Cedarhurst Williams-Sonoma Now Vacant

The corner storefront at Central and Carman Avenues, once the home to , has been available to rent since Jan. 15, when the outlet store became the latest chain to close shop in Cedarhurst.

With around 5,000 square feet of floor space, not including the building's basement and mezzanine, the property at 419 Central Avenue is priced at $21 a foot, totaling roughly $145,000 a year, including taxes.

Robert Goldfeder, real estate agent at , is optimistic that buyers will be taken by the building’s current condition and location in the middle of Cedarhurst's business district.

“It’s in beautiful condition inside, the store is immaculate with hardwood floors and it has so much beautiful lighting,” Goldfeder said. “It’s at a great corner and the metered parking on the side road is better than most.”

Goldfeder explained that many chain stores, such as The Gap and Starbucks, recently left the village because they didn’t know how to operate in the neighborhood.

“They see the demographics and they think its a great spot for them, but what they don’t understand is how to operate in the orthodox community,” he said. “They were not prepared on how not to do business on a Saturday.”

Eric Polak, architect at Da Vinci, opened his doors just three months ago, and he has already noticed the neighborhood’s clientele. He said the only downside to operating a storefront in Cedarhurst is customers have a hard time managing their parking meters.

“People get tickets here on Saturdays and Sundays all the time,” he said. “The city does that because it’s busy, and that is not right.”

Pamela Burger, owner of , agreed that parking might be the biggest problem keeping chain stores out of the neighborhood.

“Unfortunately, as long as the village goes after people parking, you're going to have hard times,” Burger said. “They’re pushing people away and the big chain stores will run from here.”

She suggested that whomever rents out the building next should consider opening a retail store and avoid opening another restaruant.

“I think we have enough food places in the neighborhood,” she said.