Ongoing East Side Subway Construction Closes 20 Shops

Major neighborhood changes can have serious ripple effects on the area businesses. A few weeks ago I wrote about how the closing of St. Vincent’s Hospital caused the closing of 20 local businesses and a drop in sales for the rest.

And now a similar story is taking shape near the construction of the new East Side subway line. It’s been three years, and close to 20 of the 70 local businesses on Second Avenue between 91^st and 97^th streets have closed- and the rest are having a tough time making it work.

Many stores are reporting a 50% drop in sales. Add to that a decrease in foot traffic because of the ongoing construction and the general poor state of the economy and you get a whole lot of businesses that are all dressed up with no subway station to help them go anywhere. According to Barry Schneider, head of the Second Avenue subway task force of the neighborhood’s community board, business owners are looking for tax abatements and grants, but nothing is happening just yet. It seems they’ll be waiting for that as well as the end of the construction.

Photo Credit: takomabibelot

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