Here's how New York's bodegas and delis are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. talmonsmith reports
Photo: Shawn Hoke/Flickr In a typical year, New York is at its most charming when spring begins. The ecology of everything in town reemerges from winter hibernation with a bright assuredness: Greenery reappears, along with outdoor seating, patio drinking, and neighborly loitering around bodegas; the doors of delis and the windows of cafés opened up to let in some brisk breeze. With their hinged limbs outstretched, it seems even the buildings breathe a bit easier.
With distancing measures quietly expected to stretch well into their high season in early summer, Prado also admits continuing to lease the space may become tough: “We’ll be here — as long as we can.” Fifty percent of his business, he says, comes from the before- and after-school rush of families coming from Booker T. Washington Middle School, directly across the street. Another chunk of it comes from nearby Columbia students walking back uptown after nights out. He refuses to fully lay off his staff, but with the university empty for the rest of the semester and public schools closed until at least late April, he’s considering cutting the 24/7 store’s hours down to noon through 6 p.m.
The good news is that some early help seems to be on the way. In addition to federal aid, Gregg Bishop, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services, announced that the city will offer interest-free loans of up to $75,000 to businesses with fewer than 100 employees that can prove a 25 percent decrease in sales. The city is offering grants up to $6,000 to retain employees for two months; but only for very small businesses, with fewer than five employees.
Both her husband and her brother work in restaurants, and had been asked to stay home for at least two weeks, without pay. Her sister, who she says is now at home with two babies, was also laid off for at least two weeks from a restaurant. Nobody in the extended family was offered paid time off, leaving her the only breadwinner for now, commuting every day from Queens, risking an infection she cannot afford. Ms.
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