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Subway retail comes in many shapes and sizes, bringing the MTA almost $70 million a year. Yet even though the 74th Street/Roosevelt Avenue hub in Jackson Heights, Queens underwent a $130 million renovation in 2005 that created 14 retail spaces, three spots in the station are still unrented.

"This is a shining example of MTA incompetence," said Queens Councilman Daniel Dromm.

Almost a year ago, with service cuts looming, elected officials complained, and now with the fare hike coming next month, frustration has only grown.

"They promised me that this store right here behind me would be open by September as a pizza parlor. As you can see, they've had a lot of success," said Dromm, gesturing at one empty space.

Street-level vacancies stand out where empty storefronts are rare. Underground, neighboring tenants would like to have more businesses nearby.

"Naturally, we'd like to see them full. This way, it attracts more business for us," said florist Greg Kyroglou of The Flower Concept.

The MTA rents the majority of what is available and generally gets good marks on retail, even in the slow economy.

"I'm sure that transit would like to rent as soon as humanly possible and get the income from it, so I'm hopeful that as things pick up, those stores will also be rented," said New York City Transit Riders Council Chairman Andrew Albert.

Another vacant two-story space in the transit hub was signed to a bakery in 2007, but it forfeited a $150,000 deposit this fall. It has been tough to rent the Broadway corner, where ventilation issues make it difficult for a food shop to move right in.

MTA officials hope brokers can speed things up. They say the situation at the Jackson Heights station is not the norm, and they expect a new approach to retail will add to the subway mix.

"Expectations are that it's not high-quality retail. And by high quality, I don't mean expensive, I just mean interesting, good design," said MTA Director of Real Estate Jeff Rosen. "The kind of place you'd want to stop and pick up something for convenience, but also for fun."

The new breed includes Grast, below 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue, which sells T-shirts and toys with an edge to a wide variety of customers.

"A lot of them are collectors, and a lot of them just want a good deal on a T-shirt," said Grast staff member Natalio Tabaco.

The MTA is not looking for anything fancy in Jackson Heights, either -- just its slice of retail.