Former Washabi Sushi Vacant for 2 Years

The storefront at 1058 Broadway in Woodmere has been home to a few Asian restaurants for the past several years, and two years after its most recent tenant, Washabi Sushi, closed its doors, the building is still empty.

Rick Levine, the listing's agent at , is currently looking for $2,900 a month to rent out the 1,600 square-foot space, noting the furnished dining area and operational basement.

“It’s in a prime location,” Levine said. “It has ample street parking and municipal parking around the corner.”

Opposed to what many people think of the Woodmere business district, Levine explained that it is still an active place for local business.

“It’s a thriving business area, and it’s a prime business district,” he said. “You can just watch cars and people walk by all day long.”

Justin Fuchs, owner of , agrees that parking in Woodmere is unique to other villages, and also describes a heavily trafficked business district.

“It’s a great area with a lot of foot traffic and a lot of parking,” Fuchs said about the storefront. “We have a great gym that brings in 100 to 200 people a day.”

Fuchs said the neighborhood currently has plenty of restaurants and offices, however, there aren’t enough retail stores.

“We need clothing stores, retail stores and a general store,” he said. “We used to have two hardware stores but we have nothing now.”

According to Rebecca Rabinowitz, co-owner of located across the street, the neighborhood has transformed in the last few years, and while she disagrees with Levine and Fuchs about the quantity of daily shoppers in the area, she did explain that the neighborhood still has a loyal customer base. 

“There are not too many stores here, so there aren’t too many people walking around anymore,” Rabinowitz said. “People shop here because they want to support the local stores.”

Like Levine and Fuchs, her main selling point to the neighborhood is the municipal parking lots.

“The parking lot by me is 90-minute parking,” she said. “There are some eight-hour spots in the back of the parking lot also.”