Rubens/Block of Winick transforms Maiden Lane

Five years after Winick Realty Group executive vice president Darrell Rubens and director Lee Block first began proliferating Maiden Ln. with food tenants, the pair are now extending this restaurant market around the corner to Pearl St. Rubens and Block had transformed Maiden Ln. with retailers like Chipotle, Dunkin Donuts, Subway, Gristedes, Just Salad, Hot Clay Oven and Good Burger, which will soon reopen as the Clarke Standard. The pair also recently leased the first-ever Manhattan location for sandwich purveyor Jersey Mike's on the street. What they soon found was that "high demand and a lack of retail space on Maiden Ln. meant the market was ready to expand beyond that street," said Rubens and Block. The opportunity to do so came about as the former HSBC space at the back of 100 Maiden Ln. came to market for the first time in many years. "We were able to put in exciting new tenants and revitalize not only Pearl St. but also Cedar St., two blocks that were barely known within the Financial District, let alone throughout New York City," they said. In order to maximize value for their landlord and add a greater variety of tenants for the tourists, professionals and residents who frequent the area, Rubens and Block divided the 4,800-square-foot site into three small restaurant spaces. Vegetarian quick service restaurant Terri, Yushi Asian Kitchen and Roti Mediterranean Grill quickly filled the availabilities, which sit next door to the former AIG headquarters that is currently being converted into luxury rentals. "That only further confirms that this is a seven-day, breakfast, lunch and dinner market," Block and Rubens said. All three locations will be open within the next month or two thanks to delays brought about by Hurricane Sandy, which devastated Lower Manhattan. "After the storm, the tenants were happy to work with us and the landlord to get back on track," said Rubens and Block. "We improvised as needed and all of them were able to persevere. "Food tenants do extremely well down there," the brokers continued, "and after surviving the aftermath of Sandy, we have no doubt all three of these new locations will do exceptionally well on Pearl Street."