By Kelly Rush

Now that it’s January and we’ve eaten far too much and feel disgusted with ourselves, I thought I’d mention a health food restaurant and some non-food openings in Lower Manhattan including a medical facility that specializes in pain management, though just the physical variety, so keep your therapist. We have a lot of new openings on the horizon, particularly in Battery Park City around the Goldman Sachs building. Stay tuned and healthy so you can get out and enjoy them. As usual, if you see any new retailers or spot changes to a long-time friend, please email me at tre@downtownny.com and I’ll check them out

Maxwell Medical – 99 Wall Street, 10^th Floor
(212) 952-9355 | www.maxwellmed.com

“You should never wake up with pain.” That’s Maxwell Medical’s mantra, and they take it seriously. I violate this rule every day, so I stopped in for a massage and was rewarded with a pain-free neck and shoulders the next morning. The multi-disciplinary medical center specializes in physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, sports medicine and manual therapy (a more specialized form of massage therapy). They’re against medicine—as far as pharmaceuticals are concerned, Marketing Director Erum Hussain said. The idea is to find out what is causing a patient’s pain, whether it’s the way she sits at her desk at work or the remnants of an old sports injury, and treat through therapy instead of medicating. The staff also incorporates diet and exercise consulting into treatment plans. “It’s not just rehabilitation; it’s about a lifestyle,” Hussain said.

TJ Maxx – 14 Wall Street
(212) 587-8459 | www.tjmaxx.com

Da da da-da da da da-da TJ Maxx! The retailer with the catchy, classic theme song (click here for some nostalgia) is open and ready for bargain hunters. Walk through the brass gate on Nassau Street between Wall and Pine streets, take a trip down the escalator (but don’t trip down the escalator) and peruse designer handbags, clothing, shoes and home décor at discount prices. In other words, you’ll get the max for the minimum, minimum price.  I stopped in recently and found a wide selection of everything you’d need to stay warm, including coats, hats, scarves and some cashmere items for people tiring of warm but scratchy wool.

Pier 15

The stretch of waterfront south of the Seaport has a new place for visitors to sit, stroll and enjoy views of the East River. Pier 15 features an upper and lower deck with benches and grassy lawns which I predict will become very popular in the spring. The lower level contains two glass-paneled buildings; one will house a restaurant and the other will house a maritime museum. The way the deck was designed with steps leading down to the water gives you the feeling you could dip your toes in, but you can’t, and in this weather, you wouldn’t want to anyway.

Basics Plus — 85 John Street
(212) 791-6870 | www.basicsplus.com

Founded in 1989 at the corner of University Place and 13^th Street, the first Basics Plus store sold everything from keys and hardware to an expanding line of household products. The retailer recently opened a new location in the Financial District, focusing on housewares. It’s known as “the corner store that carries everything,” and customers can find well-known kitchen staples such as Cuisinart and Simplehuman or try out the efficiency of eco-friendly cleaning products such as Mrs. Meyers or Totally Bamboo.

Beans and Greens – 245 Murray Street
(212) 786-4760

Beans and Greens’ grand opening presages a host of new retail offerings in Battery Park City, which is growing so fast it’s hard to keep track. You won’t find produce treated with pesticides at this organic eatery. Their menu features organic Stumptown Coffee, organically farmed greens and organically farmed dairy.

The café has several different stations where patrons can choose their toppings, including a yogurt bar, an omelet bar and a salad bar. Or, choose a chef-inspired entrée salad such as the sweet greens salad with dried cranberries, candied walnuts, veggies and grilled chicken, or the vegan Mediterranean with chick peas, falafel, veggies and tossed in a spicy Tahini sauce.

North End Grill and Blue Smoke– Goldman Sachs Building, Battery Park City

I mentioned a host of new openings in Battery Park City and would be remiss if I didn’t point out these two highly-anticipated restaurants. They’ve just opened and are serving limited menus at the moment, but I’ll have more details in my next column.

Closings:

Milk Street Café – 40 Wall Street
Duane Reade on – 147 Fulton Street

For more information on retailers in Lower Manhattan, visit the Alliance for Downtown New York at www.DowntownNY.com. You can check out an interactive map with details on hours, locations and services and search the events calendar. Or, stay connected through the Downtown Alliance iPhone app, available for download on the website.