SoHo Store Irks Neighbors

The crowds and traffic attracted to the SoHo (NYC) store special events has begun to wear on neighboring residents and businesses, prompting a district association to call the Apple store “the worst neighbor in SoHo.” As reported by the Curbed Web site, The SoHo Alliance has written for help from the Manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, saying that, “No bar, nightclub or construction site comes close to ruining continually our quality-of-life like Apple SoHo has.” In the letter, Alliance director Sean Sweeney said the “final straw” was the August 12th appearance of the Jonas Brothers at the SoHo store that attracted “thousands of young teenage girls who screamed incessantly.” Sweeney cited other acts of “irresponsible corporate behavior” by Apple, including night construction without a permit, and “Apple employees during their breaks lounging, eating, smoking, littering–in effect trespassing–on nearby people’s stoops.” He asked for the borough president’s help in solving the situation.