Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Yesterday, workers began dismantling the 7-Eleven on the SE corner of Avenue A and 11th Street, including painting over the wraparound sign.
As expected, the store officially closed after 11 years in business.
I spoke with Mr. Singh, who bought the business from the previous owner seven years ago. He was emotional but optimistic about the store's closure. He declined to have photos taken but spoke a bit about his life, his philosophy and faith, and the now-shuttered franchise he licensed on Avenue A.
Singh, 50, and his wife and kids live in Queens after immigrating from India in the early 2000s. He credits his strong Sikh faith with keeping him optimistic about the future.
He used to work the overnight shift at Punjabi Deli on Houston Street to save money to buy the franchise. He spoke movingly about his history working his father's land in India by hand, taking care of his family as a breadwinner from his teenage years until now.
When I asked him why the store was closing, he reiterated what I'd heard on my last visit: rampant theft.
He explained that he is responsible for paying for everything that happens in the store. For example, when two armed robbers stole most of his cigarette packs, he was responsible for the $17 or $18 per pack. He still had to pay the distributor when people shoplifted six-packs of beer.
While the 7-Eleven parent company covers the store's rent, he pays 51% of every dollar he makes to the parent company. He also rents 7-Eleven machines from them. The Slurpee machine, he said, costs $700 per month to rent, and he has three of them. And when they broke, he had to pay for repairs. He also had to pay payroll, which he said was a high cost for two employees per shift.
He mentions daily shoplifting by kids from a nearby school, plus people who just saunter in, take what they please, and walk out. He said he is not allowed to stop them, and even if his cashier were to run after them and take the purloined items back, they'd be leaving the register unattended to do so.
They called the police occasionally, though the thieves were always long gone when the officers arrived.
I asked him what he plans to do next. Singh said he might look at another space in Queens near where he lives. He says he doesn't have ill will or bad feelings toward people and credits his faith in God and the holy book to the fact that things will be alright.
He thanked all the customers who visited the shop over the past seven years and wished everyone well in the future.
As I was leaving, the third-party contractors were putting paper up on the windows, and we watched them for a minute.
Singh looked at me and said, "I am not afraid of hard work. I have been a hard worker my whole life. God will protect me, and I am not sad."
This is the third 7-Eleven to close in the East Village since 2013. The last one, on the Bowery, will be shutting down next. Look for that post tomorrow.
