Five years ago, Blink Fitness opened their first gym in The Bronx at St Ann’s Terrace in Melrose. Now, the chain is poised to open their 9th and THIRD location in Melrose as they are setting up shop in The Hub at the old Sachs building on 3rd Avenue and Westchester (150th Street).
The old Sachs building, which currently houses a T-Mobile, a women’s clothing store, and an electronic store on the ground floor, has been neglected for decades by its owner as the upper floors remained vacant waiting for a tenant.
Now that Blink is going to occupy the 2nd and 3rd floors of the 5 story building, perhaps the building will be better maintained.
But as with new national chains occupying space at The Hub, we have to ask ourselves, will there still be a place for the mom and pop shops that stayed and thrived while everyone else left in the 70s and 80s? Last summer we reported on the dozens of vacant storefronts in and around The Hub as rents continue to rise and shops are forced to close or relocate further away from the South Bronx.
There has to be a way where these smaller businesses can continue to do business at the oldest shopping district in The Bronx, I mean why should they be pushed out now that it’s suddenly “cool” to be in The Bronx?
No official open date has been set for the new Blink Fitness as construction has recently just begun but you can sign up for notifications at their website.
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