Lincoln Road Landmark May Close Its Doors
MIAMI (CBS4) – Miami Beach's Lincoln Road is an oasis of shops, restaurants and a great spot to spend the afternoon people watching.
It's not so great, however, for some of the small 'mom & pop' stores who say they are being pushed out to make way for national chains.
For almost two decades, David's Café II has been a staple of the famous street, serving cafecitos and Cuban cuisine. But they could soon be pouring their last café Cubano.
"Being a mom and pop business it's hard to compete with the bigger stores," said owner Adrian Gonzalez.
After 19 years, David's Cafe II will likely close due to rent hikes.
"Everything is skyrocketing, with cost of living but the rent is a big issue for us right now," said Gonzalez.
Last Friday H & M opened up its pop up store on Lincoln Road which will be great for bargain buyers but bad for small boutique type stores which are becoming fewer and fewer at the pedestrian mall.
Developer Michael Comras said the shift is a good thing, national stores bring more tourists and more money to the city. However, he sees the impact it is having on stores already there.
"With that you have rising rent and a lot of demand for space," said Comras. "There's only so much space with a lot of demand. That's causing this increase in rent."
So stores that don't pay or can't afford the higher rents are being forced to move to less expensive areas. Comras said he believes this is what keeps the city growing.
"David's will likely go to another area or other areas right around Miami Beach and set up shop, that will set a trend for another area," said Comras.
Gonzalez, however, is reluctant to move.
"We feel like we are one of the pioneers of Lincoln road and it's kind of sad we may be leaving," said Gonzalez.
While Gonzalez isn't 100 percent sure they are leaving, he did say they were considering their options. If they do decided to close their doors on Lincoln Road, it will happen at the end of July.
