One such business is Enamoo, which has been part of the community for twenty years, first out of a storefront on Smith Street near Atlantic Avenue, and more recently at 248 Smith Street in Carroll Gardens.
The store/gallery sells a wonderful eclectic selection of home decor, Brooklyn apparel, and beautiful original Brooklyn-themed artwork.
Enamoo's owner Un Sook Lim has reached out to local residents and patrons through a Go Fund Me Campaign to write:
Dear Patrons, Neighbors and Friends,
The weeks of the COVID-19 lockdowns continue and the outlook for me to re-open enamoo remains uncertain. I have depleted my savings in an effort to keep up with the bills.
I opened enamoo 20 years ago on Smith St, been through ups and downs but never given up. The love and support from my beloved customers and neighbors makes that possible. This time it's different.
The Government mandated a shutdown in an effort to 'flatten the curve' of COVID-19 infections . I understand and support that but differentiations of businesses as 'essential' or 'non-essential?
Every small business is essential. If there are people on the payroll who depend on their paychecks for food, clothing, and shelter, make no mistake—the business is essential. It's also essential to the neighborhood, imagine one without small stores.
Please help me keep the lights on for enamoo with cash donations, sharing this fundraiser on social media or by shopping at my Etsy store enamoobrooklyn
I'll be most grateful for your support no matter how small and hope to see you all in person again.
Every small business is essential. If there are people on the payroll who depend on their paychecks for food, clothing, and shelter, make no mistake—the business is essential. It's also essential to the neighborhood, imagine one without small stores.
Please help me keep the lights on for enamoo with cash donations, sharing this fundraiser on social media or by shopping at my Etsy store enamoobrooklyn
I'll be most grateful for your support no matter how small and hope to see you all in person again.
Kind regards,
Lim
P.s: Your orders of custom-made t-shirts, hoodies, onesies, hats and patches are also a great way to support me.
If you have not lost your job and are able to help, please consider contributing to Lim's fund here:
Go Fund Me Campaign.
If you would like to purchase from her enamoobrooklyn Esty store, she is currently offering 25% off on all items. Use coupon code: THANKYOU.
I never got this logic. A business is not a non-profit. If the business owner has a great quarter, they make more profit. Why should anyone donate directly to a business owners pocket? If they've been in business 20 years and don't have sufficient savings to keep the lights on, they've either been running a really bas business, or taken their profits and used them elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteSupport businesses by patronizing them, not by writing a check to their owners.
Permit me to say that I find your opinion quite harsh. Certainly, a business that has survived in the neighborhood for twenty years despite rising rents and up front costs must be doing something right. Having no income for 10-12 weeks because of a world pandemic is beyond the control of any business, but hurts small ones in particular. How much extra cash do you think a small business owner should have on hand and for how long do you think he or she should be able to pay rent and salaries when no money is coming in?
DeleteI don't understand why this hurts a small business more than a big business? The proportions remain the same.
ReplyDeleteI'm also failing to understand why one should give money to a business owner to operate a business (and pay themselves a salary or distribution), without receiving equity in return? A business is not a charity.
You are free to not contribute. You are also free to order from Amazon and shop for your food online from Whole Foods. Those businesses have deep pockets, have outposts in many states that are reopening and have investors. Small businesses are the backbone of a neighborhood. If we don’t support them and keep them in business, walking down Court Street or Smith Street in Carroll Gardens would be very sad indeed.
ReplyDeletealso, larger businesses have the leverage to re-negotiate payment for their overhead costs - such as property leases, which obviously makes it easier for them to ride out the financial storm.
ReplyDeletesmaller businesses rarely have that kind of leverage - so if they are renters, they have to hope that their landlords will work with them as they struggle with a sudden, unexpected loss of income and customers that goes far beyond their control.
in our neighborhood, i've heard of very few landlords of commercial spaces who are helping their tenants. most of them seem like they would rather lose the tenant in order to take the tax write-off. i know now of three businesses that are weeks if not days away from closing down for good because their landlords won't help them - either by deferring rent, or coming down on rent, or working out a payment plan to make it easier for their tenants to stay in business. and, of course, in real terms, there's presently very little help from city and state governments or the federal government.
in terms of losing beloved businesses in our neighborhood, we're just barely seeing the top of the iceberg right now.
if you look across the country, there are some communities who are figuring out how to rally around their small businesses. bend, oregon is one of them. take a look at what they're doing with SOS Bend - https://sosbend.com/.
This fallacy that a landlord somehow benefits from a vacant space is nonsense and needs to stop being perpetuated. It is not a tax write off; it an ACTUAL LOSS OF INCOME. Just because a landlord may have other income to offset does not change the fact that they're worse off with a vacant space. They may pay lower taxes...but only because they've made less money!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd anyone who thinks Tenants aren't looking to take advantage need only look at Starbucks' current position on rent and be disabused of that notion.