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November 4, 2009
In the Shadow of Yankee Stadium, an Off Year
The New York Times
by Patrick McGeehan
The Congressional district surrounding the old Yankee Stadium was the poorest in the country. How has the new Yankee Stadium changed things?
By all reckoning, this should be the moment Saeed Alawy was waiting for. His shop, Pin Stripe Collectibles, sits just beyond the right field wall of the new Yankee Stadium, where Game 6 of the World Series will be played Wednesday night.
But Mr. Alawy and other merchants nearby said they had not benefited from the new stadium. In fact, many said that business was down significantly from previous years — running counter to predictions that the stadium would be an economic generator in the Bronx neighborhood.
For some businesses, the new stadium’s location disrupted foot traffic patterns that had been around for decades. For others, the allure of the stadium and all of its shops and food stands teamed up with the recession to siphon away too much business.
Expecting sympathy from the Yankees? Not if spokeswoman Alice McGillion is any indication.
Asked how the recession had affected the Yankees’ merchandise sales, she declined to discuss whether the team had taken in more or less money from selling souvenirs this season. “We’re not going to get into the revenues,” she said.
NoLandGrab: Where do you think mall-owner Bruce Ratner is going to steer traffic from Bruce Ratner's planned arena?
Posted by eric at November 4, 2009 8:43 AM