For years now, there have been periodic attempts by local realtors and others to market JH as the next Park Slope, Carroll Gardens etc. -- but people who move here thinking the neighborhood is on the cusp of some transformative change will inevitably be disappointed.
I moved to JH in early 1999. Although the prices of coops have risen exponentially since then, there has been relatively little change in the business mix in all these years. So I am a little skeptical that things are likely to change all that much in the forseeable future either.
In a way, it is easy to see why there has not been greater change. Unlike some other areas, it seems to me there is no real need for a revitalization of JH -- the neighborhood is already quite vital and successful in its own right. In most important ways (with a few exceptions) , JH serves its residents very well in terms of the quality and availability of basic goods and services such as groceries, pharmacies, doctors, dentists, banks, dry cleaners, hardware stores, restaurants, bars etc. Most of these businesses seem to do a roaring trade and are unlikely to give way to boutiques or craft shops any time soon.
For me that is not really a problem -- I still find JH to be a uniquely interesting and alluring neighborhood in an increasingly homogenized city. (Not trying to score a political point, just a matter of personal taste/aesthetics.)
