so-called high fashion. Gone are the different small retail stores that offered you service, quality and variety. No more fabric shops, or the shoe store, with an actual shoemaker there, no more quality handbags store.
No, everything now is sold by chain stores, with most of the stuff made outside of the country. The soul of the neighborhood has been drained. The people you see now are so concerned with looking "fashionable" and "in" that it's like being in a place populated by mindless zombies.
On a bright note, I did find a few survivors, a few little shops, practically holes-in-the-wall, where you could get the best food, cakes, and party decorations ever. I hope that next time I visit, these places will still be there, but with the new hotel opening, I don't hold my breath.
