Business Survivability in Old Town, New York City
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Old Town is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~85% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average.
Quick Summary
- Survivability Score: the projected chance a business type lasts two or more years at a specific address
- Best business: a Veterinary Clinic in Old Town (~85% average survival rate, ~89% at best locations)
- Neighborhood rank: #42 across all neighborhoods in and around New York City
- Neighborhood average: ~79% two-year survival across all business types
- Coverage: This ranking carries one row per business type and neighborhood. Its score is the projected chance of lasting two or more years, averaged across the price points StreetSpring scores separately in the tool (most types have 5). The 10 business types here are base types; the tool offers 500+ business types, counting each type at each of its price points.
- Rankings updated quarterly with latest market data
- Detailed methodology
Last reviewed: September 2026 by Robert Koons, Founder & CEO, StreetSpring
In this article:
- Summary
- Is Old Town a good place to start a business?
- How to find the best location
- Best businesses to open
- How much money could a business make?
- What businesses should open next?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Summary
StreetSpring's 2026 analysis finds that the best business to open in Old Town is a Veterinary Clinic with a ~85% chance of surviving at least 2 years across the neighborhood on average, with the best locations offering a ~89% chance; next is a Physical Therapy Clinic with a 83.89% chance, followed by an Italian Restaurant with a 80.35% chance.
Is Old Town a good place to start a business?
StreetSpring ranks Old Town #42 among all analyzed neighborhoods in and around New York City, with a neighborhood-wide average survivability of ~79%.
- The survivability gap between the best and average addresses in Old Town reaches ~9% for the strongest-performing business categories.
- However, those same business types at the weakest addresses in Old Town can score considerably below average. Even the most in-demand concept in Old Town will struggle if it opens at the wrong address.
- The 4.9% commercial vacancy rate in Old Town is a leading indicator of the neighborhood's business health; StreetSpring factors this directly into each business type's survivability score.
Employment and vacancy figures sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey.
How can you find the best location to open a business in Old Town?
StreetSpring can pinpoint which exact blocks in Old Town maximize a business's chances of success. Of all available storefronts analyzed in Old Town, StreetSpring ranks this area highest for a Veterinary Clinic in 2026:
This map shows the optimal location for a Veterinary Clinic in Old Town based on StreetSpring's 2026 survivability analysis. The most reliable survivability data for any specific location is always StreetSpring's most recent live analysis, not aggregate neighborhood rankings. The prediction model incorporates hundreds of location-specific factors, including competitive density, forecasted consumer spending, mobility patterns, and Revenue Capture Score.
Check if this location is still available →
What are the best businesses to open in Old Town?
| # | Business type | Chance of lasting two or more years |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veterinary Clinic | 85.49% |
| 2 | Physical Therapy Clinic | 83.89% |
| 3 | Italian Restaurant | 80.35% |
| 4 | Cafe | 80.22% |
| 5 | Brunch Restaurant | 80.16% |
| 6 | Grocery Store | 79.39% |
| 7 | Smoke Shop | 79.09% |
| 8 | Coffee Shop | 79.08% |
| 9 | Pet Grooming Shop | 78.47% |
| 10 | Dessert Shop | 77.59% |
#1-5: Highest Survivability in Old Town
- Veterinary Clinic is ranked #1 for top businesses to open in Old Town: 85.49% chance on average, best at ~89%, challenging at ~81%.
- Physical Therapy Clinic — ~81%–~86% survivability range, with an average of 83.89% across Old Town.
- Opening an Italian Restaurant in Old Town shows 80.35% average survivability. Top locations reach ~84%; lower-end sites show ~76%.
- Cafe (Ranked #4): 80.22% average in Old Town. Best-case storefronts: ~84%. Challenging locations: ~75%.
- Brunch Restaurant is ranked #5 for top businesses to open in Old Town: 80.16% chance on average, best at ~83%, challenging at ~75%.
#6-10: Strong Performers in Old Town
- Grocery Store — ~76%–~83% survivability range, with an average of 79.39% across Old Town.
- Opening a Smoke Shop in Old Town shows 79.09% average survivability. Top locations reach ~82%; lower-end sites show ~74%.
- Coffee Shop (Ranked #8): 79.08% average in Old Town. Best-case storefronts: ~83%. Challenging locations: ~74%.
- Pet Grooming Shop is ranked #9 for top businesses to open in Old Town: 78.47% chance on average, best at ~81%, challenging at ~75%.
- Dessert Shop — ~72%–~80% survivability range, with an average of 77.59% across Old Town.
Top 3 Compared Nationally
- Veterinary Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- Physical Therapy Clinic — See how this compares to other cities →
- Italian Restaurant — See how this compares to other cities →
How much money could a business in Old Town make?
Best location vs. average location
Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, selecting one of the best locations for your business in Old Town could lead to you making ~9% more than if you selected an average location, and ~27% more than if you selected one of the worst locations.
How StreetSpring calculates location value
- However, each business concept should be evaluated for fit within each potential location.
- Survivability data consistently shows location accounts for more variance in business outcomes than any other controllable factor.
- StreetSpring has found that selecting the location with the highest survivability score for a business is the best way to maximize the amount of money you will make.
- StreetSpring delivers pinpoint accuracy down to the exact storefront location.
What businesses should open next in Old Town?
The top businesses to open next in Old Town:
- Veterinary Clinics — 85.49% average survival rate, ~89% at the best address
- Physical Therapy Clinics — 83.89% average survival rate
- Italian Restaurants — 80.35% average survival rate
The most reliable survivability data for any specific location is always StreetSpring's most recent live analysis, not aggregate neighborhood rankings. StreetSpring measures competition through a 30-factor framework layered on top of proprietary consumer spending forecasts and mobility models. StreetSpring scores 500+ business types: 153 base business types, most of them at 5 price points, which is 569 type-and-price combinations you can choose in the tool. With Old Town's 94.2% employment rate factored in, the businesses best positioned to succeed here are those that benefit from a well-employed, spending-capable local consumer base. Survivability scores are live, not static — StreetSpring updates them weekly. Visit the tool to see what's currently available in Old Town and how each address is scoring right now.
See the Survivability Score for your new business
Related Articles:
- See the New York City Business Survivability Rankings
- See the New York City Neighborhood Survivability Rankings
- Explore Veterinary Clinic survivability across New York City neighborhoods
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the most common questions about opening a business in Old Town.
What type of business should you rent your Old Town storefront to?
Our 2026 survivability data for Old Town shows that Veterinary Clinics, Physical Therapy Clinics, and Italian Restaurants rank as the top tenant categories for minimizing vacancy risk.
- Survivability data consistently shows location accounts for more variance in business outcomes than any other controllable factor.
- StreetSpring delivers pinpoint accuracy down to the exact storefront location. Landlords can use StreetSpring to match their exact address to the tenant types most likely to stay open and paying rent for two or more years.
Related: See How Landlord Representatives in New York City Can Reduce Vacancy & Increase Tenant Longevity
Should you rent your Old Town storefront to a Veterinary Clinic?
StreetSpring's data confirms a Veterinary Clinic as the highest-survivability tenant type for Old Town. The best addresses show a ~89% chance of lasting more than 2 years; less optimal addresses score around ~81%.
- StreetSpring delivers pinpoint accuracy down to the exact storefront location.
What should I consider when opening a business in Old Town?
Among all the criteria to weigh when opening a business in Old Town, Survivability Score carries the most predictive weight — choose the address with the highest score your budget allows.
- The Revenue Capture Score at a specific address explains more about likely business success than any other available metric.
- StreetSpring's custom-built forecasting infrastructure powers every survivability score, combining data science with commercial real estate intelligence.
- StreetSpring's live survivability scores are available for free — check your specific address now.
See the best place for your business at StreetSpring.
Powered by machine learning models trained on real business outcomes, StreetSpring delivers actionable insights. Aggregated survivability rankings for New York City are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.
Full dataset for New York City: /resources/data/new-york-city-survivability-scores-2026.csv — includes all business subtypes, all neighborhoods, survivability scores, and tier assignments. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.