Wynwood retail becomes a little more mainstream

Retailers in Wynwood have experienced changes within the area and are enduring their effects. Smaller independent retailers are frequently replaced with well-known stores as rent costs rise in the area.

Wynwood is known for its electric ambiance and artistic safe-space. From construction to new stores, it is constantly in renovation and on the rise to housing restaurants, nightclubs and big-brand names. What was once a getaway for upcoming artists and business start-ups has now become inhabited with larger well-known stores at high rents.

“The retail scene when we initially moved into the neighborhood was far more independent boutiques and up-and-coming brands,” said Clara Lago Rashidian, founder and CEO of Pītusa, a retail store in Wynwood, “whereas now it’s a bit more mainstream, a bit more multinational, bigger brands.”
Along with such a widely recognized neighborhood, high rents tend to drive retail tenants away with no choice but to find affordable locations. Ms. Lago Rashidian’s retail store has been open five years and she has seen how rent increases have affected neighboring stores.

“Some people have stayed, but since the rents got so high they had to, you know, change somewhere else in the neighborhood,” said Ms. Lago Rashidian.

Additionally, a current obstacle the retail scene is facing is the lack of parking available to customers. The combination of construction and limited parking has impacted the stores. Many visitors are unaware of the construction and stores have seen the effects first hand.

“There is a lot of construction, which does affect sales,” said Ms. Lago Rashidian, “because it’s hard to park and people are just – you know, locals avoid the area. It’s a big tourist area. Maybe a lot of tourists when they come they don’t know, like, such crazy roadworks and buildings being constructed. Of course, this has an impact on sales. How can it not? But on the upside is that it’s becoming a far more residential area.”

Changes in the neighborhood have been acknowledged by different owners. Wynwood’s retail scene continues to see an increase in visitors as the area develops.

“The area has been growing a lot,” said Martina Mikova, owner of The Bridal Project, a retail store in Wynwood. “Since we started, definitely traffic increased in general but also in terms of our clients visiting the store, people walking on the streets, increased movement since we started.”

Despite this increase in traffic, store owners say, Wynwood’s nightlife has led to vandalism on stores’ exteriors. The atmosphere in Wynwood also changes from what it is by day to what it is by night.

“The thing is, it [the area] has become more residential, but it still has some dangerous neighboring areas and I know that there was recently a shooting right outside our store,” said Ms. Lago Rashidian. “So you still have a little bit of that. It gets very crazy at night because you have a lot of bars around. Sometimes we get vandalism on our windows, that sort of thing.”

Such destruction of property is taken care of by the landlord, said Ms. Lago Rashidian. Her retail store has taken precautionary measures such as having protected windows and alarms. However, it does not erase the effect the nightlife causes on the retail scene.

As Wynwood continues to change and develop, its ability to contribute to the city’s lively nature with its meaningful and artistic essence continues to place this neighborhood as one of Miami’s must-see locations.

“You know, it’s [Wynwood] still got a kind of unique element to it despite everything and rents going up,” said Ms. Lago Rashidian.

“There’s a unique element to the shopping experience you don’t really find in the rest of Miami,” she said. “Like the rest of Miami, shopping areas and, like, a lot of them are malls, right? And you find the same sort of brands that you find everywhere, right? Your kind of high street brands, so to speak.

But I think you’ve got little boutiques that are selling emerging designs, sort of thing, few cool gift shops, a few cool men’s stores. So there is still like, a cool vibe to it, which I think is nice and I think that’s been well preserved.”