‘I made a big sacrifice when I got into debt two years ago to start this business,’ one bodega owner whose shop was ransacked told El Diario. ‘I did it for my family’s well-being, but also for the community.’
On a recent weekday, the scene on Eighth Avenue was reminiscent of the hustle and bustle before the pandemic. Between 60th and 56th streets about half the shops had reopened, with fresh fruit and vegetable vendors pitching their wares to customers, World Journal reports.
‘The city has practically turned into a ghost town. It is hard to say how long we will be able to function like that. I don’t even want to think now about closing down and firing workers. They are struggling too,’ the owner of Cracovia Deli in Boro Park told Biały Orzeł.
In 1945, near the end of the WWII, the city instituted commercial rent control as an emergency wartime measure, authorized by the state. Advocates are calling for a similar response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Small business advocacy groups say the administration and the City Council are making small steps but there is much more work to be done in protecting and sustaining small businesses across the five boroughs.
Small business owners in Flushing and College Point are protesting the planned opening of a new wine mega-store in the neighborhood, Sing Tao Daily reports.
Inwood’s rhythms and feel seem unchanged a year after the rezoning. But physical changes are underway, with more to come.
‘The city must adopt a penalty on commercial vacancies to hold unscrupulous landlords accountable … and discourage further displacement of neighborhood small businesses.’
New parking restrictions on Roosevelt Avenue are hurting Queens businesses, making it harder for customers to park, workers say. “They come in, they buy coffee, and they get a ticket,” one local shop worker said.
‘Even though the Small Business Jobs Survival Act has garnered the support of the majority of the Council, it is being denied a hearing and a vote. ‘
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