OPENINGS & CLOSINGS: BLADES, DELUXE LUNCHEONETTE, DUNKIN’ DONUTS
A skate shop and an old-school diner closed, while a new doughnut shop is on its way.
Deluxe Luncheonette, the diner on 113th street and Broadway, just closed its doors after being open 16 years. The diner opened in September 1999, according to an article in the Columbia Spectator announcing its arrival. Meredith tells us the place was always packed, and she thought the food was better than Tom’s, the more famous diner on 112th. “We want to thank you for all the wonderful years together,” says a sign on the door.
Blades, the skate shop on 72nd street between Columbus and Broadway is closing in January, an employee told us, and will be “merging” with its downtown store.
A new Dunkin’ Donuts is set to open on the same block of 72nd street in the former home of City Pie, Jeff tells us.
Easy Spirit on 80th and Broadway is now totally empty. We reported the closing last month.
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Is there some convention that tells a reader that “113th St and Broadway” means Broadway?
If it’s Broadway, why not “Broadway and 113th St.”?
Because that is how we do it here. I am a 9th generation New Yorker and that is the way we have always done it. (And not sure your way makes anything clearer….)
Absolutely correct…as only a second generation life long resident of the UWS (born in St. Luke’s for birthright cred), the street number ALWAYS comes before the name of the avenue…always.
(This reminds me; if I ruled the world, no Manhattan address could be listed without including the cross street. “323 Columbus” would be unacceptable; it would have to be “323 Columbus/75th”.)
: )
All you need is the conversion factors – every avenue in Manhattan can have the cross street (for numbered cross streets) calculated from the street address – this is the way we did it before GPS and iPhones!!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_address_algorithm
Actually Broadway not a street. It is a boulevard. It used to be called Bloomingdale Road.
Well, Western Bloomingdale road was the part of Broadway above wall street (and later Western Boulevard above Columbus Circle.
Broadway, as it is known now, was actually a Native American trail carved out of the forest which ran the entire length of Manhattan. The Dutch called it Heerestraat.
The same stretch of 72nd Street where Dunkin Donuts is opening will be within eyesight of Aroma, Box Kite Coffee, Simit and Smith, Le Pain Quotidien, and even a Starbucks (Honestly, I’m probably missing a few).
We live in a market economy and they have every right to open on that spot, but I’ll be truly discouraged with my neighbors if Dunkin winds up being crowded in an area with so many other high-quality options.
Do you really care if your neighbor goes to Dunkin Donuts? There may be other options but the consumer gets to decide. Dunkin Donuts, if run well, can get you in and out very fast and their coffee is fine. Who cares?!
wow, really? You base your approval of your neighbors on that rigid/snobby of a standard? Odd for the “liberal/progressive/open-minded” UWS.
At least it’s not another Duane Reade, bank, or mustard store.
Easy Spirit had reasonably priced, comfortably shoes; many in wide widths. I’m sorry to see them go, especially after undertaking a store renovation in the past year. I guess DSW is too much competition for them (I never shop at DSW. too big, poor lighting and poor service). Harry’s which used to be somewhat affordable and crried many different widths, has become high end offering high priced shoes (shoes there probably average $130 a pair) with almost nothing in wide widths.
Easy Spirit closed because the entire stretch of Broadway from 80th to 81st, (past Zabar’s through Essentials Plus) was sold and is in the process if being developed into another large building, like the one across Broadway on the SE corner of 80th. Eventually Corcoran and the other businesses in the block will be vacated.
The lots North of Zabars were sold. The building being proposed will take the SW corner of 81st & B’way. This has been a 2 year effort – another 1000 people into the hood with no infrastructure improvement being planned.
More unaffordable housing for rich foreigners who take up space and oxygen by only staying here a few weeks out of the year.
Great!!!..the businesses on the street will love that…not having customers for some part of the year.
Way to boost the economy.
I shop at tip top they still have wide width and actually extra wide
James……different strokes…., at least is not a nail salon or bank. On a personal note, of all the places you mentioned, the only one I like is Box Kite. I do like DD and enjoy it very much. My only concern is that I don’t wind up on the show “My 600lb. Life.” Love the donuts too. 🙁 Yeah, I have simple tastes and fear the Girls Scouts ringing my bell with the cookie order pad in hand!
Nooo!! Not Deluxe!! They were the best, and not very expensive. They were a hold out from a less luxurious time and I’m horrified to think what will take its place. Up by Columbia is the last area on the west side that isn’t completely tacky and full of yuppies. I’m gonna miss that diner.
Before it was Deluxe it was the College Inn – that is what it was when I went to Columbia around 1980 – hopefully it will stay a diner and not get turned into something else!!!
Thank you! I’ve recently been racking my brain trying to remember where College Inn had been. I used to love that place 20-something years ago.
HSBC on Broadway @ 89th is closing and moving into the old Banana Republic space (Broadway @ 86th). So the Food Emporium and the HSBC spaces are both empty. Any info on those?
Oh man, NOOOOOOOOOOOO!! HSBC? :'( Not unexpected, of course. But I feel heartsick just the same.
Deluxe had outstanding eggs benedict and blueberry pancakes. Good food good prices.
great burgers at deluxe. too bad.
Finally! I was so sick of going down to 59 St. For Dunkin Donuts. I love Box Kite and Joe, but sometimes I want I want DD coffee and a Boston Creme. Best news I heard all day! Hopefully it opens soon, 25 cent coffees when the Jets or Giants win!
Re: Deluxe, “The food was better than Tom’s.” That’s setting a pretty low bar.
Anyone else remember when the Blades chain had around 10 stores? With 72nd St closing, I think they’ll be down to just one.
ugh, Dunkin Donuts? Low quality + high calories = no thanks.
Exactly!!!
Since all the grocery store’s on the west side are closing Dunkin’ Donuts is a welcome sight. Upper west siders can eat Donuts for three meals a day seven days a week. Health studies to follow
Why did Deluxe close?
It was my favorite brunch place.
Gotta laugh about “high quality options” – Dunkin coffee is the smoothest retail blend, period. The others a cut below. Aroma makes Sanka the 2nd worst coffee on the planet, in addition to having a decor not unlike a lavoratory.
Dunkin Donuts coffee is like chemically induced keurig coffee and its watered down for midwesterners!
Get a good cup a joe at diner on 82nd and bway or diner on 95th and bway.
Anyone have info on the Orwasher that was scheduled to open on Amsterdam in Nov? Thanks
Deluxe was back open with the same staff today – any idea why?
Sorry to see Easy Spirit go out of business.
It is really hard for women with wide and extra wide feet to find shoes at a reasonable
price.
Guess it is like everything else on the UWS — the rent forced them to close.
The Blades stores was once a good concept when people were rollerblading and I think at one point they had 14 stores. Last 5 years I hardly saw anyone in that store. The owner I remember was a very nice guy but also haven’t seen him in the area in at least 5 years as well. Dunkin’ Donuts may do well on the block but Krispy Kreme didn’t make it on 72nd Street and neither did Tim Hortons which shared the space with Cold Stone Creamery. Also a cupcake place didn’t survive on 72nd St. either.
Dunkin Donuts, if run well, can get you in and out very fast and their coffee is fine. Who cares?! Where is this information?