Local Businesses Struggle after Bronx Water Main Break

A day after a water main burst under Jerome Ave., businesses were still cleaning up. (J. Bodden)

Editor's Note: A spokesman for Small Business Services, which is aiding merchants in the recovery effort, said there will be a recovery meeting for business owners and other concerned parties tomorrow, Aug. 3, at 11 a.m., at Davidson Community Center, 2038 Davidson Avenue.

By Justin Bodden

A little more than twenty-four hours after a water main break left Jerome Avenue in Mt. Hope submerged under tens of thousands of gallons of water, some businesses were still cleaning up, working diligently to get every last drop of water out. Others were busy on the phones talking to their insurance companies, looking to receive compensation for damages.

Today, almost a week later, local businesses in the Mt. Hope are still struggling to clean-up and survive after a 108-year-old water main burst early last Wednesday morning near the corner of East 177th Street.

The cause of the main rupture is still under investigation, but Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Michael Saucier said in an e-mail that age alone did not cause the pipe to burst.

Local merchants who lived through it said the flooding created total chaos.

Bronx Business: A Place Where Mexican Cowboys Can Suit Up

Owner Mario Martinez (Photo: F. G. Pinto)

By Fausto Giovanny Pinto

Along the ethnically-diverse enclave that is the stretch of the Grand Concourse between 182nd Street and Fordham Road, lies African grocery stores, Dominican barbershops and a scene out of a Mexican-flavored Wild West movie.

Spurs, heavy-duty rope (to lasso bulls) and countless styles of cowboy boots and hats fill the shelves and walls that make up the niche clothing shop, Rudy El Vaquero.

“Here they have what I want, for good prices,” said Angelica Valerio, who has been shopping at the store for over a year. “And whatever they don’t have, they will get.”

RizzQue Business: Get Your Sexy On at New Bronx Dance Studio

RizzQue owner Jeanette Cardona (foreground) and instructors like Philicia Edwards (background) have brought pole dance fitness to Norwood. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

By Rachel Sander

Jeanette Cardona originally planned on naming her new Webster Avenue dance studio and boutique Casa Cardona. But considering the studio’s offerings, which include instruction in both belly and pole dancing, Cardona decided instead to take a risk and be bold, maybe even a little risqué, in naming her new business.

Armed with a catchy new name, RizzQue Studio and Boutique, and a diverse arsenal of dance clothing as well as traditional, risqué and kid-friendly dance classes, Cardona’s Norwood-area studio is thriving.

After the Fires, Frustration

The view from Nicky’s Pizza shows the lingering devastation of last year’s fire on Bainbridge Avenue (Photo: Adi Talwar)

Editor's note: this 2010 "year in review" article appeared in last week's Norwood News.

By Alex Kratz

For many Norwood-area residents and merchants, 2010 was a frustrating year as the community struggled to rebound from two devastating fires that left a gaping hole in the heart of a thriving shopping district.

The site of the first fire, which took place last Halloween morning, is now a weed-infested lot surrounded by warped, graffiti-riddled plywood boards. It’s an eyesore made even more maddening to residents and other business owners by the fact that the owner, Evelyn Jacobsen, has done nothing with the property.

On top of that, Jacobsen has refused to talk with the press or the local community board about her plans.
Some of the destroyed businesses have re-opened nearby or farther away, while others have called it quits altogether. A few of the remaining businesses, like Hillside Meat and Deli, are doing well, but many are struggling with the loss of foot traffic.

“It’s sad, it’s a shame, it’s bad, very bad,” said Nick Delija, the owner of Nicky’s Pizza, which sits just across the street from the empty lot. “I don’t have words to say [how bad it is].”

The owner of Hair Shoppe, a long-standing salon on Bainbridge, near East 205th Street, attributed the demise of her business to the second fire, which took out the strip’s major supermarket, Foodtown, and two other businesses. People used to get their hair done after picking up their groceries, but no longer.

Foodtown is rebuilding a bigger store with more shopping options that is scheduled to open in January. They are expanding into space formerly occupied by a dentist’s office and the American Diner, whose owner, Mohammed Quadir, was arrested and charged with arson for allegedly paying someone to set the blaze.

Quadir’s trial could begin sometime early this year.

Christmas Tree and Lights Grace Featherbed Lane for the First Time

Local children, wrapped up in hats and hoods, sang carols at the tree-lighting ceremony. (Photos: J. Fergusson)

Kathryn Speller has lived in Morris Heights since the '60s.  This year, she says, is the first time holiday lights have been put up on Featherbed Lane, one of the neighborhood's few commercial strips.

"It's making a lot of residents happy," said Speller, a BronxWorks employee and Community Board 5 board member. "To me, it's a symbol that the community is being revitalized... that it's on the upswing."

On Monday evening, 30 or so community residents and leaders - Speller included - gathered in the bitter cold at the intersection of Featherbed Lane and Macombs Road to light the Christmas tree, another first for the street. It's a real tree, planted about five years ago, that's never before been decorated.

But there was a hitch. Actually, two hitches. Because of the last minute planning, the city's Department of Transportation was unwilling to hook up the tree's lights to the main line. To get around this, organizers borrowed a generator so they could keep it lit during the ceremony. The problem this time: the generator failed.

The event went ahead anyway. James A. McGraw, pastor at the First Bible Church of the Lord’s Mission in Mount Hope, said a prayer, and children from a nearby shelter for homeless families sang carols.  Each child received a party bag for their efforts.


Featherbed Lane, a small commercial stip off University Avenue, is home to about 40 businesses


Organizers included Community Board 5, local resident Amelia Ramos, and Davidson Community Center, which is leading an effort to create a business improvement district (BID) on Burnside Avenue. The street lights, which extend to parts of Macombs Road and University Avenue, cost between $7,000 and $10,000 to rent. Affinity Health Plan, a non-profit health care provider, came up with the money.

Featherbed Lane is home to about 40 businesses, including an Internet cafe and a Rite Aid Pharmacy, as well as a brand new co-op building.

Local merchants are hoping the lights will encourage Morris Heights residents to shop local this holiday season.

And while pizza may not be a traditional Christmas food or gift, George Soydan Akkum, owner of My Pizza on University Avenue, said he liked the new look because it made the neighborhood "feel more upscale."  He said he felt "proud" to be a merchant in the area.

 James A. McGraw, a local pastor, gives a prayer

Last Minute Northwest Bronx Shopping Guide

[Ed. note: This article appears in the latest edition of the Norwood News, which is out on streets now.]

By Layza Garcia and Alina Rodriguez

It’s that time of the year again to search for that perfect gift for your loved ones: brothers, moms, maybe even your 80-year-old grandmother. But what to buy? The decision-making process can be agonizing.

Worry no more. The Norwood News is here to help! After vigorously shopping throughout the northwest Bronx, from Gun Hill to Fordham Road, you can find some of the most diverse and special gifts just outside your door.

Bronx Business: Free Snuggies and More as Retailers Gear Up for Holidays

As a promotion, the Fordham Road Conway gave away 372 Snuggies on Black Friday. Tomorrow is Fordham Road's annual Sparkle the Heart of Fordham tree-lighting festival. It kicks off at 6 p.m. at Bryan Park, where Fordham and Kingsbridge roads converge. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

Local retailers from Fordham Road to Gun Hill Road and Jerome Avenue kick-started the holiday shopping season last weekend with late-night preparations and Black Friday bargains.

Garl Robinson, the general manager of P.C. Richard & Son, the electronics emporium on the Grand Concourse and Fordham Road, said that he was up at 3 a.m. on Black Friday getting the store ready while customers were already forming a line outside.

“It was fantastic,” said Robinson. “Everything went well.”

Bronx Weekend News Roundup, Nov. 29

Police are searching for a small group of teens who were "just screwing around" prior to a massive fire in the Bronx's Mt. Eden neighborhood on Saturday night. The fire, at 131 E. 169th St., killed at least one man and left 31 people homeless. The Red Cross set up a temporary shelter for the displaced residents nearby at PS 64.

A handful of churches and at least one Catholic school in the north Bronx have been burglarized in recent weeks. One Bronxite told NY1: "I know times are hard, but a church? Some things have to be sacred."

On one day in January, a debt-collection company sued 110 people in Bronx County Civil Court for not paying their bills on time. It's part of a nationwide surge in lawsuits filed by debt collectors who are buying up souring loans on the cheap.

A Bronx firefighter was found dead at the Engine 72 firehouse in Throgs Neck.

One student's report card mix-up illustrates a grading system problem at Eximius College Preparatory Academy in Morrisania. The student received a report card from the academy even though he longer attended classes there.

An off-duty cop was charged with drunk driving after police found him parked on a Bronx street, asleep in his car with the keys in the ignition and radio and lights on.

A Bronx woman was charged in a deadly hit-and-run on Friday in Manhattan.

A Crain's NY columnist says the Bronx is losing out on development opportunities because of efforts to impose living wage jobs guarantees.

One Bronx precinct, the 43rd, which includes Parkchester and Soundview, has logged almost half of the city's missing children cases.

A woman was hit by a stray bullet in Soundview on Thanksgiving day.

The governor has called a special session in Albany, but some lawmakers, like lame duck Bronx State Senator Pedro Espada, may not show up for work.

Albania's Independence Day was celebrated yesterday in the Bronx's Belmont section.

Bronx Business: Fordham Road TELCO Closing Up, 7 Months After Opening

Just three weeks ago, Telco still had "Grand Opening" signs up. Now, it's closing. (Photo by L. Hurley)

From grand opening to imminent closing.

That's the story of Telco department store's brief run on Fordham Road.

Started in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in 1972, Telco has steadily grown into New York City's outer boroughs. The Fordham Road location, which opened about seven months ago, was the company's first Bronx store.

It may be it's last. The store's manager said business was slow from the beginning and never picked up. The store, which was busy with customers this afternoon as shoppers, seeing the "liquidation" signs (just three weeks ago, the store was covered in "Grand Opening" signs), finally took notice. Too little, too late.

Telco will officially close in about the month or so, the manager said.

[Reporting by Layza Garcia.]

BP Diaz to Hold Forum on Retail Rent Control Bill

Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., is hosting a forum this Friday at Bronx Borough Hall to discuss the legal controversies surrounding the Small Business Survival Act, a bill brought before City Council last year that would have required commercial landlords to negotiate "reasonable" rents with small business tenants.

The city's landlords and real estate groups, as expected, opposed the legislation, which was written by Manhattan Council Member Robert Jackson and supported by a number of Bronx council members. The bill was essentially stalled last year after Speaker Christine Quinn--who more or less decides what comes up for a vote on the Council floor--questioned its legality, saying that forcing a rent negotiation could infringe on the rights of the landlord.

According to a press release, this Friday's event (which is also being sponsored by the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation) will have expert attorneys on hand to see if Quinn's assertions about the bill are true.

"This forum will try to determine if the Small Business Survival Act is fully constitutional and legally sound to withstand likely court challenges, and to recommend changes that would make it stronger to endure those possible court challenges," the release reads.

Last week, Diaz was on hand to break ground on a new "Business Incubator" at the BankNote Building in Hunts Point, which will offer discounted rents on work spaces for struggling new businesses owners.

The forum will be from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday on the first floor of Bronx Borough Hall, 851 Grand Concourse.

Bloomberg Bringing "Business Incubator" to the Hunts Point BankNote Building

 (Photo courtesy of the Mayor's Office)

Michael Bloomberg, New York's pro-business mayor and an entrepreneur himself, turned his sights on the South Bronx today as the next hub for new start-up businesses. The Mayor and the EDC broke ground on a "Business Incubator," in the BankNote building, on Garrison Avenue in Hunts Point, which will offer support and affordable office space for people looking to start their own business ventures.

The 11,000-square-foot space will be able to accommodate up to 400 entrepreneurs, according to a press release, and will consist of conference rooms and 180 workstations. Potential tenants can rent desk space for $295 per month and shared work space for $195 per month. The incubator will also host networking events and provide business training services and other support.

“More than 15,000 new businesses were established in the Bronx in 2008, the most recent period for which there is data, and we’re creating the new Bronx business incubator to build on that momentum,"  said Mayor Bloomberg.

This incubator will be the sixth to open across the city--the EDC says the others have been a success so far--but the first planned for the Bronx. Bloomberg initiated the program in 2008, during Wall Street's economic meltdown, in an attempt to get the city's business economy back on it's feet.

The Bronx still has the highest unemployment rate of all the boroughs, at 13 percent.

"It can be hard to be an entrepreneur, so any help we can afford new small businesses is welcome, especially in this economy,” Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., said in a statement. “It is my hope that this new business incubator will lead to new job growth right here in the Bronx."

The city expects construction of the space to be finished this February. The BankNote Building, a former money-printing factory built in 1909, is currently home to organizations like Sustainable South Bronx, the Arthur Aviles Theatre and BAAD!

BxNN Story of the Day: Brazilian Food Comes to Norwood

Samba Grill Buffet (pictured above; photo by Adi Talwar) has brought Brazilian food to Norwood, at the corner of Gun Hill Road and Webster Avenue. The Norwood News visited recently and filed this report.

1st Annual Fordham Road Sidewalk Sale, & Other Bronx Events

Head over to Fordham Road today or tomorrow to check out the goods on display at the first ever Fordham Road BID Sidewalk Sale. Merchants will display their wares and seasonal merchandise on the sidewalks outside their shops between Third Avenue and Jerome Avenue, from 12-6 p.m.

For a list of participating businesses, or to learn more about the BID, visit http://www.fordhamroadbid.org./

This and other events happening this week in our events calendar, updated daily.

Editor's note: What did we miss? Send details to bronxnewsnetwork[at]gmail.com.

Quinn Won't Support Paid Sick Leave Bill

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced this afternoon that she won't support a controversial bill that would require all businesses to provide paid sick days to their workers. Labor groups and politicians have been rallying for months to get the legislation passed (nearly every Bronx City Council member, and Borough President Diaz, supports it).

Her decision means a probable end for the bill, at least for now, despite the fact that it had the veto-proof support of 35 City Council members. As Council Speaker, Quinn decides what bills come to the floor for a vote--meaning the Paid Sick Leave Act will likely be shelved, as it's been for the past several months.

Quinn said she was concerned that the requirement would be too much for small business owners to take on during a time of recession.

"In an ideal world, we’d be able to provide all benefits to every New Yorker. In a better economy, we might have the financial freedom to both expand benefits and create new jobs. But that’s not the reality we live in," Quinn said in a statement sent out this afternoon. "Now is simply not the right time for a measure that threatens the survival of small business owners."

The Paid Sick Time Act would make all businesses with 20 workers or more provide nine paid sick days, while smaller businesses would have to give five.

Groups in support of the bill are already coming down hard on Quinn, with accusations that she's looking to appease the business community to safeguard potential future plans for a Mayoral run.

"Speaker Quinn's decision not to move forward with this bill is a victory for the fear-mongering tactics of business lobbyists who have opposed every piece of pro-worker legislation from child labor laws to the minimum wage," said  Bob Master, Co-Chairman for the Working Families Party.

Start Your Own Green Cart Business

(Photo by Ivonne Salazar)

Calling all Bronx entrepreneurs: nonprofit WHEDco is partnering with the NYC Green Cart program to host a free business workshop on Tuesday, Aug. 24, to recruit and train potential green cart owners. Learn the in and outs of owning your own fruit and vegetable stand business, and get help with the application process.

No business experience is necessary and the session is open to anyone--the idea is to help Bronx residents profit financially their own business ventures, while also increasing healthy food options throughout the borough.

The workshop will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. on Aug. 24 at WHEDco's Intervale Green Office, at 1330 Intervale Ave. (between Jennings St and Freeman St). It's free, though you should call to reserve yourself a seat. RSVP to Cassandra Flechsig at (212) 337-4311, or call for more information.