Jackson Heights Life

Just a reminder to please vote with your dollars... meaning patronize only those businesses that respect our community.

Kennedy's installed a sign and storefront without Landmarks permits..... so why would I shop in a business that flouts the law?  I do not.

Also, the old Mehfil by 76 Street is gone and the new proprietor installed a HUGE and illegal illuminated sign and new storefront.  This location is not in the Historic District, but you still require permits to install storefronts and signs/awnings/canopies.  Again, the landlord doesn't care, nor does the proprietor... but we should.

So think twice before financially supporting businesses who crap-ify their buildings - regardless of where it is and what the business is.

It is up to you.

the overriding theme of this thread, and a couple dozen others over the years, is "how come there are so many [fill in the type of business i do not care for]" in jackson heights.:

and the overriding answer is "a lot of people disagree with you and want to buy chicken, phone cards and hoochie clothing."

until you go door to door and watchtower your neighbors into thinking that they'd be better served by eating arugula instead of junk food, and by wearing brushed cotton slacks instead of jeggings, you'll have to deal.

yes, all neighborhoods change. but not all neighborhoods have to be exactly the same. you want an irish pub, be willing to walk a dozen blocks. ditto a bistro.

there's a reason friends of mine say 'you are so lucky to have those tibetan, thai, colomsbian places right at your doorstep'  when they can get cheese plates and bison at their doorsteps.

Wow I forgot to mention the hoochie clothing!

Seriously though, It is true that unless some serious street level marketing research is done, there is no definitive answer on what type of stores should or shouldn't be in this neighborhood.  Nor will there ever be. Though I think dssjh you already provided the answer.  

I used to live in Harlem, and most people didn't have a problem with all the hair salons, chinese food joints with bullet proof glass, and bodegas with one rotten head of lettuce, if that.  However it has been ten years since I lived on that block, and now there is a coffee shop, upscale deli, and fancy restaurant there.  Neighborhoods change, and Jackson Heights is more dynamic than most.

Maybe this is an issue of gentrification.  I don't think so.  When my friend's parents grew up here it was a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.  The gentleman who inspected the apartment I live in (yes I am a homeowner here, so I am vested and do believe in this neighborhood) lived in Jax Heights when it was war barracks post WWII for returning veterans.

There is no "dealing."  Thats a jaded and response.  This is a dynamic neighborhood, with a lot to offer to many people.  The fact that there are, as you say "dozens" of emails pertaining to this topic shows me that there is a large element to this fantastic neighborhood that is not being serviced.  Theres your marketing research right there.  As Daniel Dromm said, there is a bit of a baby boom going on in Jackson Heights now.  Young families are moving in.  If there needs aren't met, then there dollar unfortunately goes elsewhere.  

Some people see this.  There has been real estate campaigns in both Williamsburg ("Billyburg, Meet Jax Heights") and Park Slope ("More Park, Less Slope") to try and attract people from those neighborhoods who might see a benefit to the value and beauty of Jackson Heights.  

I don't think this neighborhood will ever fully lose its character for great ethnic food.  For the forseeable future there will most likely be Indian, Columbian, Tibetan, Nepalese and Thai food here.  Just like Astoria will always be great for greek food, and Harlem for soul food, even if the cuisine becomes more diversified.  Jackson Heights will not lose, nor be hurt by further culinary diversity.  These "Dozens" of strains prove that there is a market.  

Change, I feel, is inevitable here.  Deal with that....

i wasn't trying to shut anyone down, and i apologize if it came across that way.

"deal" was probably not the right word to use.

i guess i have a problem with the tone of some posts -- not yours -- that crop up here every 2-3 months that bemoan the retail/shopping makeup of this area, and subtly bemoan the overall makeup of the area in the process.

this isn't meant to convey any sarcasm, but the reason we have lots of phone card sellers -- or gold jewelry sellers or fast food places -- is that a lot of our neighbors want/need these things. perhaps moreso than those who want/need a branch of bare burger (which i like) want/need that.

i apologize again if my tone was uncalled for.

oh, and 'mayor' simply conveys longevity....you can hold the office too, should you wish!

Just a reminder to please vote with your dollars... meaning patronize only those businesses that respect our community.

Kennedy's installed a sign and storefront without Landmarks permits..... so why would I shop in a business that flouts the law?  I do not.

Also, the old Mehfil by 76 Street is gone and the new proprietor installed a HUGE and illegal illuminated sign and new storefront.  This location is not in the Historic District, but you still require permits to install storefronts and signs/awnings/canopies.  Again, the landlord doesn't care, nor does the proprietor... but we should.

So think twice before financially supporting businesses who crap-ify their buildings - regardless of where it is and what the business is.

It is up to you.

The former Mehfil location is definitely in the historic district, and the signage is illegal, as are the alterations without permits.

For Italian I recommend Lemoncello.  I too would love an Irish pub.  Could we kidnap one from Woodside?

10k a month for a place on 37th ave is ridiculous. I'd rather have an empty storefront than people paying that much to the landlord.

I agree.

I know for a fact that a building owner will charge lower rent for some, say the 99 cent stores, and jack up the rent for others (there's nothing illegal about it). In effect, one store is subsidizing another. One guy that I know of charged his relatives ridiculously low rents, not even sure they paid it -- it might have been just on paper, while non-relatives were charged premium prices. I think that would also translate into the building owner paying less tax on his/her low rental income. And filing a loss for the high rents once they're vacated. So it's a win win for the owners.

Small business owners also sell their stores to "relationships" for $1, which is why they appear to be new stores when they are actually not new, but merely avoiding paying taxes on a profitable biz -- but I think the IRS was trying to tighten its rein on this tactic.

Needless to say, there's some chicanery going on.

choo choo:

have you tried the pastas at louie's on baxter? not a fine-dining destination by any means, but i really like their pastas -- even more than their pizza.

i used to really like the pasta at trieste, but something changed there about five years back, the istrian dishes disappeared and stuff went downhill. armando's, i like some of their dishes, especially the seafood, but the pasta is, at best, a "C-plus."

oddly, i got a good bolognese delivered by original rosa's a couple weeks back. had never tried anything aside from pizza from there before.