Over the weekend, I made a trip to the Paul Smith sale shop in Williamsburg. Even though it's become the cultural epicenter of the city that attracts tourists, models, their loyal stalkers and a load of trust fund kids, I discovered a unique measurement of time that I like to call the Present-Future.
The Present-Future is just an actualization of what life is like now and a vision of what it will be in the near future. Taking Williamsburg into consideration, in the past, it was a neighborhood with a strong Latino, Italian and Polish influence. Even before the birth of the hipster--a local home-grown creation--the young kids who settled the neighborhood were misfits, artists and musicians. They had a real sense of style and individuality. Naturally they attracted groupies, wannabes and white collared stiffs who wanted a way to escape their mundane reality.
And the Present-Future of Williamsburg is a series of high-rise condominiums that will keep sprouting up like mushrooms. With each new addition, they are accompanied by organic vegan tofu trucks served by chefs trained at the French Cordon Bleu. They source veggies from local rooftops alongside honey that's sold by the ounce at the same price of gold. The present is less stylish and the future will be even less so. Instead of the mix-and-match style that Williamsburg used to be known for, I only saw the same gaggle of girls with the same Chanel bags and the preppy guys with boat shoes.
The original creative types have been pushed out. The neighborhood is on the same evolutionary path as once-bohemian Soho. Nowadays, it's easier to find a designer store than it is to find an art studio or gallery on Spring Street, which it was known for in the past.
Gentrification used to be a dirty word. But now it's just the norm. It has a life cycle that enters a Present-Future. Pretty soon, the Paul Smith sale shop will be a full-priced shop. The future Prada store will be an amazing virtual store on the water next door to a one day to be built Crate & Barrel. There will be $800 shoes strutting up and down Bedford Ave to one of the many high-rises. And the original hipster look will be recycled by a designer in 10 years time and s/he will resell it as nostalgia to a new generation looking to connect with a past they don't understand.
YES
Just like fashion, neighborhoods change along with the times. Don't fight it, just go along for the ride.
NO
I haven't discovered where the new it neighborhood is in the city. A part of me hopes that the exciting artist community still exists but I wouldn't be surprised if it's no longer within one of the five original boroughs. This past week, I actually looked into going to Marfa, TX just to check out their art scene before the Present-Future takes hold of that small artsy town.
MAYBE
Reverse gentrification may be a thing in the far distant future but I just won't be here to witness it.
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