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.
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John Brown Smokehouse On 44th Drive Is Closing
John Brown Smokehouse is closing it’s original location on 44th Drive after eight years and rolling it up into it’s Mothership Meat Company restaurant in Dutch Kills according to the LIC Post and the company’s Facebook page.
The owner Josh Bowen cited 1. his lease ending 2. the uncertainty around Covid-19 and 3. the difficulty of operating on 44th Drive, stating that the latter was a “ghost town” and that “nothing will ever flourish there for decades.” As for the last point he went on to deride the “idiot local politicians” apparently in reference to the Amazon HQ2 debacle, which he was very vocal about.
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