Alyssa Gerber

Commerce

Downtown Brooklyn

I am working on an exhibition/project with my Architecture class at Pratt-this basically falls into this category. Downtown Brooklyn and all the development there has been put on hold. We are looking into the past, present and future of development schemes at Atlantic Yards, BAM Cultural District and Fulton Street Mall. My research has focused on Fulton Street Mall, another vibrant NYC Main Street which could be a focus for your Main street NYC series that I would love to focus on. Please visit our exhibition:
www.metropolitanexchange.org/bex

fulton street at duffield

Laura

Commerce

shopping bags

My daughter and I were shopping at Lord n Taylor this past Saturday in an effort to stimulate the economy (with our coupons and other discount offers in hand). With a bunch of upcoming events I had several dresses and sweaters to checkout. The salesperson put everything in a garment plastic and proceeded to stuff my purchases in a very small bag. Same thing is shoes, which were put in bag designed for cosmetics. We both commented how weird this was -- guess they are saving money. Today I was back for a few small items and L&T has completely new/cheapo bags. Major cost reduction and another noticeable economic indicator. Hmmm

750 White Plains Road 10583 , 110 High Ridge Road 06905

P. Plain

Commerce

Fifth Flight is Like Free

Frequent Buyer Card for private jet users...if you buy the flights in advance by loading the card with $100K. [From 5/5/09 NY Times A section]

Furyk Clark

Behavior

Irony is Dead

The formerly ironic hipster habit of wearing work uniforms (ie filling station coveralls embroidered with a citgo logo and the name "bob") is no longer ironic as all those former designers and artists are probably working in filling stations.

I walked by a guy wearing just such a shirt in Brooklyn and for the first time since this trend began...actually wondered how he got the job

Jax

Employment

Adversity Index

MSNBC.com has a story on recession-resistant cities.

[Editor's Note: this article has been moved to our Bulletin Board, to dwell among the suggested reading posted by you, our contributors. Feel free to add a link to a recession story you think is interesting. Paste the bulletin board link in your browser: http://issues.wnyc.org/wiki/index.php/Bulletin_board]

Frank J. Oswald

Commerce

The Psychic Mortgage Lender

Crystal readings replace credit ratings at retail space on Route 25, Monroe, CT, my hometown.

Route 25, Monroe, CT

Elizabeth Lorris Ritter

Commerce

RIP ASE

An ironic juxtaposition of the Trinity cemetery and the old American Stock Exchange building across the street (i.e., from Broadway, looking through the cemetery).

I live in Washington Heights, but the photo was taken downtown

LG

Behavior

An uptick?

A friend of mine who commutes from Connecticut to White Plains said she noticed, after 9 months or so of lighter traffic, that the roads are more crowded. What had been taking her 1/2 an hour is now taking her 45 minutes to an hour. Sign of an upturn?

White Plains, NY

elizabeth lorris ritter

Commerce

credit where credit is due?

i used to get a lot of pre-approved credit card offers, as well as checks for low-interest cash advances on existing accounts. really a lot: several each week, and sometimes two or three in a single day! i'd always shred them.

last fall they stopped. bad economic sign, though i guess good for the environment (less wasted paper).

maybe a month ago i started getting the checks again, though not so many -- maybe one a week or so. i guess credit is easing up some, but it's hard to know what exactly to make of it: transaction fees are higher, there are no short-term no-interest promos, and low-interest promos are of shorter duration; gone are the low-interest-for-the-life-of-the-loan offers, new credit aps have yet to return.

i guess the banks (that are left) no longer care "what's in my wallet"...

and yes, i still shred the offers. who needs more debt?!

140 cabrini blvd., new york, nyc 10033

Ms. Lex Cohen

Behavior

The Whole (Foods) Truth

At my Whole Foods they put out paper plates and cups by the exit. Last year every time I shopped I would grab a few of each on my way out. (My logic is I never eat in so I'm allowed the plate I would use if I ever did) Lately there haven't been any. As soon as they put them out there gone.
People are getting greedier.

187 Chrystie St, #6

Celina

Commerce

New sidewalk fish markets all over Manhattan's Chinatown

My uncommon economic indicator is that there are more and more folks—Black, white, Latino—from outside the neighborhood selling fish they just caught in the East River on the street. They pick a spot, set up a crate and maybe a bin with ice in it, and plop their fish down. Some still have fishing rods with them. Everyone haggles over the prices.

Local Chinese folks have always done this—for example, you see senior citizens taking parts of their house basil plants, planting them in Styrofoam cups, and selling them on the sidewalk.... but the influx of new arrivals, and the racial diversity of these impromptu street vendors, feels new.

East Broadway and Catherine Street

superf88

Commerce

Car Guys Change Tack

It appears that Obama's Car Czar is pulling out all the stops.

Everybody calling that hilarious car repair duo aired on Saturdays now is now basically getting the same advice:

"Oh, just trow away that junk ...and buy a Chryslah, ya cheapskate!"

Anonymous

Commerce

Kidney "Donor"

I've been waiting for a kidney transplant for years, and I suddenly got a call (on my cell!) from a stranger wanting to sell me one of his. Claims he was referred by "a doctor" (he wouldn't say who).

Wendy

Commerce

food stamps get gentrified

I'm a member of the Park Slope Food Coop, where I fulfill my work requirement as a cashier. While in the past each shift generally brought 2 or 3 food stamp users of various backgrounds, one demographic that usually wasn't represented (or at least not regularly) was the young, hipster looking crowd. Not only does there seem to be an increase in food stamp users, there also is an obvious expansion of user profile - many more 20 to early 30-something, hipster / yupster looking types. It's been VERY noticeable.

Park Slope Food Coop, Park Slope, Brooklyn

Adam Frank

Behavior

Self fulfilling prophesy

With the media (this means you) so totally focused on the recession, there is no room for optimism. This is obvious. What we also know is that Newspapers and reporters are hurting bad. The fact that your own industry is so hard hit colors editorial decisions. PLEASE COMMENT ON AIR!

Brooklyn

Gail Rodney

Commerce

Artists help gallery

Our neighborhood gallery and frame shop (in business since 1963) has suffered a hard spell this winter--people aren't framing or buying art. What to do? The owner renegotiated his rent, let staff members go, and offered several artists a deal: a consortium of 10 will run the gallery side, exhibit our work, do promotion. He continues framing and handles sales. We each pay him $100 each month to help with the rent. Our first opening is May 12. We get space, he gets help, and we all hope for business.

1641 York Avenue, New York, Ny

David

Swindlers

A random act of kindness.

I've transitioned to riding my bike to work everyday to save money on the rising cost of a metrocard and to enjoy the nice weather.

Yesterday as I was leaving work, I came down from my office to see that my bike wheels were taken off my bike and locked together. A note written on a menu and attached to the lock read "Someone was stealing your wheels, I locked them together, call xxx-xxx-xxxx."

Suffice to say a bike messenger was riding by and noticed someone stealing my bike and stopped him by locking my wheels together. This would have really put another dent in my pocket book as I would have needed to resume taking the subway and buy a new bike! Thanks to this kind act of civic duty, I learned a valuable lesson. Tribeca bikers, beware of bike wheel theft!

32 avenue of americas, new york, ny 10013

John Celardo

Housing

Planning Board Inactivity

I’ve been a member of the Fanwood, NJ Planning Board for about twenty years. It’s a combined Board that hears both sight plan and zoning variance applications. Fanwood is a one square mile town in Union County. Most Planning Board hearings involve home improvements that require a zoning variance before the town will issue a building permit. When the economy is strong, the Planning Board hears three to five applications per month. The Board held its April meeting last night, and there were no applications to hear. The lack of activity is a clear indication that the credit market is very tight, and residents of our town are delaying large home improvement projects. We’ve experienced this kind of inactivity a couple of times during my tenure on the board, always during economic downturns. I believe Planning and Zoning Board activity is good example of an uncommon economic indicator.

Fanwood, NJ

Laura Silver

Bright

Red Buck, Gold Bond—Better Daze Ahead

My dad, a native New Yorker and stockbroker with 40+ years in the business, began this composition nearly ten years ago, after he took a neon course at Brooklyn's UrbanGlass.

The composition found a home in his midtown office where colleagues were mystified — and lured — by the red glow emanating from his otherwise standard-issue working quarters. Over the years, he added stock certificates and mementos of the market to the fiery dollar sign.
Now "Red Buck, Gold Bond" is on display on Wall Street, at the Museum of American Finance [http://www.moaf.org].

The mixed media composition will be up for another month or two. And the artist will be on hand to answer questions on Saturday, May 16, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Museum bookstore.

Come check out the Ouija board, horseshoe and the fine print:
"Hardship and controversy are part of our American heritage. So is overcoming them."

And, if you'd like, you can make Red Buck your own.

The price?

A single share of Berkshire Hathaway – Class A

48 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005

Francyne Pelchar

Commerce

doubling up

A successful butcher shop and deli next door to each other on busy commercial Crosby Ave in the Bronx are owned by the same owners. Last month, the butcher shop moved into the deli. Same wonderful meat is available; things are just a little tighter in the shared space. Good to have them still with us.

Crosby Avenue, Bronx 10461