Vanishing New York Backup

Yesterday was the SBJSA hearing before the City Council at City Hall. Thank you to everyone who showed up for the rally and the hearing itself, and thank you to Speaker Corey Johnson and the City Council for giving this the time and space it deserves. At noon, a large crowd of about 100 SBJSA supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall for a rally and press conference. David Eisenbach, who is running for Public Advocate, led the rally at which several people spoke on behalf of the bill. At the same time, supporters of REBNY, the powerful real estate lobby that opposes the bill, streamed in. At the gates they received blue baseball caps printed with a white slogan making the claim that the SBJSA is commercial rent control. (It is not.) The optics on this had an unsettling effect. Later in the day, SBJSA supporter James Klein said during his testimony, "If New Yorkers have learned anything over the last two years, we have learned that when a mob shows up in colored hats, New...

Everything we love will become salvage. The Demolition Depot just announced they're selling the interior of Glaser's Bake Shop, closed earlier this year after 116 years on the Upper East Side. via Instagram While they were unable to save the antique floor tiles, this could all be yours: "Elements include the beautiful, turn of the century wood showcases, having ample storage below, marvelous, upward sliding glass doors above and decorative fluted Ionic pilasters. The upper section of open cabinetry has original silvered mirrors, original milk glass upper panels, and marble counter top. Also available are Schoolhouse pendant fixtures, pressed tin ceiling, a vintage refrigerated case, and contemporary display cases." Black-and-white cookies not included.

Today's the day. Right now, we've got one weapon to fight the vanishing of New York and it's the Small Business Jobs Survival Act (SBJSA). If you've been following this blog, you know we've been fighting for this for years. Today, come to the rally and open public hearing at City Hall and let the City Council know: Enough is enough. Pass the SBJSA. 12:00 Rally & Press Conference 1:00 Public Hearing New York City Hall View the Facebook invites here and here . The SBJSA could have saved: The Lenox Lounge, Florent, Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, Big Nick's, Avignone pharmacy, St. Marks Bookshop, Colony Records, Bleecker Bob's, 8th Street Gray's Papaya, Bill's Gay 90s, The Stage Deli, Rocco's Ristorante, and so many more. But there's much left to save. If you can't be there today, here's what you can do: 1. Write and/or call your local Councilmembers--your messages go into the record--and tell them to pass the SBJSA: - Fill out...

A tipster friend tells us that the famous and just-shuttered Coffee Shop on Union Square is rumored to become yet another Chase Bank. He attended the post-closing auction this week and chatted with insiders there. They told him: 1. The space is going to Chase, 2. The rent was hiked to $3 million annually, and 3. Chase might be keeping the antique neon sign and re-doing the letters so it spells out CHASE instead of COFFEE SHOP. None of this is confirmed for sure, but if the sign switcheroo happens, it would be yet another example of New York City soul snatching , a.k.a. authentrification . (See also: Village Den , Rocco's , Bill's Gay 90s , and too many more to list.) Ironically, the original coffee shop here before Coffee Shop was called Chase--possibly Jack Chase in the 1950s. The name is still in the floor of the doorway. In the 1980s, it was Jason's Restaurant. photo by Karen Gehres , via Flaming Pablum Tax photograph Now it's empty, the pots and...

As we near the October 22 public hearing for the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, I want to think critically about the use of the phrase "Shop Local." First, let me be clear, I am not critiquing the act of shopping locally, which is important and necessary. I am critiquing the use of the injunction "Shop Local" by city leaders, which I believe is sometimes weaponized against the real possibility of systemic change to help save small, local businesses in the city. It is, quite simply, a way to deflect blame from the system and onto the individual, stopping progressive change in its tracks. I was struck this summer by the appearance of this deflection at a town hall meeting with Mayor de Blasio and City Council Member Helen Rosenthal on the Upper West Side. When an audience member asked what can be done to stop New York's mom and pops from vanishing , the mayor said that, while he supports a vacancy tax to stop landlords from leaving storefronts empty, ...

As we heard from Bowery Boogie earlier this week, the successful and beloved McNally Jackson bookstore on Prince Street in Soho is being forced to move. Why? The landlord wants “an enormous amount of rent,” Sarah McNally told AMNY . McNally added that she has "a contract on one space and has also identified another as a backup. She’s not announcing the final destination yet but it will be in Manhattan close to the original store." This is good news--but for how long? For over a decade of talking to countless small businesspeople pushed out by landlords who hiked the rent or denied lease renewals, I have found that many fail to relocate. Of those that do, many end up closing soon after. What's missing? Long leases. It was once customary for a small business to get a ten-year lease. Today, you're lucky if you get two years. And then it can happen all over again. In addition, the bookstore-killing Amazon has opened a brick-and-mortar location in Soho --right ...

The Cafe Edison could have been saved. CBGBs could have been saved. Lincoln Plaza Cinemas could have been saved. Your favorite restaurant, bar, and bookshop is next--if you don't do something right now. At long last, the Small Business Jobs Survival Act is getting a hearing . This is the moment we've all been waiting for. It's time to stop complaining and do something. photo by EJ Berry What you can do: 1. Write and/or call your local Councilmembers--your messages go into the record--and tell them to pass the SBJSA: - Fill out this easy-to-use form to email the City Council - Or find your individual Councilmembers here and contact them directly - Councilmember Mark Gjonaj is Chair of the Council's Small Business Committee-- write or call him , too. You can also contact the members of that committee: Diana Ayala , Stephen T. Levin , Bill Perkins , and Carlina Rivera . - Find them on Twitter and tweet your request: Pass the #SBJSA 2. Write and/or call t...

If you enjoy New York street photography and the unique character of this city, there's an Instagram page you should check out. New York from Behind is the creation of Bryn and Justin. I asked them a few questions about their project. What is New York From Behind? New York from Behind is a concept we created just by being citizens of this city. New Yorkers have a lot to offer visually and so often the most interesting thing is the person right in front of you. Usually the front of someone’s outfit is what’s most interesting. We notice every day that the reverse is not true. Since so much of fashion is forward focused, it sometimes proves hard for us to find interesting content. So the fun for us is to catch people who do something different and make their canvas their backs as well as their fronts. all photos via New York from Behind How'd you get started? We’re two good friends who first got started by taking pictures around the city and sharing them with our frie...