Openings & Closings: Chalait, Goodwill, Upper West Spa, Dunkin Donuts
Chalait matcha cafe is open on Amsterdam Avenue and 82nd Street, in the former home of 2Beans. Matcha is a special green tea. A top grade ceremonial shot of matcha is $5, while a Matcha iced tea is $4. There are other drinks, sandwiches and grain bowls too. Thanks to ME reps for the photo.
The Goodwill store at 217 West 79th Street is closing on Dec. 17. Apparently, the problem was the rent, though we’re still working on getting the full story. That Goodwill, which had begun selling more trendy clothes earlier this year, has been around for over a decade, and perhaps much longer than that.
Upper West Spa just opened at 187 Amsterdam Ave between 68th and 69th Street. Staff members formerly worked at Feline Day Spa. “We offer a variety of top notch treatments including facials, Jetpeels, dermaplaning, massage, laser hair removal, waxing and nail care, all performed by highly skilled professionals,” writes owner Joanna.
Dunkin Donuts on Broadway and 101st Street has closed. Thanks to Isabelle for the photo.
But but but…Dunkin Donuts is opening at 1231 Amsterdam Ave (@121st Street), the former home of Panini D’Parma. All is right with the world. Thanks to Chris for the tip.
When Goodwill is forced out due to rent the neighborhood is lost. Lost to the landlords who have just about ruined it. Where is the needed help? SHAME
All the mom and pop stores are just disappearing. that Goodwill was very old-school before they tried turning into a trendy 2nd hand shop (concept just didn’t work). Luckily there’s still one on W. 72nd Street.
The day Goodwill opened on 72nd, I said that the one on 79th was doomed. Rats.
Can you please announce the opening of Bar Method Broadway at 2387 Bway + 87th!
212-397-6104
Thank you!
Carol, they announced it when it opened a few months back. 🙂
https://www.westsiderag.com/2018/09/23/openings-closings-blue-bottle-coffee-friedmans-design-within-reach-the-bar-method-gong-cha
I always wondered why there were so many DD in our neighborhood. Before this one closed I’d guess we were the only place in Manhattan with more DD than sbux in a particular area. This Dunkin closed at 101st and Broadway. There is one at 97th & Bway and another at 103rd & Amsterdam. Upper West Boston.
I bought my prom dress at that Goodwill in 1989. I am not kidding. It was when All My Children was still filming on the UWS and the soap had had some party or event and then donated all of the costumes to Goodwill. I am sure the dress I bought had been worn by an extra (in 1989 it would have had more sparkle had it been a main character outfit). It had originally been priced at $14 but they were selling everything in the Goodwill at 50% off that day, so it cost me $7.
Marta at Upper West Spa is excellent, I’ve been seeing her for facials, skin treatments, etc. for 20+ (!) years. This new space is clean and lovely.
The Good Will has definitely been there more then 10 years. I lived on the block for a decade, ending 3 or 4 years ago and it was open well before that because I frequently went there for records. I think it was there going back into the 90’s
“The Goodwill store at 217 West 79th Street is closing on Dec. 17. Apparently, the problem was the rent”
“We help people earn a living, improve their lives, and strengthen their families and their communities.”
This is where we are.
I am also sad that Goodwill is closing, but if one of the evil multinational mega-companies that everyone around here hates was paying your salary, you could argue the same definition applies to them.
Juan, I am not at all surprised at you seeing equivalence between what Goodwill does and multinational mega-companies.
But you live with that, I guess.
A dear friend worked at a large corporation that is generally not a fan favorite around here in a role where she was doing a lot of good for society. She was laid off by them earlier this year. As she tries to find a new job she is trying to figure out how to keep things normal for her children, continue to donate to charities, etc. The holidays are incredibly stressful for her.
So it is not just when small businesses close that people are impacted. Your broad generalizations about “good vs evil” are incredibly simplistic and insulting.
Juan, I made no comments about large corporations.
Nice try though.
By the way, that was a beautiful story about the ” large corporation that is generally not a fan favorite”. I can see that you equate them with Goodwill.
On the other hand, I feel badly for your friend and her family. I don’t see what you see. I do not think it such goodwill for her to be laid off and now facing the holidays all worried. But that’s just me.
You are constantly complaining about how we should only support small local businesses, not large companies, portraying the large companies as the devil. I agree that we should make an effort to support local businesses, but there is nothing wrong with most large companies. Nor is there anything wrong with the people who work for large companies. We are all just trying to pay the bills and support our families. I mourn the closing of small businesses as much as of large businesses, because a job is a job and a person is a person.
Juan, I repeat yet again. I have never said not support large companies, nor portrayed the large companies as the devil.
You can check that and stop your false accusations.
But you are far from alone in that.
Juan, you’d have better luck trying to reason with a brick wall. I agree with you about large companies and their employees btw. People are people regardless of who employs them.
Ever see how much the CEO of Goodwill and all these other “charitable foundations” earn in any given year? Ever see how much of your donation actually touches your intended donee? It’s all shameful no matter how you label the organization these days.
It sounds like you might be more on target if you spent your ire on those CEOs, rather than at the Goodwill.
Upper West Spa – Just wondering if it will cater to people or cats?
Isn’t GOODWILL still on the west side of 96th st?
Salvation Army
South
There is a Salvation Army thrift store on West 96th Street between Broadway and Riverside drive.
That’s Housing Works!
Housing Works is on Broadway between 96th and 97th. Salvation Army on south side on 96th between Broadway and West End.
no way to forward?
We think the address is wrong for Dunkin’ Donuts. There hasn’t been one at 101st and Broadway at least not in the last 30 years.
It was indeed on the north west corner and it will be sorely missed :(. Neither the one on 97 and broadway or 103 and Amsterdam has online ordering or kosher donuts.
Actually sad to see it go: Another empty storefront on that block plus mega-convenient for a quick sugar fix being that it’s literally on my block. 101st/Broadway
Yes, it was there, and I got a donut or five there in my day. But there is another Dunkin at Amsterdam at 104, and one at Broadway and 97th.
Unlike e.g. Starbucks, Dunkin is pretty much a franchising operation. And from the way the stores are located, it’s always seemed to me that that Dunkin corporation doesn’t give a hoot whether franchise locations are cannibalizing each other’s business.
In other words, I’m not surprised the one at 101st St close.
IIRC goodwill has been at that location since at least 1990
POPEYES is coming to 95th Street and Broadway. In the former home of much missed Longrain. Very disappointing for the neighborhood.
Upper West Spa is wonderful! A welcome return of all the familiar faces who have so skillfully attended to all of our faces!
Its frequently not the Landlords that are guilty of the rent increases especially the small landlords but its the city that has relentlessly increased real estate taxes every year to unsustainable levels that are pressuring the tenants and the landlords.
No one seems to write about this but every but every year the city increases taxes and landlords pass some of that to the tenants and frequently have to absorb the rest. This pushes prices up for customers as well.
The city raises taxes to fund the programs that are important to you. Is education important to you? Schools are grossly underfunded and could actually use a lot more money. Is safety important? Police officers cost money. Do you want nice parks? Not cheap. And those pot holes don’t fix themselves.
Arguably the biggest problem the city faces are costs for pensions and retiree health care. But those costs are only going to continue to go up unless they somehow get negotiated down, which isn’t going to happen.
Sure, there is a ton of waste in city government and we can all point to ways they can save money, but if you want services, you have to pay for them.
NYC public schools “underfunded”? That’s a laugh.
City of New York spends the most per student (currently about $18k to over $24k per year), ranking it as number one in the nation for public education.
All this and yet somehow, somehow results aren’t all what they should be in terms of various success markers (academics).
There are private and other pubic school schools that manage to do far more with less spending.
https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2018/08/31/new-york-city-to-spend-an-average-of-17-500-per-student-this-school-year-589344
https://givingcompass.org/article/how-much-do-new-york-city-schools-spend-per-student/
There is admittedly a lot of waste in NYC public schools. But much of those costs are driven by the fact that the district serves a huge number of kids with various special needs. Walk into any public school and you will see numerous aides and para-professionals walking around who are needed to support these students. This is not cheap.
I’m crushed that the DD on 101 is closing. It might have been a DD, but they were a family owned franchise, and were as much a local business as any other small shop. They will be missed.
Goodwill is a much needed service but the staffing at this location is just horrid. Interactions are painful if not downright hostile. I stopped going a year ago and now only use Housing Works (my boycott having nothing to do with the closing of course 😉 )
That was not my experience at all. The staff at Goodwill has always been very polite and professional. I like the new “Curated” concept and will miss it in the neighborhood (plus it was great to have a donation center nearby).