RIVER LOFTS, a condominium at Laight and West Streets in TriBeCa, has attracted buyers like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, who live in a spectacular all-white apartment. At the same time, the building’s exterior has required such extensive repairs that, for much of the four years since it opened, it has looked more like a construction site than a posh residence.

But through all its travails, one thing hasn’t changed about the building: Its vast ground-floor retail space, advertised as having 125 feet of Hudson River frontage, has never been occupied. The commercial broker, Sinvin Real Estate, has been offering potential tenants 18 months’ free rent, but hasn’t leased the space.

A blank storefront on a prominent site may not be easy on the eyes or good for the building’s image. But is it a bad thing for the residents and the condo’s finances in general? The answer is, probably not.

After all, a 99-cent store or a noisy bar could have a negative effect on condominium prices, which is why real estate experts say that the wrong business can be worse for a building than no business at all. Developers are loath to bring in delis, dry cleaners and discount stores; everyone would like a Marc Jacobs boutique or, at the very least, a bank. Many developers have therefore been biding their time, rather than do anything to hurt the value of the residential units over the stores.