Well, the store’s quickly turned from a relaxed, cocktail-party-like atmosphere to a free-for-all, with shoppers crowding each other, carts banging into little children and each other, and grumbling overheard about the lack of space and poor traffic design.
Nevertheless, people are in a shopping frenzy, an orgy of food purchasing and sampling. It’s as if the crowd disbelieves that the Fairway is indeed open, and must hoard supplies before, magically, it disappears, reverting once more to an empty warehouse on the waterfront with only a lonely tugboat sounding its horn in the broken-down, ramshackle space.
It ain’t going anywhere, people. Take your time, relax.
Greg O’Connell, glowing.
We caught up with building owner Greg O’Connell to get his take on the news that 160 Imlay Street is being negotiated for sale. It’s the first he heard of it, but he told us he’d like to see a mix of housing and commercial uses in the building, something he could influence due to his membership on Community Board 6’s waterfront committee and his ownership of many Red Hook properties.
We also asked him about the as-yet-unfinished apartments above the Fairway, and he tells us that they should be ready for viewing in about three months, and their sizes range from 1,600 to 2,600 square feet. He estimates the rents for now at $2,800 to $4,500 a month, and the realter will probably be Frank Manzione.
-Matthew Grace
(Related: LBRHFO Pt. I, Pt. II)
Update: Brownstoner’s comment board has become a battleground over Fairway’s lack of bike parking. We’ll agree with one of the commenters: Give the Fairway folks a little time before you boycott, kids!
