Luxury Shops Lack Consumer Appeal

Jason’s Toy store on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, NY

Two years ago, consumers pushed their way on sidewalks packed with small crowds to enter the discount markets, fast-food restaurants, and big-named franchises lining Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, Queens. Small and large stores were soaring, or at least doing moderately well, and the last thing a buyer would notice was a going-out-of-business sign.

Today, however, is a different story. The display windows of at least two stores on every block are obscured by large posters and banners announcing major discounts and how many days are left until the shops are closed forever. Incidentally, the businesses reducing the prices of their goods by 50, 60, and 70 percent have hordes of customers dashing in to buy whatever discounted merchandise is left over.

Karako Designer Suits at Outlet Prices, a men’s suit shop located half a block from Woodhaven Boulevard, is almost impossible to see into because the yellow, white, and red discount signs have covered every inch of the windows. The posters hang below a black, white, and yellow banner that states “Closing This Location.” Upon entering the store, there is an elderly man picking through shelves of oxfords, whose prices have been marked down from $19.99 to $7.99, as he holds a handful of his favorites under his free arm. Two other men are seen talking to an employee at the back of the store, one of the many places lined with suits carrying 80 percent discount tags.

At the register, a busy and tired-looking cashier rings up shirts for the shopper in the front of the queue. Although not entirely informed as to why the store will be closing soon, she acknowledges that it has to do with the recession. As for the current business insurgence, she says, “They want it; they buy it when it’s on sale.”

Two blocks west of Karako is Jason’s Toy store, which, with its half-empty shelves and cleared-out window displays, can be found at 90-09 Jamaica Avenue until the next three days, when it closes. A box sits outside the front door, filled with toys not yet sold, which is being sifted through by a somewhat-intrigued middle-aged woman.

Walking into the shop is one of two employees, Sameer N. Patel, carrying another box full of leftover products still on sale. A surprisingly jovial young man given his professional circumstances, Patel, 26, is all-too aware as to why the store has to close.

“The economy’s not good, and the rent is high,” says Patel. “The neighborhood changed, meanwhile. A lot of immigrants are living here; they’re not really spending money. And everyone’s looking for the food in front of the table.”

Suits and toys are luxuries in today’s turbulent times, and a lot of stores are suffering as a result of consumers’ tight-pockets and the need to supply necessities for their homes.