Fulton Times—the change of Fulton Street
Since I came to New York, I always walked to school, I never take any trains or buses to school, so it is so difficult to me to find the way out of the station and the way to my college. I still remember that was the first day of my school, I took the A train in Fulton Street and stopped at the station at Fulton, Jay street. I thought I lost and never left the Fulton Street in Manhattan, but the train did move in the same direction and pass through a stop. Therefore, I got out of the station and finally I found out where am I?
Brooklyn Fulton Street, the same street name in Manhattan downtown. It is named after Robert Fulton, who owned the monopoly business of steam ferries. In that time, the only way traveled to Manhattan and Brooklyn is by the steam ferries, and these two Fulton Street is where the steam ferries linked with. So as we can see Robert Fulton is the huge character in hundred year ago and his name still remain on today local history.Even thought Fulton’s monopoly steam ferries business is no longer exist now, the monopolistic businese along the Fulton Street still going on;(thesis) and the rent cause and effect the business competition along the street.
The retail business along Fulton Street cannot go without its transportation. From the past century, the road structure has great change and influence the area efficiently. Fulton Street has been a marketplace since early 19th century, for example, the Orpheum Theater between Fulton Street and Flatbush Avenue, “the street is full of pedestrians. A trolley track line was next to the (Orpheum) Theater and an over pass train track as well” (Afo). Today, there are no more train lines and train track, the MTA subway trains and buses replace the streetcars. And it easier for people come to Fulton Street and shop along the street. The great transportation gather the lots of customers to this street, the store owners have more chance to sell their products; however, too much customers give the land lords a opportunity to increase the rent.
From the last century, people are more flavors to the local stores on Fulton Street, like the shops that sell hip-hop fashion, cellphone, sneaker and gold jewelry… however, in recent years, those local and independent shops are disappeared, since they cannot afford the high rent in that area and the competition with national chain stores. According to article “National Retailers Discover Fulton Street Mall in Brooklyn”, an associate director at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Retail, Hymie Dweck said, “rent on Fulton Street were always around $150 to $200, but they are pushing past that now” (Julie Satow). For the small retailers this is like putting a feather on a horse whose already carries 999.99 kilograms goods on its back—-push it to fall. The owner of Stellar European Design, Sam Yung Kim said “driving up rents beyond $200 a square foot that may make it impossible for him to remain when his lease comes up for renewal in a year” (Joseph Berger). For the small retailers, rent is one of the important factors that they cannot compete with the national stores.
The disappearance of those local stores make some people worry that Fulton Street will lose the African-American and Caribbean-American customers, since they like the unique style and bright color clothing, which make them show off their figure. On the other hand, “some small stores are pleased with the chains’ arrival. ‘They bring more people in this area and it’s better,’ said Frank Flower, an Egyptian immigrant who owns a hole-in-the-wall shop that sells gold chains and earrings” (Berger, Joseph).
Do the national chain stores joining in Fulton Street really change the whole community? Weiner, deputy director of the Pratt Center for Community Development who also worried about the unbalance between national retailer, local retailer and the independent shops did a survey in 2006, asking the architectural significance of the mall’s buildings, and found out that street is “functioning like a traditional marketplace, where people see people they know and come to network and socialize as well as shop.” Weiner believed Fulton Mall has not lost its character.

Cited Work
Aqbere, Dawuda(Afo), “Vaudeville Project-Orpheum.” What is Vaudeville? The Brooklyn Experience. OpenLAB AT CITY TECH, November 7, 2013. Web. November 20, 2013
Berger, Joseph. “On Fulton Street, Worries about Change.” The New York Times Online 20 September 2013. 20 November 2013.
Satow, Julie. “National Retailer Discover a Brooklyn Mall.” The New York Times Online 28 August 2012. 20 November 2013.