I have a new story out today on 99cent stores in Brooklyn. It is published in Block Magazine.
The 99cent story in Block Magazine is about the decline of discount stores in Greenpoint. Business is tough for them. In the year that I’ve lived here, five or six small businesses have gone out of business on a 7 block stretch of street. A big cause of this is the gentrification of North Brooklyn (Williamsburg) and I touch on that in my story. It was fun piece to write (based in my neigborhood, meeting interesting people and taking a fresh angle on an important subject).
"In the six-block stretch of Manhattan Avenue between Nassau and Kent Streets in Greenpoint, there are eight "99-cent" stores, five discount clothing stores, countless discount specialty stores for hardware, appliances, pet supplies, and
large discount chain stores like Rite Aide and Payless Shoes.Although the stretch remains a destination for anybody in North Brooklyn looking for a bargain, the stores have begun to suffer due to rising rents and a new customer demographic."
The story is particularly relevant to my life now because the new apartment that I’m moving into (see previous post), is above a 99cent store. I’m particularly excited to live above a 99cent store, not only because of the cheap goods, but because the way these places run, it often feels Mafioso, and that’s just cool. There is always one guy in the front, keeping an eye on the traffic. Another guard in the back by the cash register (note: cash register often run by a teenage girl). A few pawns moving boxes back and forth and finally, in the back office is the Don of the store, counting the money and checking receipts.
The old tenants seemed to befriend the employees at my new 99cent store (even storing some of their stuff in their basement as they moved out) and from my first meeting they seem like really nice folks.
As for now, I have to clean my new apartment. Cockroaches stand no chance against my powers. Luckily I know a good place to get cleaning supplies for under a buck.
Nice article. Did you see that a new discount clothing store moved into the vacent store where the flower shop used to be? We may now have more discount clothing places than 99 cent stores.
I love 99cent stores too. We have one walking distance from our place, and I love it a little too much sometimes. Just tonight, I learned the hard way that when you buy a set of garden shears at the 99 cent store, they won’t cut more than 4 branches before dying. So sad. It’s like a feeder fish.