Ranking Commercial Unit Tenants

I would have thought Doctor’s offices are pretty good too assuming separate entrance. Perhaps some type of high end retail / personal care. Also depends on what your starting point is in terms of what you have now or had before.

Restaurants bad, especially since when money gets tight even those with good intentions turn into "lounges" with loud music and drunken patrons throwing up and causing a ruckus outside at all hours (see what's going on Steinway Street).

Supermarkets aren't just vermin but noise from tractor trailers making overnight deliveries.

Dry cleaners can be highly toxic depending on what the do on premises.

Anyplace can be a nuisance - even a French Fry shop or a Sweatshirt store if they don't respect the neighborhood.

https://www.boweryboogie.com/2020/06/despite-lockdown-bel-fries-overcrowded-ludlow-street-with-a-major-party-on-sunday/

https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/new-york/supreme-new-york-bouncer-release

And they look down on boomers...

I'd put bars, restaurants, and grocery stores at the top of my 'avoid at all costs' list, for the hassles of noise, smells, people, deliveries, and garbage. But non-food retail still has overnight deliveries, and garbage (cleaner though?), and if a place becomes wildly popular, crowds of people (though maybe not throwing up on the sidewalk). A low-traffic specialty boutique (Tender Buttons, costume jewelry shop, card and paper shop) would be much more desirable. Or an art gallery. Offices of a small-ish private foundation would be best.

It appears that there's lots of commercial space available (and probably more to come), so the market may be pretty competetive. To what extent can you actively recruit a desirable tenant and give them a deal on rent because you want their particular non-problematic business for an extended period?

I agree with the general characterization, but I would say that living in a building with a supermarket as a commercial tenant was nowhere near as bad as I expected. I loved the unit, so I bought it fully aware of the supermarket - but it turned out to be more upside than downside. Other than the occasional rotisserie chicken smell in the hallways (which was occasional, not constant, but it did reach the 20th floor...) there wasn't much more to it than that. The building didn't have a pest problem - deliveries blended in with normal street noise and their garbage was well around the corner so it wasn't an issue. I expected worse - was pleasantly surprised that the convenience of having the store right downstairs far outweighed the downsides.

NIMCU doesn't have quite the same ring as NIMBY.

I'm pretty sure the Steiner Building at 257 West 17th St had a lot of complaints about the Gristede's in their commercial space, but apparently they didn't like a gym either.
https://nypost.com/2015/01/31/judge-shutters-chelsea-crossfit-location-over-noise-complaints/

Seems that this depends more on the design of the building than the tenant themselves. I lived directly above a Whole Foods and loved it, since I could go to the store in the winter without leaving the building. I also was in a building with three floors of commercial space including a post office, FedEx, several restaurants, bars, a grocery store, dry cleaner, a big box store, etc. In both cases, the entrances were very separate (facing different streets) and there was good physical separation because the parking took several floors above the commercial space and below the residential area, which created a sound and vermin barrier. But the building was internally linked if you knew the right hallways and doors, so the commercial area was a big positive, esp in winter.

I was also in a building with a restaurant that occasionally rented its space for events and blasted music throughout the building. It also wasn't accessible without going outside, which made it pretty much useless in my view. Doctor's offices are also useless (unless you need a good proctologist on a regular basis).

As much as we hate bank branches, they're pretty ideal. I've heard they play hard and lowball the rent they're willing to pay.

What about a nice Judaica store?

A friend of mine owned an underground lapdance club over a Judaica store. They were never a problem.

Pick the one that is able to pay rent even during lock down. So you won't be forced to raise maintenance to cover the loss of rent income.

30, that's not "good Shabbos," that's great Shabbos.

ali r.

30, is this where 'dimples' performed?