Norwood News

On a sun-drenched summer afternoon, two of the Bronx’s largest shopping districts, on Fordham Road, and along Jerome Avenue, were swarming with sprightly shoppers.

Despite the consistent flow of customers on warm summer days, most Bronx store owners and managers, such as Ibrahim Faye, the manager of Porta Bella Men’s Wear on Jerome Avenue, will admit, “business is a little bit slow compared to last year.”

According to survey figures recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2008, the Bronx was the poorest urban county in the country and unemployment is now over 13 percent. With around 28 percent of Bronx residents living below the poverty line, it is not surprising that the borough’s most prevalent business, retail, has taken a hit.

Local figures aren’t available, but retail sales in the United States dropped 5.3 percent in August 2009, when compared to August of 2008.

The Norwood News spoke to dozens of local retail businesses in three major Bronx business districts — Jerome Avenue, Fordham Road and Kingsbridge Road — to find the most frequent business problems. The most common issues were the increasing price of rent, dreary weather, a lack of parking and the failing economy in general.

Recently, the price of storefront rent has been a prominent issue in the press, since many New York City Council members have thrown their weight behind the Small Business Survival Act (see sidebar). If passed, the act would protect small businesses in New York City during the rent negotiation process.

Local Bronx businesses have been vocal about their struggles with the increasing price of rent. In August, a source who communicates daily with Jerome Avenue businesses said, “Mom and pop stores are paying up to $3,100 a month for rent here.” Although the shopping district is in a “great location” near Montefiore Medical Center and everyone from the hospital “shops on payday,” the price of rent is severely affecting businesses and causing vacancies in storefronts. 

Faye of Porta Bella said the price of rent is “the number one complaint” for Jerome Avenue stores.

Other businesses blamed their troubles on poor weather, which dominated June this year. Larry Aglialoro, a merchandise buyer for Kids World on Fordham Road said, “Sales are predicated by the weather.”

Another popular culprit for failing businesses in the Bronx is poor parking situations. Jose Coto, the owner of Cuchifritos Frituras restaurant on Fordham Road said Mayor Bloomberg is “trying to deteriorate Fordham Road.” Coto believes the government has not “done anything to benefit the area in 20 years. The meter regulations are too strict and there is no parking.” Despite these grievances, Coto said that his business is still going strong after 26 years in service.

Coto is not the only business owner to notice the unsatisfactory parking situation near Fordham Road. The Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID) noticed that government vehicles double park on the Grand Concourse and cause unnecessary amounts of traffic congestion. Daniel Bernstein, the deputy executive director of the Fordham Road BID, says, “The bike lane put in by the DOT has created a double parking mess.” Not only does this cause traffic congestion, but also “it has a negative effect on businesses and gives the community a bad perception of the government,” Bernstein said.

Each store may choose to blame one or many of these reasons for a lack of profit, but overall, most stores still have a positive outlook for the future. In fact, Bernstein says the vacancy rate of stores on Fordham Road is down to 3 percent, a considerable drop from last year’s vacancy rate of 7 percent.

Things are looking up nationwide as well. Retail and food service sales increased 2.7 percent in August, compared to July.