Open Storefronts

Businesses

From the end of last month New York’s Mayor started working on helping businesses in the same way that restaurants had been helped – by permitting them to open on the streets, outdoors (coronavirus guidelines being kept) and thus still being able to conduct sales.

This makes things much easier for the business owners.  Rather than until now, having to stand outside without the products for sale and try to encourage consumers to ask for what they want, this means they can just browse as they walk on the streets. They can set up tables outside and put up a temporary sign. Umbrellas can be used to guard against the elements, etc.  A path measuring eight feet however, must be made available for pedestrians to walk unimpeded.

Known as the Open Storefronts program, approximately 40,000 businesses in NYC are eligible to apply.

New York Climate Control

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In cohesion with the guidelines set out by the CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act), that 70 percent of electricity is renewable by 2030, New York will be engaged in a “refocus” of its goals.  Within this, he New York State Public Service Commission has just approved the expansion of the Clean Energy Standard. It is hoped that ultimately – by 2040 – there will be a zero-emission. The state of New York will also be able to make a Request for Proposals for the renewable power generation sources in the plan’s implementation. 

According to Governor Cuomo: 

“We do not have time to waste in the fight against climate change and New York continues to lead by advancing the most aggressive policies in the nation to slow the warming of the planet. With this expansion of our Clean Energy Standard, we are further accelerating the State’s historic efforts to grow our onshore and offshore renewable capacity, and create thousands of good-paying clean energy jobs for New Yorkers that will power our economic recovery, while also ensuring a large share of the benefits go to communities and workers that have been historically disadvantaged.”

The New York Public Service Commission has commended the legislation put forward by Governor Cuomo for the creation of a clean and affordable energy system in the region.

Creativity in New York Helping During the Pandemic

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Creative ways of dealing with the pandemic in terms of financial stability are happening all around the world.  New York is no different.  Here we take a look at two cases.

In March of this year, florist Giovy Buyers had to let three of her works go as she closed the store.  Before closing however, she decided to take all of her remaining flowers to retirement homes.  She still thought she could maintain the business on some level though with funeral floral arrangements.  The problem was, her supply chain broke as she was not able to import flowers due to coronavirus.

So she found new suppliers, connected with local farmers markets and the City of Charlotte stepped in, offering small businesses grants.  She was given $10,000 in July from this initiative. To date, $20 million has been put toward such cases by the City of Charlotte in the “thrive” economic phrase.

In addition, Charlotte city established a workforce training program focusing on technology and renewable energy jobs, while giving out grants for companies to hire people who were let go for coronavirus-reasons.

Another creative way of helping people survive is the increase in no-fee rental listings in New York City.  In August between 75 to 85 percent of all Manhattan and Brooklyn rental lists eschewed brokers fees.  While these fees were decreasing anyway (due to the legislation passed last year which shifted the fees from renter to landlord in many cases), the law was still being challenged in court and it wasn’t as widespread as it is now.

With so many more rental properties available on the market, landlords are being forced to address the issue of high rents and high fees and respond accordingly which it seems they are doing.

Local Help and Optimism during COVID-19

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Local businesses that have been hit hard by COVID-19 could be eligible for assistance from new initiatives of The Alliance for Downtown New York.

The Restaurant Online Ordering Sponsorship Program is an initiative undertaken between the Alliance and BentoBox. Eligible restaurants will receive delivery and takeout platforms as a way of adding profitability to those services. Each business will be able to customize the plug-and-play e-commerce experience to their particular needs.

The other program has been undertaken in conjunction with Streetsense, offering Lower Manhattan based small businesses technical assistance in legal COVID-prepared requirements.

Another industry that has been struggling is wineries.  Merritt Estate Winery and Liberty Winery have both been hit and marketing director of the latter Beth Margolis explained that: 

“while business is definitely down – mostly because of the lack of tourism – we’ve been making changes to weather the storm and we’re slowly opening back up.”

Things were definitely extremely hard at the beginning but since then lots of changes have been made and now – at least for these wineries – a new normal is being embraced.

One example of this is the public tastings (small groups, reservations required) that the wineries have held.

New York Living?

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New York City as a place to live has lost a substantial amount of its appeal.  Gone are the days when people would do anything to rent out a converted garage space in Manhattan to be right in the center of it all.  Rather than overcrowding and poor quality rentals, people are looking in other areas to lay their hat.

In fact, the prices of Manhattan rentals has never been lower. People are not interested anymore in staying close by to work, well, because either they have  no work or their work is not centralized anymore.  As more and more of the workforce are being told they can work from home and schools are in limbo, now is becoming an increasingly popular time to move out of the city and into the burbs.

Engle & Volkers Real Estate agent Nicole Beauchamp asserted that: 

“It makes sense to come to sort of a medium point that works for both parties versus having a tenant move out and then having the vacancy and trying to fill the vacancy at a time when there’s a lot of choice for tenants. Compare what you’re in now to what you could move to and have that frank discussion with the landlord, that you’re here and you would like to stay and you would like an adjustment, or that you’re willing to go,”

CBS2’s Jenna DeAngelis was also informed that now, tenants are finding themselves in the rather unique position of being able to negotiate on prices with their landlords.  Not surprising since over 67,000 rental units were available in NYC as of July!

Miracle at Stonewall

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So many businesses are still shuttered, likely never to return to operations.  The coronavirus has done a serious number on SMEs as well as many self-employed.  At looked at one point as if The Stonewall Inn LGBTQ bar would follow suit. 

At the beginning of the pandemic, all the bars had to close in NYC.  Many couldn’t survive and were not able to return.  The Stonewall Inn is more than just a bar – it is viewed by many as the Greenwich Village “symbol of pride.”

So when a plea was put out for help to save the iconic bar, many responded and it was saved.  This led Stacy Lentz – one of the bar’s owners to claim that it really is a “community tavern,” and her and her co-owners are merely “keepers of the historic bar.”

The Stonewall Inn, an iconic location known worldwide for the important role it played in the battle for inclusion and equal rights for the LGBTQ community, was almost another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bar, along with all other watering holes in the city, was forced to close in mid-March as NYC began its long battle against coronavirus. But more than three months without being able to open nearly led to the Greenwich Village symbol of pride closing its doors for good. Then the owners put out a plea for help — and got plenty of responses.

Co-owner Stacy Lentz said that while they may be the keepers of the historic bar, it’s the community’s tavern — so they felt the public should know how much they were struggling.

Another restaurant close to bankruptcy with a happy ending was Gene’s Restaurant. A personal favorite of famed Sex and the [NY] City  actress Sarah Jessica Parker, when restaurants were allowed to re-open under coronavirus guidelines, Gene’s was not due to access blocking from Citi Bike docking stations.  Parker – a consumer of Citi Bikes herself – joined 7 On Your Side in advocating for the landmark.  Parker wrote:

“I’m happy to help move the @citibike rack just a bit east to make room for some outdoor seating. Whatever it takes.”

De Blasio responded and 20 bike docking stations were moved to accommodate the restaurant.  They will remain at the end of the street until the end of October 2020, when it is anticipated there will be another change in outdoor dining coronavirus laws.

Re-Opening of NYC

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It’s been a particularly trying time but even more so for parents of school age kids in the summer. These months are challenging enough as kids are not in school but usually there is a camp option. These have been limited.  And with reduced entertainment options it’s gotten even harder.

Thankfully last week some outdoor pools re-opened.  Areas with open air pools for the public included: Bronx (Crotona Park, Haffen Park, Mullaly Park), Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens (Astoria Park, Fisher, Liberty) and Staten Island.

Now we are looking at museums.  Not for right now but hopefully by the end of the month.  On August 29th plans are set for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to open, providing precautions are taken to protect staff members and the public. Two earlier dates were given but then taken back but hopefully this one will stick. Also set to open will be the Whitney Museum of American Art and an outdoor exhibition curated by the New York Historical Society.