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By Mary Frost
Most residents and shopkeepers in Brooklyn Heights agree that staid old Montague Street could certainly use a breath of fresh retail.
For that past several years the Heights’ main drag has been just that – a drag. Cellphone outlets, banks and real estate offices are scattered between the generic Banana Republic, Häagen-Dazs and Starbucks chains, with just a few independent shops and restaurants providing spice. Foot traffic is especially lacking on the north side of the street.
So when the word spread that a chic new Ricky’s NYC was moving into the site of the former Tapestry Day Spa at 107 Montague Street, there was a flurry of excitement.
“I love Ricky’s!” Boerum Hill resident Marj Kleinman said. “It’s fun and funky and I shopped at it all the time when I worked in SoHo. They have good products, wonderful gifts and a great atmosphere. I don’t know if I can picture it in a small Brooklyn neighborhood, but maybe Boerum Hill is still funky enough for it.”
“I Looove Ricky’s,” Terry Naini, vice president at Prudential Douglas Elliman said. “I go to the one in SoHo and buy things for my little girls — like soap and hair pins and hair rubbers, etc.Bring it on.”
“Ricky’s is the first place that comes to mind if I was ever hard-pressed to find a blue wig,” says Craig Hammerman, district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 6 “It’s a New York City institution.”
For those not in the target demographics, Ricky’s – called a “beauty utopia” by Harper Bazaar – is a funky beauty emporium loaded with makeup, hair dye, temporary tattoos, “fabulously fake” wigs, body glitter, and more. The company plans to open its Montague Street store by September 1.
So far so good.
But then, there’s that back room. The one with the chocolate penises, vibrators and other sex toys, along with a month-long October celebration featuring trashy Halloween costumes.
And this is what has parents in Brooklyn Heights worried — especially parents of tween-age girls likely to be attracted to Ricky’s like moths to a candle. It doesn’t help that an eye-catching sign hanging in the front window advertises the coming of “The hottest, sickest, freakiest costume superstore in New York City.”
“My daughter is at the age where she loves streaking her hair and doing her nails,” said a Brooklyn Heights mother of a 13-year-old. “But I’m not thrilled with the idea of her seeing dildos hanging up in a shop on Montague Street. She’s just starting to walk around the neighborhood with her friends.”
“It’s a cheesy store but it fills a certain need we have in our society I suppose,” said Boerum Hill resident Steven Horowitz. “I think Spencer’s used to satisfy that niche when I was growing up. And I guess it’s kind of fun to wander around in there and look at all the novelty gifts. Where else can I buy ‘Pussy Whipped’ pills designed to give my brother ‘bigger cojones’ for his bachelor party? Though at the same time I feel kind of stupid and self-conscious when I walk around the store and catch myself chuckling at lowest-common-denominator jokes.”
The Brooklyn Heights Association, which has been promoting a more vibrant Montague Street, has posted a description on its web site of the type of retail the influential organization would prefer: stores catering to children and teens, household furnishings, athletic apparel, fine gifts and men’s clothing.
Does Ricky’s fit the bill?
“There is a need to increase footfall traffic in a way that will benefit other businesses,” Judy Stanton, executive director of the Brooklyn Heights Association, told us. “If Ricky’s does that for the existing stores, fine. But I hope Ricky’s understands that they may have to conduct the Brooklyn Heights store a little differently than their other stores.
“On Montague Street there may be a younger-age of unaccompanied child. We have 11-year-olds on the street at lunch time from Saint Ann’s.”
Promises to Tone It Down
Dominick Costello, president of Ricky’s NYC, reassured us that Ricky’s will tone it down in Brooklyn Heights. “We are doing a very scaled-down version of the adult room It will be on the lower level and there will be no other kid type merchandise on that level,” he said.
“It’s not porno – it’s really gag stuff bachelorette type of stuff.”
He said that children would not be allowed into the “adult” room, and that the store’s managers would be trained. “We do the best we can. Do things happen? Sure, but we try our best. It won’t be graphic stuff – there might be a vibrator with no picture.
“I have kids, my brother has kids. If we put everything downstairs that’s a little racy, maybe we won’t let kids downstairs at all. It’s hard to say because we’re not set up yet We’ll make our managers aware that that’s what parents want and we’ll take care if it,” he said.
“We’re approachable – not some big, bad company. We care about the needs of the neighborhood.”
Costello said that Ricky’s was thrilled about opening its first Brooklyn location. “From what we’ve seen, I think they need a store like this. We’ve opened more than 20 stores, but we don’t have many stores outside of Manhattan. This is a big milestone for us.”
He predicted that parents’ concern would die down after the first week or so. “People who buy at Ricky’s are people like you and me — we’re not drawing freaks. Our average customer we get from 12-year-old girls to 70-year-old women.
“We’re not pornographers – we’re beauty suppliers. The last thing we want to do is get people on our backsides.”
Much Ado About Nothing?
Ms. Naini is not worried about the “back room.” I am a parent of two and am not worried about the X-rated stuff. The kids are going to get into this stuff at some point. You can’t avoid it. My girls love Ricky’s. I think that section is usually in the back, so they don’t have to go through it for the other stuff.”
“It’s way in the back,” says Paula Ingram, of Ingram and Hebron Reality, the company that brokered the deal. “That’s not the focus of the store; 99 percent is all these other things I let the owners of the store decide what to sell,” she said.
Several Montague Street businesses are looking forward to the traffic that Ricky’s will bring.
“We’re happy,” said Richard B. Bernstein, one of the two managers of Heights Books at 109 Montague Street, right next door. “As far as we’re concerned, Ricky’s is a draw, with loyal clientele They’ll bring more business to this end of Montague Street.”
Bernstein wasn’t concerned about the racy back room. “They’re really good about watching over things,” he said. “They’re real vigilant about shoplifting. If they’re vigilant in that way they’ll be vigilant in other ways.”
“I’m delighted to see a potentially lively business coming to that side of the street,” said Don Evans, the resident representative on the board of the Montague Street Business Improvement District, and a photographer for this newspaper.
“My thoughts about this new store boil down to ‘wait and see,” said BHA’s Stanton. “The BHA would not have thought that Ricky’s is ‘what the doctor ordered for Montague Street,’ nor was Ricky’s or anything like Ricky’s on anybody’s lips when they talk about wishing this or that to come to Brooklyn Heights, but maybe it will turn out to be okay despite all my doubts.”
Michael Mastriano, owner of the popular clothing store Tango at 145 Montague Street said, “A store that’s taken is better than an empty store. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
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One of the more subtle displays in the back room of a Manhattan Ricky’s. Heights parents are concerned about their children’s access to Ricky’s adult-oriented interior.
Photos by Mary Frost
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‘Ricky’s is the first place that comes to mind if I was ever hard-pressed to find a blue wig,” says Craig Hammerman, district manager of Brooklyn Community Board 6 “It’s a New York City institution.”
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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