Union Sq. biz begins bouncing back
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
As the dawn of the second
phase of New York City’s
reopening looms on the
horizon, Union Square businesses
are already on their way
toward recovery from COVID-19
related shutdowns.
Most of the shops reopen thus
far remain essential businesses,
namely grocery stores and restaurants
providing delivery or curbside
pickup. As of June 17, nine
retail shops and services, along
with more than three dozen eateries,
have reopened under Phase 1
guidelines — namely delivery or
curbside pickup only.
One of the most renowned
shops in the area, Strand Book
Store, was one of those that
reopened, offering pickup service
from its storefront at 828
Broadway.
The Union Square Greenmarket,
which attracts tens of thousands
of weekly shoppers seeking
farm-fresh produce, continues to
serve the public, but with social
distancing measures in effect to
protect both shoppers and farm
workers alike.
Many businesses in and around
Union Square remain boarded
Daily Provisions was one of the more than three dozen eateries
in the Union Square Partnership that reopened during
Phase 1 of New York City’s reopening, which began June 8.
up — but not for much longer,
according to Jennifer Falk, executive
director of the Union Square
Partnership. As Phase 2 draws
near, merchants are beginning to
ramp up for the anticipated infl ux
of shoppers and diners returning
to the area.
“What we’re hearing anecdotally
from many of our business
partners is that they’re waiting for
Phase 2 for outdoor dining,” Falk
said in a phone interview with
amNewYork Metro and The Villager.
Primarily, they’re looking to
PHOTO VIA TWITTER/@UNIONSQUARENY
synergize with other businesses to
rebuild off each other.
Falk considers it something
of an upward “domino effect” in
which, for example, customers
coming to the square to shop
for books at the Paragon Sports
bike shop on East 18th Street
might also want to grab a bite to
eat at the nearby Tex-Mex place
Javelina.
“As we talk with our individual
business partners, we let them
know about who’s opening up
in the district,” she said. “There
needs to be a certain concentration
of businesses opening in
order to make people feel comfortable
with the idea of ramping
up again.”
More than anything right
now, the partnership’s mission
is to inform the public that it’s
safe to shop and dine at Union
Square again. She noted that the
businesses which have already
reopened, even under various
limitations, have worked hard to
bolster that message.
“All of our businesses have
taken the necessary precautions,”
Falk said. “Every business we
visit, the employees are wearing
masks, they’re wiping things
down and sanitizing. They’re
taking it very seriously.”
It’s unclear, at this point, what
kind of business retailers and restaurants
are experiencing during
the fi rst phase of reopening. But
in talking with many merchants,
Falk found one commonality:
Everyone’s just glad to be back
open, and having optimism for
better days ahead.
“From what I heard, they’re
just ready to get back into the
business of serving customers,”
she observed. “Everyone just
misses their customers, they miss
their company. So I think that
there’s a lot of positive energy
as we al adjust to being back out
in the communities. … Those
businesses that are reopening,
universally, the response has been
that they’re so happy to be back
doing what they love.”
The Union Square Partnership
represents a large area around
Union Square between 1st and
6th Avenues, from 13th to 18th
Streets. The area was relatively
hard hit by looting and vandalism
that coincided with the George
Floyd protests earlier this month,
but Falk stressed that the area has
quicklly recovered from it.
Through it all, from the pandemic
to the recent unrest, Falk
said, businesses in the area have
stuck together, persisted and are
on the way back to recovery.
“Union Square has always been
the focal point for the expression
of free speech,” she said. “It’s part
of who we are and we’re proud of
it. The business community has
just been incredible in taking any
setbacks in stride and doing what
they can to reopen and welcome
the customers they love to serve.”
For a full list of businesses
that have reopened or are set to
reopen, visit unionsquarenyc.org.
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Cops continue to look for
dozens of looters who pillaged
stores in Manhattan
during the George Floyd protests
two weeks ago.
On June 11-12, the NYPD
released videos and photos of
thieves who used the marches
as cover to get their hands on
whatever they could at retailers
in SoHo and Lower Manhattan.
One incident took place at 11:29
p.m. on June 1 at the Rebag store,
a luxury handbag shop located at
390 West Broadway in SoHo.
Law enforcement sources said
multiple individuals breached a
secure front door and got inside
the store. The looters wound up
removing an estimated $375,000
in merchandise.
Video footage shows the pillagers
going through an inventory
room and walking away with
boxes of goods and suit jackets
left on a nearby rack.
Police are also looking for the
Dozens of looters who hit Manhattan
stores during protests still at large
looters who pilfered the famed
Macy’s department store in Herald
Square, located at 151 West
34th St., at 9:40 p.m. on June 1.
Breaching a gate and a front
door, law enforcement sources
said, the thieves swiped $10,000
in merchandise before fl eeing.
On June 12, the NYPD announced
that they had identifi ed
one individual sought for questioning
in the Herald Square looting:
Romance Okane, 31, who stands
6 feet tall, weighs 190 pounds and
has brown eyes and black hair.
They also provided photos of
several other individuals sought
for the raid.
A third looting took place at
1:30 a.m. on June 1 inside the
Thompson Finest Deli at 20
Thompson St. in SoHo.
Cops said that multiple pillagers
forced their way into the
A group of individuals sought for looting the Rebag store in
SoHo during protests on June 1, 2020.
location through a front door
and window and stole $9,700 in
scratch-off lottery tickets.
Through an investigation, police
determined that the looters
PHOTO COURTESY OF NYPD
tried to cash the winning scratchoff
tickets later that morning at
stores in Brooklyn, including the
Shop Fair at 187 Troy Ave.; the
Bravo supermarket at 1299 Fulton
St.; and the Pacifi c Liquor store at
1647 Pacifi c St.
On June 12, the NYPD released
photos of the suspects as
they tried to cash the tickets in.
Several individuals are also
sought for pilfering the Naked
and Famous store located at 123
Grand St. in SoHo at 1:30 a.m.
on June 1.
Police said the suspects
breached a secured front door
and removed $150,000 in property
from the high-end clothing retailer,
which specializes in denim apparel.
Anyone with information
regarding these or other looting
incidents in Manhattan can call
Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS
(for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA).
You can also submit tips online
at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or on
Twitter @NYPDTips. All calls and
messages are kept confi dential.
Schneps Media June 18, 2020 3
/unionsquarenyc.org
/nypdcrimestoppers.com
