Small Business Tenants Say It’s Hard To Find New Affordable Space
By Sarah Ryley
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — The Toys “R” Us in Albee Square Mall has been mostly picked over by bargain hunters, save for the off-brand toys and a few boxes of pool noodles. The store’s last day of sales is tomorrow, and the rest of the tenants in the sparsely occupied mall say they have to be out by the end of August, except for the apparel chain store Forever 21.
A manager at Forever 21, conspicuous with its lack of “blow out sale” signs plastering the windows, says the store could be open until December. Officials from the company did not respond to requests to verify that date.
Since Thor Equities sold the lease of the city-owned land to a development group that includes Acadia Realty Trust for $125 million, first reported in February, many small business tenants at Albee Square have been wracked with uncertainty.
Some say they’ve found a new location “outside,” among the other sneaker, jewelry, discount electronics and street wear shops in the outdoor Fulton Street Mall. But others, mostly the immigrant business owners, say that at this time, they have nowhere to go.
“I have no way out,” says Sammi, owner of Sammi’s Fruit Juice and an immigrant from Thailand who supports his wife, two children and mother on the income he earns from his counter store. “Look like I want to cry — for what? — Nobody want to help me anyway. If I die, maybe somebody help me. Maybe the city take me to the cemetery and burn me, maybe that be better.”
He explains that with his month-to-month lease, like many tenants, his business was worth nothing when Acadia Realty took over the land with plans to demolish the building.
When tenants have long-term leases on a property, a developer has to buy out all of the existing leases or businesses on the property — often for much more than they’re actually worth — in order to clear it.
All Sammi has is the counters, kitchen equipment and ingredients that his fruit juice counter runs on, and he says he doesn’t know how much it will cost to move out.
“When the big truck coming, I can’t count it [how much it will cost]. Where I gonna put my stuff?”
Acadia had promised to help minority and women-owned businesses with the relocation at a public meeting in May, but all of the business owners interviewed say they’re still waiting for assistance.
Hellen Deng, who runs a low-end lingerie store one floor up, says space “outside” is too expensive, but moving too far away would mean losing the loyal customer base she’s cultivated after more than a decade of operation. “It’s very difficult to find a spot, every day we go outside to try to find one, but it’s too expensive.”
Deng, also fighting back tears, says the space around Albee Square Mall goes for more than 10 times what she’s paying now.
Todd Jones, owner of Cuzin’s Duzin, chooses to see the demolition of the mall, where he’s opened the snack bar every day for 11 years, as an opportunity to turn powder into “Project Punch,” one of his signature drinks.
“We’re so comfortable here,” says Jones, opening his arms as if to present the humble storefronts and hand-drawn signs surrounding him. “I say it’s time for us to do something better, go into franchising, for example.”
He has his eye on bigger and better things, first prize being a counter for his patented doughnut maker inside the Target at Atlantic Terminal Mall, if the city can help him get in there.
“Are you kidding me?” says Jones, making a whistling gesture with his mouth. “That’s the number three Target in the country.” As for Sammi, the despondent smoothie operator, Jones says the two could team up.
To smooth things over, Jones is suggesting that Acadia throw the community a big going-out bash in the halls of Albee Square, catered by him and hosted by legendary Brooklyn hip hop artist Biz Markie, who has a song named after “the doo-doo-def” (that means superior) mall.
“If they did that, as a way to give back to the community, I think that would be phenomenal.”
Officials from the development group that includes Acadia would not answer questions regarding the demolition date of the mall, or relocation assistance for tenants. A spokesperson from the city’s Economic Development Corporation, the lead agency on the project, did not respond to questions in time for publication.
The agency estimates that the 40-to 60-story glass tower that would replace Albee Square — with retail, office space and housing — would create 1,545 permanent new jobs.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law.
Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues.
So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
Main Office 718 422 7400
