
The upscaling of Fulton Mall takes another step forward this week with Nordstrom’s May 1 opening at the Offerman Building.
Yeah, so Nordstrom Rack’s the discount version of the posh retailer. So what? It’s a big-time credit-worthy tenant. There’s a Nordstrom Rack in Union Square. Now there will be one in Brooklyn, too.
Albert Laboz’s United American Land has another tenant opening May 1 in the landmarked building at 505 Fulton St: Popular discounter T.J. Maxx, which is part of a big publicly traded company.
The two newcomers join Swedish powerhouse retailer H&M, which moved in last summer to a modern glass box UAL constructed alongside the historic Offerman Building.
As construction fencing has been removed from the 1890s-vintage Romanesque Revival property, it has become ever more apparent what a superb job the developer has done restoring its exterior.
We can’t wait to see what it will look like inside – especially the upstairs floors, which UAL is turning into condos, published reports indicate. Here’s hoping there will be a model apartment when the condos hit the market.
Nordstrom Rack is joining the parade of big-name and national tenants that have marched into Fulton Mall in recent years, making it ever more upscale – and pushing rents along the 17-block Downtown Brooklyn retail corridor to the high $200s per square foot.
Fulton Street was Brooklyn’s go-to retail place for shoppers in the 19th Century and the first half of the 20th Century. It fell on hard times in the 1970s – but by the 1990s had rebounded as a big money-maker populated by mom-and-pop electronics and jewelry stores.
In recent years, the big names that have decided to make Fulton Mall their home run the gamut from Shake Shack to Swarovski.
















SUNSET PARK — “As a resident of Marine Park, one of the great surprises I found biking around Industry City and visiting Japan Village was to discover Bush Terminal Park. I continue to be amazed at the serene hideaways that the city offers in some of the busiest places — and, still, with an iconic view.”

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — ‘A miracle that no one was killed …’ That’s what neighbors are saying about the collapse of the Hotel St. George marquee. Shown in this photograph are workmen beginning the removal and repair of the historic, old neon sign at the corner, referencing a relic of Brooklyn Heights’ past: the St. George Hotel.

ATLANTIC AVENUE — Exhausted shopper with cluster of bags and goods from mall at Boerum Place stops to look at huge construction site across the street. “Is that REALLY going to be a jail??” Her male companion is reassuring, “Nothing like Rikers … this is 21st Century.”
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS — Overheard in line at one of most popular pastry outlets on Montague Street: “Hope I can get them into a camp …” A mother with two pre-schoolers in tow was showing a friend the Dodge Y flyer for Healthy Kids Day on Saturday, April 18.