As a developer of over 100 shopping centers spanning over 21 million square feet of retail space throughout his career, Malinsky says Curbcut succeeds at finding sites that other people “don’t see.”

“Most people would not necessarily recognize this, but New York City is under-stored, meaning that the amount of square footage we have dedicated to retailing versus the population is way below the national average,” he says, noting that the city has 55 square feet of retail per person, and in Brooklyn, there’s only 23 square feet per person. “The difference is dramatic. We are under-stored and we are creating new neighborhoods. As a result of the recession, over the last four years nationally, retail expansion has been dramatically slowed or stopped, and retailers need to grow. They now realize if they want successful growth, New York City is the place. That sets the stage for real demand.”

Malinsky – a former real estate executive at Waldbaum’s and vice chair of development at A&P – cut his teeth in the retail business working on making decisions for the supermarket’s real estate needs. Next up at Curbcut, he says neighborhoods like Long Island City, Astoria and Williamsburg are all prime candidates going forward, defining its strategy as ‘great neighborhoods, grand openings.’

“We don’t want to do what’s called cannibalistic expansion, which is at the sake of other retailers,” he says. “We want to go into the neighborhoods that need fresh 21^st century retailing. Overall, we want to compliment our successful retail neighborhoods.”