From the EV Grieve inbox...
7-Eleven is coming to Avenue A at 11th Street. The residents of 11th Street won't sit for it. We're drawing the line of suburbanization here.
We have had about enough of chain stores and suburban franchises, Duane Reades, Walgreens and Chase Banks on every corner. We've chosen to fight. Join with us and let's start a city-wide resistance. Let's not sit for it any more.
MEETING: NO 7-11
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 6:30PM
545 EAST 11TH STREET
(Father's Heart Ministries, btwn A&B)
San Francisco has laws to restrict chain stores. NYC zoning laws don't prevent big box commercialism and the current mayor's planning department won't change those regulations. But a local election is coming.
Next year, this mayor will be gone — now's our opportunity to tell the coming administration that this does matter to us. If we don't raise the cry loud and clear, the new administration won't address it either.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the wholesale suburbanization and selling of New York lies in the hands of the people of New York. We've got to create the political will to fight against the death of this city. We've got to be visible and loud and persistent. New Yorkers have been sitting for it for a long time. We mustn't sit for it any longer.
There's likely a 7-Eleven near you, and if not, there will be. The 7-Eleven corporation has targeted the city for many more openings, intending to displace local commerce especially local bodegas. Don't sit for that.
Join the 11th Street resistance. Let's turn it into a Lower East Side resistance and a Manhattan resistance a Harlem and the Heights resistance and a Village and Chinatown resistance. Complacency=Suburbanization.
We're meeting on the 16th. Tell your friends. Bring your inventive ideas and your righteous indignation.
I'll note the irony that both Duane Reade and Chase were both spawned in New York City. Nothing folksy about them anymore though.
ReplyDeleteWould love to see the by-laws or have a guest speaker from another Community Board which successfully stopped chain stores (Upper West Side?)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
This is exactly the right idea.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome. We all need to organize as a community!
ReplyDeleteI'm not crazy about 7-11 but much more concerned about the fate of the stretch of 14th Street between A & B and the large building that will go up on the Mary Help of Christians lot.
ReplyDeleteA lot of bodegas aren't that much different than 7-11's in that they have limited, overpriced items for sale. Plus I'd be willing to bet that a lot of bodegas do not pay what they really owe in sales taxes. I say this because some do not ring it separately on the cash register as they are supposed to.
If you have a good product then you will make money. Tompkins Square Bagels seems to be doing fine. I'm sure he'd make more if people had some beer or wine with their sandwiches but thankfully that route was not persued.
The fate of the lot at 11th and A is a huge concern of mine, too. I have no idea how to find out what's going there or if any of us have any power or persuasion.
ReplyDeleteWe have GVHSP, Rosie Mendez, Susan Stetzer, CB3, EVCC, Scott Stringer, etc. I hope those persons/orgs are on standby!
Shawn - unless legislation is passed to make it illegal to build so high or all glass, or for a chain store with X number of stores in teh city / state to be illegal - all these efforts will ahve minimal effect. Sure you can picket the 7-11 and keep some elderly people from going in but the NYU students will go in for cigarettes, laugh and you and mayeb give you the finger or tell you to go F yourself.
ReplyDeleteIf the block association wants to make a change they need to come up a with a proposal and then discuss with Rosie, whateverthat proposal is.
I wouldn't say no chain stores at all because all chain stores are not evil. A Boston Chicken would be great there. And isn't The Bean a chain with the same gawdy lights and clientelle as Starbucks ? A strict set of rules need to be proposed and then discussed with lawmakers. That is the only thing that will prevent this.
It's remarkable that these are the sorts of things people fight over. Maybe take a road trip out to Jersey and help the Sandy victims? If people don't want a 7-11, they won't shop there, and it will go out of business. People will vote with their pocketbooks.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how a boycott would help unless there was continual picketing in front of the store to discourage people from going in, and that seems like an unsustainable proposition.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it only takes a couple of people to make change happen, not hoards, so I hope there are a couple of people dedicated to this for the next 2 years and can figure it out.
Either way, Shaoul gets a free renovation by 7-11 and a guarantee that the rent will be paid.
I agree that all the chain stores are destroying the character of the East Village and some type of restrictions would be welcome. Suprisingly enough, several towns in Westchester County (Hastings, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington) have such restrictions in place.
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, will all the people who never used to move to New York moving here; Southerners, Midwesterners; these stores are just responding to demand.
Plus who gets to decide what is acceptable? Do we need another $100 haircut place of $20 lunch pork sandwich/lobster roll place? At least you can argue 7-11 prices are cheap.