2010 Year in Review: After the Fires, Frustration

For many Norwood-area residents and merchants, 2010 was a frustrating year as the community struggled to rebound from two devastating fires that left a gaping hole in the heart of a thriving shopping district.

Buy Local: Your Holiday Gift Guide

It’s that time of the year again to search for that perfect gift for your loved ones: brothers, moms, maybe even your 80-year-old grandmother. But what to buy? The decision-making process can be agonizing. Worry no more. The Norwood News is here to help! After vigorously shopping throughout the northwest Bronx, from Gun Hill to Fordham Road, you can find some of the most diverse and special gifts just outside your door.

Free Snuggies and More as Retailers Gear Up for Holidays

Local retailers from Fordham Road to Gun Hill Road and Jerome Avenue kick-started the holiday shopping season last weekend with late-night preparations and Black Friday bargains. Garl Robinson, the general manager of P.C. Richard & Son, the electronics emporium on the Grand Concourse and Fordham Road, said that he was up at 3 a.m. on Black Friday getting the store ready while customers were already forming a line outside. “It was fantastic,” said Robinson. “Everything went well.” His main goal was to have every customer leave the store with a P.C. Richard bag in hand. Unlike most stores that have

Faith Leaders Throw Support Behind Living Wage Bill

Clergy members from the Bronx and across the city led a silent march on City Hall on Nov. 17 to voice their support for the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, or “Living Wage Bill.” The legislation, sponsored by Bronx Council members Oliver Koppell and Annabel Palma, would require most development projects that receive public funding to pay workers employed there a living wage — $10 an hour with benefits or $11.50 an hour without. The bill was sparked by a contentious debate last December over the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, when the City Council — backed by a fierce coalition of Bronx advocates and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. — voted down plans for a shopping mall at the hulking Kingsbridge Road landmark.

Webster Re-Zoning Moves Ahead

Community Board 7 members voted unanimously on Nov. 16 to approve re-zoning changes for Webster Avenue and select blocks in Norwood and Bedford Park. The borough president’s office will hold its own public hearing on the zoning changes on Thursday, Dec. 2 at Borough Hall, 851 Grand Concourse. “This has been a long four-year project,” said Fernando Tirado, district manager of Community Board 7. “We hope that with the help of City Planning we can turn this [stretch] into an inviting area for people to come in.”

After 7 Months, Telco Calls It Quits

Telco Department Store, on the corner of East Fordham Road and Marion Avenue, opened seven months ago. In October, there were still “Grand Opening” signs in the storefront. But now, Telco is planning to clear out and close up shop following the holiday shopping season. “We spent a fortune to get this store running here and now we are leaving,” said Telco manager Ahmed Wahman, 50, as blaring speakers promoted the liquidation sales. After opening its first store in 1972 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Telco expanded to various outer-borough locations across the city. Their core customers were middle-class families, Wahman said. In the Bronx, however, people weren’t buying, Wahman said.

New “Business Incubator” Coming to the Bronx

Michael Bloomberg, New York’s pro-business mayor and an entrepreneur himself, has his sights on the South Bronx as the next hub for start-up businesses. The mayor and the city’s Economic Development Corporation broke ground on a “Business Incubator,” in the BankNote building, on Garrison Avenue in Hunts Point, on Nov. 3.