Prior to the pandemic, small businesses in Western Queens were already caught between a rock and hard place. Rising rents, predatory landlords, and displaced residents presented serious challenges to the businesses that have called Queens home for years or even decades.
Then, COVID-19 hit and the bottom fell out.
Ninety percent of restaurants failed to make rent for December 2020 and unemployment skyrocketed to an eye-popping 11 percent. Here in western Queens we have lost a number of beloved local establishments, like the Creek and the Cave, while other restaurants, like Donovan’s Pub, have been forced to ask for donations to keep their doors open.
Read full article here: https://sunnysidepost.com/op-ed-the-road-to-recovery-saving-our-small-businesses
