NYC steakhouse closes- proximity to Trump cited as one reason

here’s the letter:

Interesting, but Manhattan has a pretty high vacancy of street-level storefronts, including Fifth Avenue in the 40's, away from Trump.

The decor and menu were a bit dated.  The old decor was part of its charm, but not the type of place I would be a regular at.

I'm a regular at an Indian place a few doors down from it - on a second floor (Bengal Tiger).  I'll have to ask them if they've noticed any impact.  

May not be applicable in this case, but an interesting read:

How Manhattan Became a Rich Ghost Town: New York’s empty storefronts are a dark omen for the future of cities.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/new-york-retail-vacancy/572911/

I wonder about the  impact of the overbuilding of luxury high rise apartments that end up unoccupied. I've read that a fair number of these units get purchased as investments only, and are empty. Apparently many of the owners are foreigners looking for a place to invest cash. New York real estate has been a pretty safe bet for decades.

I'm not sure how many, but I have to imagine it has a chilling effect on local commerce. I think local residents are more likely to shop at locally owned stores.

I haven't really heard of this happening in that midtown east neighborhood, nor in the West Village like the Atlantic article covers. So I'm just musing.