Zhaoyue Sun, 62, sits at North Restaurant in Flushing. Photo by Baidi Wang
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | JAN. 10-JAN. 16, 2020
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Another Bayside business
fell to the wayside as New
York property taxes continue
to rise.
This time, the northeast
Queens neighborhood said
goodbye to the Supercuts salon
at 41-04 Bell Blvd. News of
the chain hair salon’s closure
broke on the Bayside community
Facebook page.
“We spoke with Don, the
owner of the franchise who
said it wasn’t so much the
rent, but the recent rise of
imposed taxes that don’t take
the small businessman into
account that was the defining
factor,” said Gregg Sullivan,
founder of BaysideLiveTv.
Franchise owners Barbara
Burdzy and Dan Raghoonundon
bought the salon in
August 2015 and had future
plans to expand the business.
According to Department
of Finance records, the
property tax on the building
where Supercuts is located
rose by nearly $29,000 over 10
years. Annual property tax
in 2009 was $80,227 versus
$109,063 in 2019.
Bayside Village BID Director
Christine Silletti said
that the franchise owners
told the landlord they would
not be renewing their lease.
So, the property owners offered
the space to the owners
of Hair Studio 4 who refused
the offer.
Silletti added the the Supercuts
stylists have a “partnership
with another hair salon”
and plan to move there.
Founders Frank Emmett
and Geoffrey Rappaport
started Supercuts in 1975.
The pair opened their first
location in California as a
quick alternative to high-end
salons and smaller neighborhood
barber shops.
Emmett and Rappaport developed
a 20-minute haircutting
technique that allowed
them to offer quick, inexpensive
haircuts to their customers.
Patrons can get a haircut
without booking an appointment
and choose services for
a tailored experience.
Today, Regis Corp. owns
Supercuts in addition to several
other haircutting and
styling franchises in the
United States. There are currently
2,369 Supercuts franchises
across the country and
140 outside of the U.S.
Reach reporter Jenna Bagcal
by e-mail at jbagcal@qns.
com or by phone at (718) 260-
2583.
BY BAIDI WANG
It’s almost 10 p.m. in
downtown Flushing, and
Ming Gao is busy cleaning
up after a 10-hour day at C J
Food Market where he works
as a butcher.
Gao seemed tired. “Work
is not easy,” he said. “I definitely
wouldn’t work if I were
in China. Life is too expensive
here, and I want to help
reduce the pressure on my
children.”
Gao, 63, is only one of the
large number of seniors living
in Flushing who are working
past 60, what is a normal retirement
age in China. It has been
eight years since he immigrated
to the U.S. from China.
John Liu, 80, is actively
seeking part-time jobs. He
ran a small clothing factory
before retiring two years
ago, but he said he didn’t like
retirement.
“If there is a job without a
heavy physical requirement,
I’ll go for it,” Liu said. “I can
earn money while keeping
busy. It’s good.”
According to a report this
year by the Center for an Urban
Future, an independent,
nonpartisan policy organization,
the number of New
York state residents over 65
increased 26 percent over the
last decade. Seniors are the
fastest-growing segment of
the state’s population.
In Flushing, the elderly
residents account for 17.5
percent of the population,
whereas across the city, that
number is 13 percent. But
most of the Flushing’s seniors
are Chinese. Some are
even new immigrants. They
are facing challenges in language,
culture and finances.
“To be honest, it’s really
hard to find a job for new senior
immigrants who cannot
speak English,” said Penny
Shen, a senior coordinator
at the Chinese-American
Planning Council (CPC) in
Flushing, who is responsible
for the organization’s Senior
Community Service Employment
Program. “The possibility
of finding jobs depends on
applicants’ abilities, but English
is a primary obstacle. It
might be too late for them to
learn English.”
Many seniors in Flushing
cannot find regular office
jobs because of the language
barrier. Many senior men
work in restaurants working
as kitchen helpers or dishwashers.
Some senior women
work as home-care workers
for Chinese families in
Flushing. None of those jobs
require English.
Shen also said one-third of
seniors who ask CPC to help
with job-hunting are struggling
financially.
“I don’t plan to retire
so far. The living expense
in Flushing, especially the
housing rent is too expensive.
I’ll keep working when
I’m still healthy,” said Zhaoyue
Sun, 62, a cook at North
Restaurant in Flushing since
1995.
Supercuts on Bell Boulevard. Photo via Google Maps
Bayside Supercuts
location closes shop
on Bell Boulevard
‘Life is too expensive here’
Senior immigrants in Flushing putting off retirement
FLUSHING TIMES (USPS#03925) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 38-15 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2020. All rights reserved.
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