Flatiron is in shambles.
The once-thriving Manhattan business district is now a virtual wasteland littered with empty storefronts — with locals blaming spiking crime and the Big Apple’s disastrous post-pandemic retail real estate market.
“Big Box” retailers — including Lowes, Bed Bath & Beyond and Staples — have fled in the last few years, leaving one of the city’s shopping meccas peppered with vacant retail space.
Businesses who are trying to hang on have been plagued by rampant shoplifting and thefts, according to workers and city crime statistics.
“Business is horrible,” said Tenzin Tsethar, manager of The Wine Gallery at Sixth Avenue and West 16th Street.
“Some people have tried opening up new businesses in the empty stores on Sixth Avenue, but most didn’t survive four or five months.
“Inflation is through the roof,” he noted. “How can you balance your expenditures and income? Work from home has also hurt our businesses because so many corporate buildings are vacant.”