City officials descended upon The Bronx’s Little Yemen neighborhood for the final day of a 5-day, 5-borough, “Around the World in New York City,” tour to celebrate National Small Business Week on Friday, May 6. Mayor Eric Adams and Commissioner Kevin Kim from the City’s Small Business Services (SBS), were among those who joined other local elected officials for the event, while a host of other City agencies and community groups set up booths to celebrate, share information and offer support to small, local businesses in Little Yemen and all across the borough.

 

Kim kicked off proceedings by thanking various partners and partner community organizations, including Mohamed Said, who he said provided 500 meals on the day and who runs a food cart in Times Square and the Street Vendor Project who he said had supported SBS all week long with meals. “We’ve got representatives from YAMA (Yemeni American Merchants Association), we’ve got the Morris Park BID executive director, Dr. Camelia Tepelus here,” said Kim. “We’ve got the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce; Lisa Sorin is here. We’ve got Zaid Nagee, Dr. Debbie Almontasar [internationally recognized, award-winning educator, entrepreneur and speaker of Yemeni descent], YAMA board members, and then, at the end, we’ve got a dance troupe, and so, I hope you’ll all stick around.”

 

Kim said one of the reasons SBS chose The Bronx as its grand finale location was to highlight emigrant communities. “There’s no better place than Little Yemen to do that here in The Bronx,” he said. “We’re also commemorating Eid so ‘Eid Mubarak’ for everybody who’s observing.” The commissioner went on to say that the agency had started Day 1 of the tour in Brooklyn in Mersey Plaza, Bedstuy, Day 2 was spent on Staten Island, Day 3 in Chinatown, and Day 4 in Little Columbia in Jackson Heights, Queens, where he said “Cinco de Mayo” was celebrated.

 

He added, “Wherever we went, we heard the struggles and stories of small businesses, but at the same time, we heard about the hope, the hope that’s out there of businesses that started during COVID, the hope of hearing this mayor, Mayor Eric Adams’ vision of putting small businesses at the center of our economic recovery.”

 

Kim referenced an executive order by the mayor which he said helps reduce fines and violations for small business owners who he said were the backbone of the City’s economy, and which he said would help lead the City’s recovery in a more equitable way. “At SBS, I really do want people to understand what we do, because we know that many of you can’t come to One Liberty Plaza, where our headquarters are,” the commissioner said. “We have 18 ‘Workforce 1’ centers throughout the City that can help job seekers, so if you know people who are looking for jobs, please refer them to Workforce 1 centers, where we can connect them to job training programs at no cost to them, to help connect them to good-paying jobs and careers.”

 

He went on to say that there are also seven business solutions centers located all around the City that can help businesses launch, operate and grow. “We’re also the City’s minority-owned and women’s business enterprise (MOWBE) certification agency, so if you’re an MOWBE, come to us,” he said. “We can hold your hands, take you step-by-step, to give you access to government contracts.”

 

 

 

Kim added that there was $1.2 billion available in government contracts that were given to MOWBEs last year, and said he wanted local Bronx communities to partake in that also. “At SBS, we are committed to bringing resources out to you,” he said, before quoting the mayor who has previously said, “We know not every business owner, not every New Yorker can come to us.” Kim resolved to bring City resources directly to the communities. “Look, behind us. We have this beautiful mobile RV unit that will come into your neighborhoods, and you never know, the mayor just might pop out of one at one time,” he added amid some laughter.

 

The commissioner again encouraged businesses to reach out to SBS, and added that the mayor was keen on ensuring those who were historically denied services received them.

 

Though the day marked the end of Small Business Week, he said at SBS, the agency treated every day as Small Business Day. “Look at us as your first stop to operate, to grow your businesses. If you’re looking for capital financing, if you’re looking for commercial lease assistance, we are there for you,” he said.

 

For her part, greeting Little Yemen with an “As-salamu alaykum, Brothers and Sisters,” an Arabic greeting meaning, “Peace be upon you,” Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said it was honor to be in the neighborhood for the occasion and that she had prayed for good weather but that it unfortunately, it was not to be on the day, as the proceedings continued amid rainfall.

 

The borough president echoed Kim’s words regarding the City being available to all businesses, despite National Small Business Week ending. She then joked, “I’d just like to say that the mayor and the commissioner saved the best borough ’til last! We’re just sayin’! The BX is where things are happening!”

 

She later talked about the history of Bronx Week and what laid ahead as part of the festival agenda, before commending the fortitude of Bronx small businesses. “You are the fabric of our community. You have been in the trenches, serving your community to the very best of your ability, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been reminded of your essential work, of the food services, of the healthcare services that were so critical to [keeping] our families stabilized,” she said.

 

Gibson continued, “For that, we want to say ‘Thank You.’ Thank you for never giving up on all the possibilities. Even through the challenges you faced, you still were able to keep your doors open. I often say, ‘In the midst of pain, we can find purpose,’ and in the middle of a storm, we can find strength. We are stronger together and we are better together as a borough, as a City and as a State of New York. Remember: tough times don’t last, but tough people do!”

 

She said The Bronx was tough, resilient, and made up of fighters who always got back up when knocked down for its people, children, families, mom and pop businesses, bodegas, restaurants, and small businesses. “I know it has not been an easy journey, but not only have you survived, but it is our job and our responsibility to make sure that you thrive,” she said.

 

Committing to making sure minority and women-owned businesses expanded, and that local entrepreneurs were supported, she said the City would make sure they had access and opportunity, access to capital and access to small business loans and grants. The borough president added that it was also important to build generational wealth in The Bronx, “with an equity lens.”  She added that immigrant businesses, no matter where they came from in The Bronx or in The City of New York, were beacons of hope and opportunity for the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs.

 

Gibson thanked the other elected officials in addition to Adams and Kim who were present on the day. These included Bronx Deputy Borough President Janet A. Peguero, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez (A.D. 80), District 13 City Council Member Marjorie Velázquez, and District 15 City Council Member Oswald Feliz.

 

She also thanked Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, acting president Rafael Roger, YAMA, Yemeni American Merchants Association, the Alliance for Yemeni American Businesses, the New Bronx Chamber of Commerce and president, Lisa Sorin, the Bronx Muslim Center, and the Morris Park BID.

 

 

 

In addition, she thanked all small businesses, community boards and faith and clergy leaders for their investment, for their labor of love and for never giving up on the potential and the possibilities she said were available in The Bronx. “So often, The Bronx feels left behind, but we’re going to lead with commitment, with consistency, with compassion, with dedication, with a labor of love because this work is about the next generation,” she said. “This is about us! We have to climb! We have to lift someone else with us! We have to recognize the purpose that we have all been given.”

 

She finished up saying, in part, “I want to recognize SBS for recognizing and amplifying our small businesses during this National Small Business Week. This is a celebration of all of our businesses, who continue to shape our local economy, while also encouraging New Yorkers to ‘Shop Your City,’ to shop local, right in your own community. The recognition and celebration of small businesses, this week, reminds us that when we shop local, as a collective, we help to grow our local economy.”

 

The borough president later presented a proclamation on behalf of her office to Kim, before Kim acknowledged that The Bronx deputy borough president, Janet Peguero, had previously worked at SBS. “We trained her well,” he said.

 

Velázquez later addressed the crowd, welcoming the city officials to the district, and focused on thanking front line workers in particular. “They were out in the streets, making sure that we were fed, making sure that a sense of safe space was here in our communities,” she said. “We need to honor that and continue to shop local, continue to go there for safe spaces, continue to build up our community.”

 

The councilwoman went on to say how she was raised in The Bronx in the ’80s when “The Bronx was burning,” adding, “The Bronx is building now, and we need to recognize that, and we need to recognize that it’s due to these great leaders that you have here before you. She thanked the borough president and Feliz, her fellow councilmember. “I love him so much; he’s my neighbor. He’s the best,” she said, as Feliz could be heard in the distance saying, “Love you back!”

 

She also thanked Rivera, Fernandez and Adams, adding of the latter that The Bronx welcomed him with loving arms. “He knows what The Bronx is going through because he comes from an outer borough,” she said. “We get the outer borough love here, and we understand that we need to focus on building every single borough up, especially us that we have been out of mind for so long. So, welcome again and we look forward to building up.”

 

Kim then introduced Sal Aguti, a local business owner, saying, “He is a Morris Park resident for 30 years, and he opened Tasty Choice in October 2020 during the pandemic.” He also owns the New Morris Deli, opened since 1992.

 

It was confirmed that during COVID, the Morris Park BID had a total of 16 new businesses opened, and a majority are Yemeni-owned. Aguti thanked everyone for coming out. “We’re here to serve the community for the last 30 years, and during the COVID, I’ve seen the struggles of the community. There was no food, nobody providing…..so many restaurants [were] closed, and I was thinking, ‘Why don’t I open a restaurant?’ It doesn’t have to be a sit-down and we could provide low prices, under 10 dollars. It was a struggle at first but YAMA later posted on Facebook and the Morris Park BID helped and promoted it.”

 

He also thanked Feliz, Gibson and Fernandez and the elected officials for their support. “We’re here to serve the community. We didn’t need a loan as I owned a business before,” he said but he acknowledged their support in other ways. He added that 75 percent of businesses in Little Yemen are Yemeni-owned and congratulated all his neighbors in this regard.

 

He also thanked his community for opening so many stores. “I want to address one thing,” he said. “There’s many Yemenis and many other communities who want to open businesses but they’re having to struggle with the licenses, especially tobacco licenses. A lot of people left the city. They went to Ohio and Georgia. We want to create jobs in New York City. I am a business owner. I got over 50 people working for me. That’s 50 jobs, fifty households. If these people move out, it’s going to be a struggle for the City.”

 

He said he wanted the State, the senators and the mayor to help business owners with licenses and fines and safety. Aguti continued,  “That’s the main concern. I own a store that’s open 24 hours. Many of my workers worry at night, ‘Are we safe?’ We’re here to serve the community that is supporting us and helping us send our kids to school. We’re not here to harm anybody. We tried our best to stay open during the pandemic. I was working 16 hours, 7 days a week. That was our main concern. We just want payback and we want you to help us out.”

 

 

Adams later addressed the crowd, saying, it was “so good” to be in The Bronx. “I’m going to spend a lot of time in The Bronx. There are important issues.” he said and picked up on what Aguti said in terms of what he called, “the power of public safety.” The mayor continued, in part, “As I move throughout the City, I hear the same thing over and over again and that’s why I talk about it all the time. You should not have a store with your hard-earned money and someone walking in with a gun, taking whatever they want and walking out. You should not have to deal with the violence that you’re seeing throughout The Bronx.”

 

He added, “The number of shootings in the Bronx and the number of repeated shooters returning to our streets to do the actions again is not acceptable and I’m not going to ignore the problem that’s happening.” He then reiterated a point he has made in the past, saying, “Public safety and justice can go together, and no-one knows it better than you, as small business owners, your concern for your children, your families. The small number of people who are repeatedly causing violence in our City should not be able to walk our streets with impunity with the violence that they are showing.”

 

 

He appealed to the business owners to raise their voices with him on this point. “Let them know, we don’t want a city of violence. We don’t want to hear the shooters, night after night in The Bronx, over and over again so this is not an Eric Adams call. This is a call for the innocent people of the City. I have one question. We hear all about the people who are committing crimes. What about the innocent people who are not committing crimes? When are we going to talk for them? So as your mayor, I’m talking for them, those who open their gates early in the morning, stay 12, 13, 14 hours, those who work hard, those who give their all so their children can grow up, those are the individuals I’m speaking for: the everyday, hardworking people of this City that are doing the right thing. They don’t jump the turnstile. They swipe their MetroCard. They don’t try and steal from a store. They pay the cost of going into the store.”

 

They’re not carrying a gun. They’re protecting their families from those who carry a gun. They’re not attacking people because of their religion. They know how to live among each other regardless of our religion. Those are the New Yorkers that I remember. Those are the New Yorkers that I’m fighting for and you are representative of those New Yorkers and I’m going to be a mayor for you, no matter what I do.”

 

 

He thanked all the agencies present and explained that he had called for an analysis to be done to find out what city agencies were doing that was getting in the way of businesses. “You should not have to stress if a City agency that you pay for walks in your business. You should know that they are there to keep your doors open, not to be creative to find ways to close your business.” He said Kim was brought into the administration as a small business owner to ensure they got that analysis right. “New York City has been brutal to small businesses,” he said. “That stopped January 1st, 2022.” He said over the course of National Small Business Week, the government had helped 22,000 individuals or businesses helping them navigate legislation and continue to grow.

 

The mayor said the city government would communicate, talk and learn from small businesses and have a business-friendly city. He said he intended to change any negative indicators in which the Bronx was leading into positives over the next four years. “We can do it together, if we are united,” he said.

 

After the speeches, local members of the Yemeni community performed a traditional dance, as seen in Video 1. Gibson, Velázquez and others later joined in, as seen in Video 2 and Video 3.

 

Rivera took the opportunity to speak with local small business owners about his commercial lease bill (S4257B Rivera /A7364A Anderson), which recently passed the “Senate Cities I Committee,” at that stage, its first hurdle in the legislative process. According to the senator, the bill would establish a right to a lease for commercial tenants in New York City. Rivera said commercial tenants, specifically small businesses, lack meaningful rights and protections when their lease expires. He added that in many instances, they are rent-burdened and operating on a month-to-month basis without any written contract. The bill would fix this issue by requiring property owners to provide their commercial tenants with a lease so that they can plan accordingly and help their business grow. As of late May, the bill was still at the committee level stage of the process.

 

The commissioner and elected representatives later went on a walking tour of the neighborhood, stopping off to speak to various local business owners. Norwood News spoke to Salah Sarae, the Yemenese owner of a barbershop located at 1891 White Plains Road. He said he has 20 odd years of experience as a barber, having opened in 2001.

 

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— NYCSmallBusiness (@NYC_SBS) June 7, 2022

 

Asked how he got through the pandemic, and if it had been hard, he said, “Yeah, good barbershop, good customers before last year, a little bit of problem. Right now, ok.  Right now, everything in New York City is beautiful, right now. Last years, I have a little bit problem,” adding that he had been closed from March 2020 to June 2020.

 

Asked if he had been able to apply for a grant or other funding assistance during the pandemic, he said, “It gives me nothing, give me maybe $1,300, yeah. I took everyone along. Four months – no work. No, nothing. I’m closed, you know, in March and in June 2020, four months straight. I give everybody money, you know what I mean?”

 

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