Sign o’ the times: The Pet Smart store on Atlantic Avenue at Boerum Place is going up like wildfire. It’s the first corporate big-box in our Boerum Hill-Cobble Hill-Carroll Gardens area, unless you include Lowe’s in the Gowanus, or Trader Joe’s on Atlantic and Court.
Somehow, it feels like a sad day. Among our vast consumer options here we are not wanting for neighborhood, mom-and-pop pet shops, which are scattered up and down Smith and Court streets. Yes, I’m sure Pet Smart will kill everyone on prices, and offer an increase in supplies for birds and fish to the already abundant supplies for canines and felines provided by the local shops. We’ll likely see at least one or two of the neighborhood pet shops close.
While the nation is in recession, it’s truly incredible how strong our local economy is. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with the continual additions of bars, restaurants, shops and now–corporate America.
What will this mean? Whole Foods is on its way, in Carroll Gardens/Gowanus, and Fulton Mall is set for an upscale renovation with additions like H & M. It’s hard to say, but rest assured, we’ll be living in a far different landscape two years from now.
