More than 80% of the subway’s former retail spaces are vacant, setting an eerie tone for riders.
By Caroline Spivack
April 17, 2024
Empty retail spaces add a grim feeling to the underground passageways. They are quietly fueling the perception that the system is desolate and dangerous.
The 47th-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center station
A staggering 83% of the subway spaces that in 2019 could have hosted retail are vacant or have been repurposed by the MTA. The emptiness surpasses even the worst-performing U.S. shopping malls.
42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal station
Some diehard retailers like Chris Christodou are hanging on. He has run Gflorist in the Rockefeller Center station since 1981.
Rockefeller Center station
Every day riders pass vacant retail shops at major subway stations…
And many, many more. Read on to see just how prevalent this problem is.
The MTA is scrambling to fill the vacant spaces, reducing rent in some cases, trying out new uses, and even offering free rent for a public art installation.
The MTA is scrambling to fill the vacant spaces, reducing rent in some cases, trying out new uses, and even offering free rent for a public art installation.
