A thousand reasons to love Long Island City. Tips: Editor@LICtalk.com
ACCORDING to a sign on the facade, Stillwell Supply has been in existence since 1933. No more. Located in a single-story freestanding building occupying the corner of Vernon Boulevard and 44th Drive, it now stands empty and the phone goes unanswered.
[Read more…] about Yet Another Long Time Business In LIC Lost To Pandemic
WHAT’S happening to businesses in Long Island City these days? That’s a vague catch-all question, as are the varied answers. Yet a number of interesting headlines, lowlines, sightings and snippets have caught my attention in the past month, which collectively seem to be a pretty good snapshot on business in America half a year into the pandemic.
[Read more…] about Business In Long Island City Is A Mixed Bag
Here we are the end of August. It’s still hot, languorous, and quiet in LIC and about a week away from our thoughts turning to Fall and school, aka the future. And yet a select group still in town are struggling and barely keeping their heads above water, despite working long hours primarily in the heat of the sun. I’m talking about the restaurant owners, which by appearances may seem to be doing quite well were one to simply observe the bustling outside activity. But for most owners the outdoor seating is a wash at best, as the capacity is still a fraction of what most restaurants hold. Plus the extreme heat coupled with occasional rain is a financial widowmaker. It pains me to walk by a restaurant on a rainy day knowing that it leads to a flood of cash down the drain with zero recoupment. For more details on the suffering and ramifications I highly recommend you read the letter below written by Long Island City’s Communitea in Eater.
[Read more…] about Slow, Sad, And Stupid In LIC
“To destroy is easier than to create, and that is why so many people are ready to demonstrate against what they reject. But what would they say if one asked them what they wanted instead?”
Ivan Klima – Love and Garbage
A little over a year ago I gave my opinion on the Amazon HQ2 deal struck by the Mayor and Governor. My conclusion was that while the two leaders were not very good poker-players and could have offered less, the overall deal as struck was worth taking a chance on.1 I even-handedly acknowledged that not everyone in LIC would be a winner from the deal, and some of the biggest winners would be those already well-entrenched (and well-heeled). Most importantly, the physical presence of Amazon being located in LIC would be transformational for us and the rest of Western Queens. Heretofore a backwater of NYC, hence the cradle of growth.
[Read more…] about Where’s The Plan Jimmy V & Mikey G?*
YIKES, it took less than a week for the tables to turn on local WeWork rival Knotel, or at least for the press to start snooping around and poking holes. According to a headline in Crain’s, Knotel is plagued by vacancies. Unfortunately the story is behind a firewall, but what is viewable is this:
[Read more…] about Ranting, Raving, and Rithmetic in Long Island City