Openings & Closings: Felix & Fanny, Barneys
By Carol Tannenhauser
Felix & Fanny, the children’s store at 2868 Broadway between 111th and 112th Streets, will close “sometime in March,” said owner Marjorie Stern, “as soon as all the merchandise is gone.” With everything offered at half price, “things are flying off the shelves,” she said. Even the shelves and other store fixtures are for sale!
The neighborhood is losing more than a children’s store, which offered “a potpourri” of games, toys and clothing for babies and children of all ages. Stern has been working with the Children’s Aid Society since Felix & Fanny opened in 2007, as A Time For Children on Amsterdam between 84th and 85th Streets, providing paid employment and training to youth in Children’s Aid Society programs. Felix & Fanny is a nonprofit, with all proceeds going to the Society.
Barneys, the high-end clothing store at 2151 Broadway between 75th and 76th Streets, is closing on February 18. A manager confirmed the closing, but corporate headquarters did not respond to a question about what prompted it. Barneys had renovated the space in 2013.
sadly, no openings here
just closings
I fear that pretty soon the title of these articles will be changed to just “Closings”
The news of Barney’s closing — creating yet another huge empty storefront on Broadway — makes me wonder why no landlords have opened a food hall in any of these enormous empty spaces.
There’s been an explosion of food halls all across the city, and given the heavy foot traffic on Broadway in the 70s, a food hall would presumably do very well.
I’m not sure if there’s some zoning that would prevent it, but if not, I’m mystified at how this trend hasn’t arrived on the UWS.
Good idea. My personal wish for years has been a small, decent Indian home-cooking take-away in the neighborhood.
That’s a great idea and I agree that a food hall should do well in the area.
Many landlords/co-op boards do not want food and their associated smells and vermin to be in their buildings. In general would also require large venting for ovens which generally need to protrude from the roof (and requiring large sheet metal chimneys going from the ground floor to the roof either through the interior or on the exterior of the building).
It is easier in new construction if the architects planned it out from the beginning.
Nice dream but I don’t see it happening in an older more upscale building like the Astor Apartments.
Big Nicks on 71st off Columbus has closed sign on its window. The delivery bikes are still parked outside.
It’s been around over 30 years.
Art of Shaving next to Barney’s just closed. Something going on with all of the bulding’s retail or is this just the fallout of nearly 2 years of scaffolding?
Adios, Barney’s. While the upper west side will continue to be turned into a giant corporate strip mall populated by unenlightened idiots, at least at times it claims one of their own!
It’s a New thing. That Brick and Mortar stores are closing because the new shopper is inclined to buy online.
I never thought of that.
I’ve often wondered how Barney’s Co-op has managed to stay opened this long. I’ve never seen more than one customer at a time inside.
And what about Mattress Firm, formerly Sleepys, which rarely have customers whenever I walk by. Something weird about that.
I think it did better when it was a co-op store, and had men’s as well. I know my husband and I shopped there a lot then, now that it’s a regular Barneys I think I have only bought a few things there in the past few years…it’s all too fancy, maybe they misjudged the neighborhood.
It was definitely always busy when it was Barneys co-op.
Cafe Tallulah is closing for a few days next week and is being rebranded / made over……..
Good riddance. When this restaurant opened, most of the dishes were really good and their tuna Tartar was out of this world. Other dishes were not that great, but overall it was very decent. It seemed like overnight, the quality of food went downhill. Literally nothing, even things as simple and basic as Croque Monsieur, were ridiculously bad. I had a few branches with friends there where neither of the dishes seemed even relatively ok. Before I realized it, I took two of my friends out for their birthdays and it was beyond bad. I wonder what made a relatively good bistro to decline quality-wise so quickly.
I do realize it was never a true French or French fusion restaurant; my point is regardless of the type of cuisine, that cuisine deteriorated rapidly.
This place is a mystery to me. Over the past four years I have mostly had drinks at the bar with a handful of dinners that vary in quality from time to time. I like the vibe and the location BUT every time I go in there (every couple of months or so) the entire staff is new. Never over 4 years have I ever been waited on by a familiar face. I do think it is overpriced for the quality and experience but the sheer convenience of the place has me dropping in every so often. I’d like to see this great space be utilized by a consistent and reliable restaurant
Really gonna miss Barneys.
Where else can I get a $40 belt for $400?
Exactly !
why would u even pay 40 for a good leather belt
when they can be had for 20/25
I’m guessing that what prompted the closing of Barneys is the poor service and overpriced merchandise.
Anybody out there remember Barneys Boys Town?
Barney’s Boys Town was downstairs in the original place on 7th Ave and 17th St.
Mr. Barney would be down there quite frequently.
Anyone else schlep down from the Bronx to get a bar mitzvah suit in 1955? I looked for one with some Linen in Winter to make a point. Only kidding. I hadn’t a clue. But yes. Barney’s and Barnes and Noble occupied significant niches in New York life and morphed into something different that heralded the waning of the culture of the post war era.
I live near Felix & Fanny, and never understood the store. I’m sad to discover that it was a non-profit, and wish they had publicized the relationship to the Children’s Aid Society.
I also live near the store, have young children, and never even realized it was a children’s store!
Barneys is the thing of the past from the 80s/90s. Their quality has taken a drastic setback. No one shops there anymore other than “old people” from that era. Barney’s does not cater to the newer and younger generation of today and they lost it and they should’ve closed 10 years ago. We need a Gen Z style of stores here on the upper West side.
It may be that the remodeling and enlargement of Barney’s Chelsea store on 7th Ave. between 16th and 17th St, has rendered the uptown smaller space redundant.
Waiting for Staples on Broadway/80th to eventually close. Was on the top floor yesterday. Few printers on display and toner behind counter. Ghost town and kinda creepy. Place is HUGE. No way they are covering rent.
Not surprised that Barneys and The Art Of Shaving is going out. There was rarely more than one customer in either store and clothing in Barney’s was soooo overpriced!! Wish Westside Market could move back in to those empty spacious!!! With so many stores empty it is beginning to look like a ghost town!
check out laytners on 82 and broadway
has for lease in wondow
No!!!! This makes me very sad. They’re a great source for reasonably priced home goods and a great local alternative to the chain stores.
I stopped in Laytner’s today to ask about the sign. They are hoping that they don’t have to close. Still negotiating.
That didn’t work out so well for Westside Market or Lincoln Plaza Cinemas.
Maybe it will work out for them…
Barneys was totally over priced and rarely had more than one customer mulling around. The Art of Shaving was very rarely busy, as well. Love the idea of a food hall, or maybe the much missed West Side Market can open there. Really am missing that market!!!
I can’t believe how much I miss Westside Market!!!
Attn West Side Market! Hoping you can take over Barney’s, which was never a good fit. Miss you!
I really miss West Side Market too! Hope they can take over one of the empty store fronts. Lots of options on Broadway.
Incredibly, NO ONE will miss it. For years, it has been nearly devoid of customers.
What can successfully draw customers through the doors of this high pedestrian traffic location?
How about housing the wonderful non-profit HousingWorks here? Relocate its existing cramped site from Columbus Avenue. Imagine a retailer whose customers all value and share that once sacred Upper West Side compassion and humanity?
another large empty store in our neighborhood is bad news for everyone, no matter who they cater to. Just adds to more dirty unkempt streets. The city really has to make some regulations regarding the scaffolding that become an ugly plague along with rats in our neighborhood. How can businesses survive buried under ugly green plywood held up on little wooden slabs, looks like my 4 year old son can come up with a better design. The scaffolds provides extra poles for the dog walkers to let their pets relieve themselves and not clean up and homeless people to find shelter. Yuck, what is becoming to our beloved city ?
Looks like Drybar is open or opening any day?
The Westside, and Broadway in particular, has turned into an avenue of shuttered storefronts, endless scaffoldings, homeless folks and lawless booksellers taking over the streets. Yet all these new luxury buildings are still being built. The times they are a changin’
Shuttered storefronts, homeless folks and lawless booksellers taking over the streets are the other effects of the implementation of the Neoliberal agenda together with “all these new luxury buildings still being built”.
Barney’s is a fabulous store. Just because people here are too poor to afford it doesn’t mean you have to hate on it. Where do you think all the people who buy $3-10M apartments shop, the Gap? I stopped shopping there years ago when they stopped selling men’s clothes. Retail stores throughout the country are closing because so much of the traffic now happens online.
Sad to see Barneys go as a concept. The UWS is a perfect example of a neighborhood in sad decline. Now home to cheap/junk off price stores (Marshals is so dirty it smells) and bad food. Fairway prepared food is awful now and their bread is not edible. The one remaining DR/Walgreens has decided not to carry ice-cream due to shop-lifters.They chose to close 2 well-stocked efficient pharmacies and left us with a poorly maintained store with no merchandise and long lines. Any semblance of a desirable place to live is gone. Stores have closed and are either empty or replaced by day care centers, cheap nail salons,etc etc. We miss Westside Market (the best rolls/bread)Loves general store, Gracious Home, and now Barneys is going. True their selection was too conservative for the neighborhood BUT it was fine clothing. Very depressing to see all the junk we are now home to. Sadly, it’s time to move. Columbus ave is still somewhat interesting but we lost Isabella’s …and then there’s Lowe’s …why?? Nothing in there seems to work properly..the store is in the wrong city. We need a supermarket not a lawnmower. And one more thing, anyone ever clean the streets? check out Amsterdam ave. From 70th-72nd st.-aren’t the stores responsible for all that trash on the street. Too bad people aren’t more respectful. Somehow the West Village and UES are not suffering the way we are.
The UWS is not in decline but the neighbor that you speak of, the W70s is in transition. I do feel that it’s more like Midtown there.
Lots of activity at the future Trader Joes on Columbus and 93rd. Was work there Friday night with new brighter lights on in the evenings.
Thank you for the update, Mark!
I always wondered if it was correct to say Barney’s Co-op or Barney’s Coop??
Wish a UNIQLO would open in one of these empty stores! Great quality and great prices!
Although the article says “Felix & Fanny opened in 2007”, the location btw 111 and 112 has been open been open less than a year.