Protected: Sweet Life Pastry Shop Profile- Washington Heights
Ciao for Now!
Ciao for Now is a family owned and operated kitchen that is owned by the Miceli Family. It is a cafe and catering company that specializes in market-to-table menus prepared fresh daily from their highest quality ingredients. Every morning they bake a wide selection of homemade pastries and cakes. They also serve their famous freshly brewed organic coffee.
They pride themselves in providing the healthiest food they can to their clients. They have a whole menu filled with delicious meals in vegan and gluten-free options. They use organic eggs and Hudson Valley Milk (Where I grew up upstate NY). They also use free-range, grass-fed, hormone-free and nitrate-free meats and source organic grains, fruits and vegetables when available.
What sets Ciao for Now apart from other businesses in the area is the fact that they have been around for over thirteen years! This is one of the longest times a business has been around and thriving in this neighborhood. Their top comments from people inside the cafe are that their coffee and their atmosphere make them feel like they are home, or that it makes NYC feel like home. They also say it is one of their favorite places to stop in during the day. Another comment was that the food, the atmosphere and the staff are perfect!
I think it would be a great business to profile. I could find out what makes it thrive and how they lasted over a decade. Maybe also see what inspired them to take the fresh and natural organic angle. I know it can be very expensive to buy foods that fresh and clean. I’d also love to do more in depth interviews with a few people that regularly stop in. Some people have been coming there weekly for years. They might have some interesting stories about their time there and what the shop means to them.
Protected: Neighborhood Business Pitch
South Slope’s transformation according to Subs “n” Stuff storeowner
Everyday there are South Slope, Brooklyn residents who walk to the subway for their commute. While walking down 5th Ave. to the local Prospect Avenue R train station on 4th Ave., they are likely to pass by the newly opened deli as of last February.
Sam Sarsour, 48, owner of Subs “n” Stuff deli, located in South Slope at 624 5th Ave. moved to the neighborhood from Palestine at 10 months old with his family. He’s witnessed the rapid changes in South Slope, a neighborhood within the outskirts of 15th St. and 24th St. and Fourth Ave. through Prospect Park West.
At first, Sarsour lived on 24th St. between Third and Fourth Ave. with his parents and four brothers. “It’s the block where lady liberty looks right at you, my Mom still lives there until this day,” said Sarsour.
As a child, Sarsour remembers South Slope being called Gowanus. He described Gowanus as a grim place with stray pit bulls in packs roaming the streets freely. Neighbors were terrified of leaving their homes because of the large number of stray dogs.
“Back in the day. There was no animal control,” Sarsour said.
“Do we have more Times?” asks Sam’s brother and co-owner of Subs “n” Stuff, Mike Sarsour, 38.
“Yeah, you do.” The man noticed another person being handed their iced coffee and said, “You have coffee too! You guys have everything I need!”
“Yeap. That’s why we’re called Subs and Stuff.”
The man was middle aged. His glasses were circular with gold frames a long beard and long silver hair pulled back into a low ponytail.
“Just making sure my favorite section is in here. Yeap, it’s here,” he said while shuffling through the Times in an Australian accent.
“There’s too much honking here, after four days, I can’t handle it anymore,” said the man while grabbing his iced coffee and heading out. He had what appeared to be a stamp on his right hand. The kinds you get when you go out clubbing the night before. It seemed like he was on a business trip.
In fact the average customer according to Sam and Mike are in their mid 20’s, Caucasian, single, male or female.
Sarsour’s dad, David, was the first to purchase property in Park Slope and started his own local business as a grocery store owner of General Market and Deli, on 201 Eighth Ave. David retired after being diagnosed with lung cancer and heart disease.
Many neighbors loved David and threw him a block party the day he closed down his store. Sarsour’s father told him and his brothers that everyone has two legs and can walk to any grocery store they wanted to. He assured them that people would walk to the store where they are treated best. “They made my dad a certificate of appreciation,” said Sarsour while his eyes gleamed.
The Sarsour brothers live by their father’s business and moral principles and are appreciative of his choice of location when investing in residential and small business properties.
The neighborhood has been referred to as Sunset Park and Greenwood, and was rezoned in 2005 as South Park Slope according to the New York Department of City Planning.
South Slope continues to have a large population of senior citizens, however, young single professionals and students are making their way in and they are here to stay. Local businesses are making the necessary changes to accommodate the younger crowd. Now there are macaroon shops, wineries, sports bars, thrift stores, bike shops and plenty of restaurants.
Sarsour believes that the neighborhood flipped and real estate rose in prices because of public schools. He went to Public School 172, the Beacon School of Excellence. P.S 172 was given a Blue Ribbon Award by the U.S Educational Department, according to the Daily News and has been considered one of the leading schools in the neighborhood for years. He also remembers the influx of people moving to South Slope after 9/11. In 2000 District 7, where South Slope is located had a total population of 120,063. In 2012 the total population was 148,990.
In 2007, Sarsour and his brothers purchased their first store on 23rd Street and 4th Avenue. Sarsour gave up his career as a chef and split the costs with his brothers for Subs “n” Stuff and their other supermarket down the street called Earths Basket.
“We wanted to be our own bosses,” said Sarsour.
They wanted to be their own bosses and make their own money. Sarsour and his siblings regret not having purchased more storefronts before 2001, when South Slope property was much lower in price.
Suki Sushi, a retail storefront at 631 5th Ave., across the street from Subs “n” Stuff was vacant for about a year and was recently purchased. The storefront is being advertised on showcase.com and leased for an asking price of five thousand dollars a month.
Sarsour, is currently renting his storefront for over 3,500 a month, according to Mike.
Protected: Father Joseph F. Lorenzo of Soho, New York: Leadership in Times of Change
Valdez Enterprises: Serving the Washington Heights Community For Over 20 Years
Latin music blares from the local bodegas and taxis that surround Valdez Enterprises, Inc. on 161st Street and Broadway in Washington Heights. Inside, Jose Valdez greets those who enter with a smile and inviting hug, never forgetting to ask them how they’re doing since he last saw them. As someone who immigrated to this country from the Dominican Republic, Mr. Valdez knows what it’s like to build a business from the ground up and work endlessly in order to reach that “American Dream.”
Jose Valdez traveled from the Dominican Republic to Washington Heights in 1985, a neighborhood that offered low rents for businesses and apartments, as well as a predominantly Hispanic culture. He recalls meeting friends on Broadway, often referred to as “la Calle Duarte,” a central street in the Dominican Republic where you could find everything from discount clothing, to food and electrical supplies. “Washington Heights helped me transition to America, it felt like home,” he said. In this neighborhood, Mr. Valdez interacted with people who spoke in his same accent, came from the Dominican Republic, and shared the same culture.
Three years later, 1988, Jose Valdez launched Valdez Enterprises, Inc. as a multiservice agency, offering accounting, immigration, travel and personal/business tax services. Since its founding, Valdez has seen the drastic changes to the area and has had to adapt his business to the “new” Washington Heights.
Valdez Enterprises, Inc. in Washington Heights
There is now a more diverse Hispanic-American community including Central and Southern Americans, as well as a rise in the American population, running from West 155th Street to West 204th Street. What was once a cultural hub for Dominicans and other Hispanics immigrating to this country has decreased by 12.6% in the last ten years, while the American Non-Hispanic population has increased by 18.4%. According to the last District 12 census conducted in 2010, the Hispanic population in Washington Heights has decreased by approximately 19,438 people, as opposed to the Non-Hispanic population, which has increased by more than 5,200 people. This has led to rent hikes for both local businesses and apartments since there are now residents with a greater income residing in the neighborhood. Mr. Valdez is no stranger to these changes, as he has seen them right before his eyes. “I believe the reason why so many of us Hispanics have left Washington Heights is because there is simply not enough income coming into these small businesses, yet the rents continue to increase. This area used to be very affordable to all the minorities that resided here. Now, you have someone making $350 to $500 dollars a week in salary, yet they have to pay rent for a $1500 dollar apartment that is only worth about $600 rent at the end of the month, it’s simply not fair.”
What was once overlooked as a part of New York City is being completely affected by the looming threat of gentrification. As a more American population moves to Washington Heights, the Hispanic population is leaving. According to City-Data statistics, the median income in 2013 was $39,310. In this neighborhood, 27.6% of the population lives below poverty level, yet rents continue to increase in the area. Local business owners are no longer catering to the same customers; new cultures along with new services are needed.
Valdez Enterprises has had to adapt to these service changes occurring in the neighborhood. “Services that we offered before don’t exist anymore: airline tickets, long distance telephone services, my car insurance provider license which I returned to the State, fields that are very much technology based now…I have tried to change my business and use the highest technology out there to offer the best services to my clients that I can.” As a local business owner, Mr. Valdez recounts many instances when business took an unexpected turn, such as the economic crisis around 2008, which resulted in many local businesses shutting down.
Once thing that Mr. Valdez knows will always be needed – accounting services. “I believe that is what has held my agency open for so many years, the fact that local businesses need someone to keep their finances in order and guide them in opening their new establishment…but if rents continue to rise and local businesses keep shutting down, we will be at a loss here. I don’t provide services for chain businesses, we provide the small businesses with that.”
Mr. Jose Valdez, at work in his office at Valdez Enterprises, Inc.
Mr. Valdez believes the key to helping regulate this drastic change in demographics lies in commercial rent control. He recounts a recent experience with a client who closed their corporation at his agency the previous week: “The landlord told them- your lease is up today, I want you out next week. Rent regulation would not allow these things to happen.” Mr. Valdez points out that he can no longer identify the businesses surrounding his agency; they come and go every couple of years. “Dominican restaurants are now being replaced with upscale barber shops and juice bars… the new generation will never get the chance to experience this neighborhood as it once was.”
However, Mr. Valdez remains hopeful that Valdez Enterprises, Inc. will live on for another twenty years. “I have been preparing my personnel for the day when I retire, and I believe we have the skill set to continue and live on through multiple generations.” Rosy Alas, a senior accountant and insurance broker at the agency states that Valdez Enterprises “will continue providing key services to the local businesses in the area, maintaining customer service and adapting to technological changes.” One thing is for sure, Mr. Valdez is determined to remain a one-stop place for local businesses, and he has no plans to take a break anytime soon.
Protected: Felix Grant: Surviving and Prospering
Richard Green The man behind the actions
Richard Green The man behind the actions
By Shantelle Flavien
The humbling factor about CEO Richard Green is found in his Head-quarters Crown Heights Youth Collective. The humbleness isn’t the simplicity of the building, a three story renovated house used as a refuge for youths in the community. Nor is it the beauty of the mural that embellishes the side of the building that he and other artists worked on for a year, coupled with the uninhibited natural grace of the community garden. The humbling factor is found in the multiple awards and plaques he has achieved.
The interior walls tell a story of Richard Green and his life. They are covered in paintings from fellow artists some by former students, pictures of him and his family, past youths that visited Crown Heights collective, portraits of heroes, like Fredric Douglass and Malcom X relics of the past like framed stamps downstairs in the studio space he has reserved for students.
Lining the walls as one walks up the stairs there are framed photos of various meetings with prominent figures. Such Desmond Tutu from South Africa, after he worked diligently to get Nelson Mandela to come to America, him meeting with three mayors Dinkins, Bloomberg and Giuliani, Celebrities like actress and civil rights activist Betty Shabazz Malcom X’s widow and Stevie Wonder famed pianist and musician. To name a few.
There are framed letters from organizations commending him on his civic acts and commitment to his community. He even has letters written and signed by three presidents Regan, Clinton and Bush. Green however is not filled with arrogance of his accomplishments. They are constant reminders of the pat and help him to refocus for the future.
“My goal is to catch up to Martin Luther King.” He said with a laugh. “King has about 400 awards. I don’t even have half of that.”
Unless you either know of his reputation or know him personally Green would not be noticed by the common passerby. Clothed in jeans and a simple T-Shirt, brightly colored while still holding a level of casual refinedness about him, and silver dreads coupled with a handsome well-kept beard.
Articles paint him being the civil activist and a key player in the part of healing from the Crown heights riot in August 1991. When a station wagon driven by Yosef Lifsh, hit another car sending it to the pedestrian sidewalk at 8:21 p.m. Monday, August 19, 1991. The station wagon crushed two black children, 7-year old cousins Gavin and Angela Cato. A rumor spread quickly that the Hatzolah ambulance crew ignored the dying black children in favor of treating the Jewish men. The rumor ignited violence from black youths that lasted three days.
“In 1991 when this Crown Heights issue broke. I was in the right place at the right time. Talk about a perfect storm. He said “All the things that were being put out there we were there to put out the correct concise information. That’s all I did from the very beginning”
Green has a serious aura about him. A fixed gaze and determined stride in his walk for a 67 year old man. It is a face that has seen war, and experienced grief. Green served as a marine in the Vietnam War. He left California on April 3rd 1968 right after his and many other of his fellow classmate’s graduation.
“Serving in Vietnam made me realize the importance of humanity and the importance of the needs of people that would be more accented to me being in a war zone. Seeing that people are at the very ebb of their existence. How any and every little help and opportunity that was offered to them they was so well appreciated because they stayed at the bottom every day for so long and so often so that made me feel a way about it an when we came home.”
Since then over the past 20 years racial tension has continued its slow but gradual healing process. So much so that it adds to another community hurdle welcoming newcomers. Newcomers are mostly the young business owners ranging from the ages of 25-30. Most of the Newcomers are from Manhattan looking for a place to start a business or just have a place to call home.
To Green however, it’s not the people he sees as a threat to the dwindling longtime residents of the community but more so the apartments that out-price them.
“A lot of these apartments have come to out-price people. But there are so many other ways to counter that out-pricing.” Green says passionately. He continues, “Rent regulation rules. The catch term now is what? Affordable housing. What is affordable? The bank of attorneys, Black and Latino attorneys who went to college who went to law school because of the struggle we went through. They have to come back give up some time and sit down with a block of people and say ‘Ok here is affordable housing, this is what it looks like and this is how we are going to get you into it.’”
Green Remains hopeful in the times of change. He currently teaches at Medger Evers College. He understands that the times are changing. It doesn’t make him slow down but rather refocus his efforts on what he can do with the time he has. What he can say to his students, which he believes, are the torchbearers for the success of the community. Green, unlike some long-term residents a bit resentful to the change that comes along with newcomers, is not deterred by their presence but welcomes their ideas to improving the neighborhood.
“I saw it when we changed I saw this neighborhood when it was prominently all white. So when it changed, it changed and I lived through it. He said. “Living through it meaning that I was able to say to myself okay what’s going to happen now in the community it’s changing what am I going to do to improve the change? What am I going to do to marry into the new changing demographics? Me personally I see it as a possibility for us to figure things out.”
Small business story proposal
Many business don’t survive in Glendale. Over the years it has mostly been deli’s, gas stations, and other small business’s that haven’t survived. Business such law offices, banks, doctor’s offices, and the alike have been able to survive within the neighborhood. One of the businesses that I’ve seen develop over the years is a meat market down the block on Myrtle Avenue that is owned by two Italian brothers and their cousin. Since the day I moved into the neighborhood in 2005 I’ve known that meat market to be there. Only recently have the the brothers decided to open up another meat market not too far but there has been some conflict with their cousin because he decided to venture out on his own. He decided to open up his own market 3 blocks away. This could be one of the few dramas you’ll hear about in Glendale. It is quit humorous, to some, that stores come and go in the same location. For example, right across from Stop and Shop on Myrtle Ave. There was a gas station business that didn’t last too long and now there is a deli shop that has replaced it. The humorous part comes in because it is evident business isn’t thriving there that it will eventually be replaced by another business. The main reason these businesses don’t last is because there an excessive amount of the same type of store even within the same block. Businesses usually don’t last a long period of time and a few that have are engraved in Glendale history.