Complete Coverage: Small business

SMALL BUSINESS

Rising cost of food takes bite out of Lombardi's Pizza

As consumers fight escalating food costs and rising gas prices, inflation also hurts an already challenged small business category in the city: restaurants.

SMALL BUSINESS

West side brewery has building problem

An Upper West Side brewery has a noisy neighbor problem.

SMALL BUSINESS

Winning formula keeps customers coming back to Kim's Video & Music

What began more than 20 years ago as two shelves of VHS rentals in the backroom of a Laundromat in Alphabet City, Kim's Video & Music has evolved into a thriving chain that offers an extensive -- and oftentimes obscure -- selection of media.

Manhattan Feather Dusters helps actors pay the bills

Climbing one's way up the artists' ranks in New York City takes perseverance, practice and, in some cases, an eye for cleanliness.

SMALL BUSINESS

Lucky Mojo's tackles family-friendly fusion food

For restaurateur Jim Goldman, aka "Mr. Mainstream," Long Island City is his latest frontier for experimentation.

SMALL BUSINESS

Babbo's Books beating the odds

Leonora Stein hopes her neighbors share her appetite for literature, and so far it seems they do because she's still in business.

SMALL BUSINESS

Artisan bakery mixes tradition with social activism

As immigrants strive to preserve their traditions and prosper in New York, one social activist offers help -- one bread loaf at a time.

SMALL BUSINESS

Young designer making a splash in evening wear

Twenty-five-year-old Vaughn Jereaux, the creative mastermind behind a fresh line of ladies' evening wear in New York, has been climbing the fashion ranks ever since he could pick up a grown-up pair of scissors.

SMALL BUSINESS

Niche travel store Tent and Trails thriving in hard times

While the too-hot Euro is dissuading some American travelers from flocking to London and Paris, one New York travel shop owner who specializes in adventure says this is one of the busiest times for her small business.

Rent driving out B'klyn Irish pub

Park Slope locals looking to raise a glass on St. Patrick's Day at an old-fashioned Irish pub may have one less place to go this year.

SMALL BUSINESS

Classic fur shop finds success anew -- on ninth floor

After 63 years at their West 57th Street location, the Kaye family of Ritz Thrift Shop fame finally gave in to aggressive real estate powers in 2005 and sold their property on the bustling block to make way for another condo project.

SMALL BUSINESS

Getting serious about pampering pooches

From finance to Fido, Elena Gretch's foray into the world of pet care is unconventional.

SMALL BUSINESS

UWS fixture forced out of NYC

When the going gets tough, the tough sometimes get packing.

Keeping footwear all in the family

As it strides into its 28th year of business, comfort shoe store Foot Gear Plus seems to be in pretty, healthy shape. It's no small feat – maintaining a family-run footwear shop amid a sea of competitive shoe stores in New York and on the Internet.

Shop owner wears politics on her sleeve

When Kate Goldwater visits the average thrift store in New York she sees opportunity, a chance to turn what's old into new, and more importantly, recreate clothing that inspires political change.

Cooking up a sweet future

Valerie Galindo discovered her entrepreneurial calling at 14 years old, while laying icing on a freshly baked shortbread cookie.

Using the Web to pamper your pooch

It¹s never fun when your departure flight¹s on a five-hour delay. The shouting heads on the airport TV may be enough to drive a person nuts, and heaven forbid your iPod runs out of juice. Now imagine the delirium your traveling pup¹s experiencing. No rubber toys, no fluffy pillows, no space to roam.

Site helps grandparents click

Spoiling her 3-year-old grandson Shaun tops Louise Wasoff's to-do list.

Gym owners pump up their pockets

A recent yellow pages search finds more than 500 health clubs and gyms listed in New York City. Despite this, one early-stage independent gym is managing to create a niche on the Upper East Side at 403 E. 91st St.

Merging film and finance

The business of film is not always as lucrative as, say, the $20 million dollar salaries we hear are bestowed upon Hollywood's young stars.

Small Business

Boomer finds security in self-employment

To best prepare for her golden years, 53-year-old Nancy Thiel put in her two- week notice.

Small Business

Face to face with a profitable future

With rumors circulating about who might gobble up Facebook or whether the popular social networking site will someday go public, many are scratching their heads about what Facebook is actually worth in dollars.

Small Business

Family business refuses to go up in smoke

As he waits to reopen his cigar store, 68-year-old Joel Sherman reflects on the 77-year history of his family business, created by his father Nat Sherman.

Small Business

Big buzz for entrepreneur from 'best beer bar'

Just one year after opening The Village Pourhouse, 28-year-old entrepreneur Michael Sinensky is onto his next project, a three-floor nightclub along Midtown West Manhattan.

Small Business

Boutique an NYC survival story

A single, bright pink flower stays painted at the bottom of the display window at 281 Mott Street. It's the old logo for Poppy, a four-year-old apparel destination run by Leslie McKoewn, 34.

Small Business

Jewelers outshine the competition

After five years pounding the pavement and convincing local boutique owners to showcase her handcrafted jewelry, 31-year-old Jessica D'Amico, the talent behind Lady J Jewelry, has decided to take her designs to the big leagues.

Small Business

Friends read success in tea leaves

After vacation, travelers typically return home relaxed and rejuvenated. Sometimes they bring back memorabilia maracas or tie-died sarongs, as well as loads of photos to upload on Facebook.

Small Business

Inventor has rat control in the bag

Despite numbering a crowded 8 million, humans are among the minority in New York City.

Small Business

Cherries: Healthy body, healthy profit

Forty-five cherries a day might keep the doctor away -- and former Wall Streeter John Davey is hoping he can bank on it. T

Small Business

Recovery: Like a walk in the park

Clay Cockrell rings up a new pair of sneakers each month. His job demands it.

Small Business

From corporate America to old America

From power-generating plants in India to Broadway stylists and fashion guru Isaac Mizrahi, Patsy Lake's clientele has gone through a dramatic shift over the years.

Small Business

The American dream, cup by cup

At 11:30 am on a recent Wednesday, Ali Hafizi's eight-hour shift on Wall Street drew to a close.

Small Business

Custom carpenter nails his niche

In 2005 Alan Moshe left the technology industry for a career that offered more hands-on satisfaction -- literally.

Small Business

A Little taste of Senegal

On a recent Saturday at noon on 116th Street, the midday prayer call from the Masjid Salam mosque echoed down the block stretching from Frederick Douglas Boulevard to Seventh Avenue. The chanting sound continuously serves as background music for one of New York's most diverse districts, Little Senegal.

Small Business

Pals hope to be yo-yo tycoons

When spun right, the yo-yo can yield big business -- enough to let you quit a six-figure job on Wall Street.

Copacabana up-in-arms over forced move

"The hottest spot north of Havana" is likely moving farther uptown.

Showering the groom with gifts

This Valentine's Day more than 200,000 couples are likely to get engaged, according to the Diamond Information Center.

Fitting comfort to fashionable footwear

It's no secret that women have a footwear fetish. The reasons are simple, according to New York shoe maven Faryl Robin Morse.

Standing out in the body care field

Rashida Marie Morgan was inspired to become an entrepreneur well before she could even spell the word.

Using gum to deliver calm (and profits)

Chew on this: The world spent $19 billion on gum last year, a 7% rise since 2003, according to the National Confectioners Association.

Doggy snacks go upscale

Man's best friend has taken on new meaning these days with pet owners quick to splurge on the finest of fine for Fifi and Fido.

Using hip-hop to teach history

In schools across the country, students will hear Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his famous speeches as somewhat of a hip-hop artist.

Tough ex-cop nurses her boutique

Felina Rakowski-Gallagher may have left the New York City Police Department to start her own business, but she still plays one tough cop. The former police officer's no-nonsense approach to running her breast-feeding boutique, The Upper Breast Side, has helped the business flourish since it opened in 1999.

Famed boutique in limbo after tragedy

On Nov. 1, The Studio, a vintage clothing boutique, suddenly and tragically lost its most valuable asset: Owner Jean Claude Mastroianni.

Teen entrepreneur building the American dream

When Mohammed Omar Faruk emigrated from Bangladesh in 1997, he didn't have high hopes for a better life in New York City.

Momcierge to the rescue for harried NYers

When Monica Halpert was desperate for help planning a dinner party last month, she didn't call caterers or event planners. She didn't flip through Rachael Ray cookbooks or Real Simple magazine.

TV puts zip in fashion consultant's career

Every week 4.5 million people tune in to watch TLC's hit show "What Not to Wear," an hour-long reality show where two styling gurus raid a fashion delinquent's closet and trash the culprit's "mom" jeans and rainbow-sequined vests.

Selling sarees on 'Curry Hill'

While most of New York¹s Indian small businesses resides in Jackson Heights, Neera Saree Palace has carved a niche market selling Americanized sarees at its Manhattan locale.

'Mudpit' finds a fit in Williamsburg

Cindy Gatto graduated from Brooklyn College with a bachelor of fine arts in ceramics in 1985. But it would take her 14 years to turn her degree into a career.

Roll and Dough aims to build on bings

From Magnolia's frosted cupcakes to Gray's Papaya hot dogs, Beard Papa's cream puffs and Pommes Frites' Belgian fries, New York has a diverse palette of one-hit edible wonders.

Flatiron salon owner blooms

Butterfly Studio at 149 Fifth Ave. is the metamorphosis of its owner Kattia Solano, who went from a schoolgirl dreaming of becoming a beauty stylist to one of New York's most acclaimed salon mavens.

Restaurant banks on new Spanish Harlem

Spanish Harlem, once predominantly home to working-class Puerto Rican immigrants, has become a major melting pot of its own.

From reopening post-9/11 to relocating

Eighteen days after the 9/11 attacks, William Saad traveled from his home in Jersey City to lower Manhattan. He then climbed nine flights of stairs to reach his shop, Aba Kerollo's and William's Tailoring, at 198 Broadway.

Bread shop outlasts 'German Broadway'

When a young Abram Orwasher was growing up in a tenement building on East 77th Street in the 1960s, the streets of Yorkville overflowed with the fresh aroma of red paprika and garlic. His mom's local Hungarian butcher spoke broken English, and "German Broadway," on the eastern strip of 86th Street, was still largely German.

Bookstore trims back to survive

Left Bank Books on 304 West 4th St. is about as classic and rare a find as a 1918 first edition copy of Gerard Manley Hopkins' "Poems," which, by the way, can be purchased at the West Village bookstore for a mere $4,000.

Making tea the next big thing

If you like music, you'll love an ice-cold blend of Chinese green tea with lemongrass. At least, that's what the owners of Tavalon Tea Bar on East 14th Street are betting.

Chic hotels at budget prices

Though hotels are hardly considered small business, Bronx-born hotelier Hank Freid's approach to the lodging industry in Manhattan is in the minority.

Trying to keep Christmas in NYC

Dec. 25, 1973, was a relatively dark holiday in America.

Great-grandmother oversees contractors

While some retirement-aged folks sip daiquiris on the beaches of Boca Raton, 77-year-old Julia Nasso is enjoying her golden years pounding the pavement – literally.

Creative solutions to skyrocketing rents

Wedding bells have been ringing in New York's small business world as retailers take on creative survival techniques in an uncompromising rental environment.

Holding on in the Button District

For more than a decade, the button has been the proud logo of New York's Fashion Center. But during the same period, it has also become the symbol of an eroding wholesale sector. Manhattan's once-bustling Button District is more or less history.

Tenant gears up for eviction fight

It's a familiar saga to many of the city's commercial businesses -- the landlord wants to kick out the tenant when the lease expires, often to bank on more rent from a different business.

Feeding off the housing boom

Josh Blackman is a self-titled "serial" entrepreneur, and he said his latest venture -- running Brownstone Management in Park Slope -- tops the rest.

Doll-maker hits it big with little girls

Of the approximately 6,000 new toys expected to enter the U.S. market this year, only a fraction are likely to win kids' hearts and parents' wallets. But one Manhattan doll-maker has managed to do just that in her first year in business.

Dancing away first dance jitters

Gabriela Palmieri and Scott Harford have been preparing for their wedding step by step.

Hoping to bloom again in the Flower District

Bill Nikolas, owner of Bill's Flower Market, remembers the old days of talking shop with fellow flower district merchants at the local tavern.

'Green' rental cars zip from Hollywood to NY

What began as a gimmick to spread environmental awareness with Hollywood stars is now a New York City business that's making some green of its own.

It's no party running a nightclub

With 3-inch stilettos strapped to her feet, Sabina Belkin towers over her 70 employees with an air of certainty.

Bowling alley rolls in Harlem

Harlem Lanes, a new bowling alley on the corner of Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and West 126th Street, reaffirms two recent trends: Harlem's economic rebirth and bowling's evolution beyond beer leagues.

Doggies who lunch

Virgil lives the good life.

Lingerie boutique goes from Web to bricks

Call it the reverse commute -- taking your business from the Internet to the corner of Second Avenue and 78th Street.

Williamsburg cafe rides Latino boom

If not for its bright yellow awning, the Caspicara Art Cafe in Williamsburg would be a hard place to find.

Secrets from century-old small businesses

Small businesses that endure through the generations share a secret ingredient. "They have a product or service that people continue to want," said Richard Cooke, chairman of the 100 Year Association, an organization of roughly 200 New York City companies and non-profits that are at least 100 years old.

Happy to pay an arm and a leg for jeans

The tech bubble burst half a decade ago and the housing spike started to soften last quarter. But with more consumers than ever paying hundreds of dollars for a pair of jeans, the denim boom still has legs.

Delivering more than pizza pies

Domino's Pizza is a publicly traded company with worldwide recognition, but its stores are majority-owned and operated by entrepreneurs who are, in essence, small-business owners.

Modeling agency scores big with moms-to-be

In today's competitive fashion world, some models are eating barely enough for one. But at least one modeling agency requires its models to eat for two.

Struggling to hold on in post-9/11 Chinatown

Since 9/11, Chinatown economy has been struggling to survive. Many businesses have closed, others are trying to hang on.

Butcher bucks L.E.S. trend

amNewYork profiles a Lower East Side butcher shop that has thrived despite rents that have tripled in the past 20 years.