BY DONATHAN SALKALN | The Chelsea Reform Democratic Club’s general membership meeting, held on May 20 at Hudson Guild’s Chelsea/Elliott Community Center (441 W. 26th St.), had the privilege of hearing from Julie Menin, the hard-working New York City Commissioner for Consumer Affairs. Her report included updates of litigation involving impropriety at nail salons, a significant reduction in city inspector business fines, the required postings of prices for all street vendors, and a program to help people deal with bankruptcy and another for doing taxes for free for all New Yorkers that make $60,000 or less a year — all important causes by themselves.
But in the perfect world, the NYC Office of Consumer Affairs, with their staff of over 400, would take a lead in stopping the erosion of local consumer goods and services by advocating a new plan to prevent commercial landlords from jacking up rents beyond what is reasonable.
Banks, drug store chains, nail salons, and coffee bars are eating mom and pop stores — not just for their breakfast — but for everybody’s breakfast. Stores close and suddenly their goods, services, workers and owners, all with a big stake in our community, vanish. A big piece of our lives, and our conversations, vanish with it.
Everyone that breathes city air probably has a story of how an impasse between landlord and a longtime commercial tenant affected their lives. Mine began when a chunk of my life (and tab) left town, when Jimmy of Jimmy Dowd’s Bar (23rd St. near 10th Ave.) had enough of the landlord and moved back to Ireland. Then La Taza de Oro (Eighth Ave. near 20th) closed, taking with it their octopus salad. Galaxy Diner on Ninth Ave. in Hell’s Kitchen moved out, taking their free newspapers I used to read over a reasonably priced breakfasts with it.
My mattress place, close enough on Eighth Ave. for a friend and I to lug bedding home, is now sleeping with the fishes. Eighth Ave.’s Casa Havana, which served the best tasting Cuban sandwiches, is toast, as are my quick bites and small talk at Frank’s Deli (Ninth Ave. and 20th St.). Camouflage, with their independent designer wear that kept me warm, was left out in the cold. More recently, the original La Taza de Oro (Eighth & 15th) and Ninth Ave.’s Knickerbocker Meats have shuttered their doors (my new butcher is in Brooklyn). I’ve even lost hair following my barber from his original digs on 23rd St. near Seventh Ave. to all corners of the city. Yakob is now a short walk from East Village Cheese Shop, which will close soon, taking with it my smooth brie and whitefish salad. And my fellow Yankee fan, Alan of Alan’s Alley Video? Come this July, he’s scripted back on the street, after recently moving to W. 25th St. from his longtime Ninth Ave. storefront.
My wife simply does her grocery shopping in New Jersey, as New York City’s prices are, as she puts it, “outrageous.” Is that anyway to protect the NYC consumer? Go to Jersey?
Over eight million NYC consumers are not being looked after — in either mind, money, or matter. It’s time for Consumer Affairs to aid the NYC consumer. New York City is ready for new ideas.
