Ron Amadeo, writing for Ars Technica:

According to a report from Crain’s New York Business, Google has scrapped plans for a flagship retail store in New York City. Google leased the 5,442 square foot space in New York’s SoHo district and apparently spent $6 million renovating the building in preparation for the first-ever standalone Google Store, but now it plans to sublease the space to another tenant.

Memory serves, this was going to be within a block of Apple’s bustling SoHo store. Pricy real estate. Incredible foot traffic. Only works if you can turn that foot traffic into paying customers.