Bruce Bernstein

Employment

Trade Association Seeing More Unemployed at Meetings

I work for NYSIA, the New York Software Industry Association, which holds educational and networking meetings 3-4 times per month. In the last few months, the meetings have actually grown, but the percentage of unemployed people, many from outside the industry, is much, much higher -- maybe 50% at some meetings. I am seeing a lot of ex-Wall Street types who now want to start their own tech businesses.

23 E 30th Street , New York, 10010

RONA BRAND

Behavior

Decornomics

I've been an interior decorator for more than 30 years. People are putting projects on hold whether it's a new kitchen or replacing a fixture. The age of conspicuous consumption is gone. It's no longer "cool" to spend a lot to get the look you want. I'm advising clients to reuse, repaint, reupholster and tap into a more creative approach.

http://www.ronathalerbrandinteriors.com/

3408 leeward drive, haverstraw, ny 10927

maria callas lovers

Bright

Met Opera Tix - Awesome Deal!

Hi All,

For those who aren't working during the day and like/love opera...run over to the Met!

Here's the deal, you go to the Met around 4pm, or earlier ask the guard where "rush ticket" line is, wait in line for about 1.5 to 2 hours and you get $200+ seats for $25 (weekend), $20 (weekday). (We sat in row N last night.)

It may sound time-consuming but the time really flies b/c the people are very pleasant to chat with and the opera's amazing. And who knows, maybe someone you're chatting with knows someone with a job opening.

I know how easy it is to get into a funk but when you think about it, you're not always going to be not working so why not take advantage of it now?

Enjoy!

Lincoln Center, NY, NY

Mary Grunmeier

Commerce

Snow Plowing Reduction

Before snow season started, my town in Morris County NJ announced that they would discontinue a 40 year tradition of plowing parking lots and driveways for churches, private schools, the american legion, the VFW, and so on.

Hanover Township, NJ

Mary Goddard

Bright

Pay What You Wish Cafe

A small, family-owned/operated restaurant in upstate NY (Olmsteadville, NY) has created "Recession Buster Sundays" Scott, the chef, and Theresa, the server, offer their Sunday meals as a "pay as you want". (While their three kids play upstairs with a babysitter). No price is set for any of their Sunday meals and customers pay whatever they wish. They serve what my husband and I consider to be gourmet meals and,by all accounts, wonderful pizza Thursdays through Sundays at their Lucky Leprechaun Cafe.

Olmsteadville, NY , 12857

James Walsh

Behavior

Credit cards for pizza??

I often find myself chatting with the local pizzeria owners to gauge the neighborhood business activity- that's what you get when you take a NY born and bread Italian American and put him in North Jersey:)
I recently asked how business was and was taken by surprise to hear his observation that many of his regular customers had switched over to paying for their orders with credit cards.

My instinctual answer to that query would have been to expect cash payments to have gone up as people stray from using credit..

Less overall household money, cheaper food sources like pizza make sense- but so little money that they are increasing credit card usage is a little frightening..

Mindy Lewis

Commerce

stores closing, banks opening

In my upper west side neighborhood, stores have been standing empty for 2, 3, 4 years. Local landmarks, like Embassy Florist on the corner of 91st & Broadway since the thirties, finally closed. After several months, the script signage over the empty storefront was finally removed, leaving a ghost image. Other casualties like Ivy's Bookshop, Liberty House are slowly being sold, and still stand empty. Yet on almost every block, there stands a shiny new bank, the only businesses that seem able to afford the massive rents.

91st Street and Broadway, New York City

Justine Poldino

Behavior

One small business surviving

I am an owner of a small cafe in a village on Long Island It is the kind of place where besides eating, the arts, politics and social issues are all in focus. Since the first day we opened six years ago my partner and I have struggled to keep it alive by giving up all the extras in life including our dwellings. Thankfully we have wonderful family. The cafe has always had great reviews, and a cult following but all that is not enough to pay the bills. Financial infusions are provided by the freelance work we still need to take. It seems since August the economic turns of the US have helped to keep the cafe alive. It has more business than ever. People are eating on a budget, wanting home cooked food and need to be part of a community. What took them so long!

14A Railroad Ave, Babylon, Ny 11702

Kate

Employment

Not So Happy Hour

My husband used to have a job DJ-ing at a bar down here during happy hour, ostensibly catering to traders and Wall Street types. No more! Needless to say, he is not collecting unemployment on this loss.

115 Broadway, New York, NY 10006

Sarah

Behavior

No NYS tax forms

New York State didn't automatically mail me my tax forms and tax booklets, as they have for the last 5 years! Instead, I got a little postcard telling me that as a costcutting measure, I have to download and print everything myself (including the hundreds of pages of the tax instructions booklet) or pick up the forms at the library myself.

Katrina

Swindlers

The gas shortage, so to speak

I go to the gas station I go to all the time and ask the guy to fill me up (I'm on E). Cash is $1.61/gallon; credit is $1.71. My car takes 18.8 gallons. The total is $31.25. Great. I pay and drive away, but I only have 7/8 of a tank. Somehow, I think, he managed to siphon off a couple of gallons, or short me. I went back 2 days later to complain and the owner promptly gave me $5 (very good business move).
Moral - make sure you're not being shorted, even at your regular spots!

Valley Road, Maplewood, NJ

Andrea Riggs

Bright

Yoga To The People

In the East Village there's a gem of a yoga studio called Yoga to the People. They take only donations - no membership or fees. They've been open 3 years and now just opened a 2nd location in Midtown at 38th & 6th. They are thriving -- they have 50+ people in every class. Great place, great yoga, and wonderful people doing something good for the community.

12 St. Marks Place, New York, NY 10003

tim

Bright

good find: flatiron picture

I never used to stop and look at the artists and their work in Union Square. But I got a gift there out of necessity and found that there are a few pretty serious artists and photographers selling there. And cheap! Just make sure that you're not getting a DIGITAL PRINTOUT from them (watch out for the 'woodblock print thats a digital job). There are some real silkscreen artists and a good photographer. here's the picture I found there

14th St., New York, NY 10013

Sue in West Village

Commerce

Impervious to the recession

Impervious to the recesseion, Bleecker Street continues to be remade as the Madison Avenue of the West Village. Brooks Brothers Black Label and Seven for All Mankind ($200 jean store) just opened on the corners of W.10th & Bleecker. Rent for Brooks Brothers is reportedly $45,000 @ month and replaced Nusratty's, an unique and wonderful middle eastern store of 30 years. Seven for All Mankind boasts a celebrity clientele.

254 bleeker street , new york, ny 10014

boomergirl

Employment

Corporate Signs of Doom

One of the first indicators at my job was an e-mail saying that the guy who'd watered the plants for the whole company for years had been let go and that from now on, employees would have to water their own plants. Not long after that, a bunch of us were laid off. And not long after that, the company converted to a holding company so it could get a share of the bailout money. (More people got laid off after that too.)

1120 Sixth Ave., Manhattan

phyllis

Commerce

Love Still for Sale at a Premium

Check out Zagat's list of Valentine menus offered at upscale restaurants....no lowered prices there. Per Se is sold out with a over $500 per person price. And the rest are right behind with prices less but more. How about showing up at one of their back doors with begging bowls?

10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019

Sunny Chapman

Bright

Item Vintage

I'm an artist and also sell vintage clothing and handmade accessories online. Normally, both the art business and the clothing business die down in summer and resume in September. This year, neither business came back, I lost my entire fall and holiday season. But on January 12, business suddenly picked up again and my online business has had steady sales since then. Nothing's going on with my art, but as long as I can eat, pay the bills and have time to paint, I'm happy.

Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY

Philip Shubin

Behavior

facebook surge

I have noticed in the past few weeks that I am getting a surge of "friend requests" on facebook from my middle age friends that I never thought would use the social network site. My personal explanation for this is that people are unemployed or underemployed if they are freelance and have more time on their hands.

UWS NYC

Ksenia Vidyaykina

Behavior

People are being mugged

We live in BedSty. Luxury condo converted 6 years ago. It is near Marcy projects. In the past 3 months 3 people were mugged from our building. One with concussion and broken bone, one at gun point. This all in the last 3 months.

689 Myrtle Ave , Brooklyn, NY

Abigail Bedrick

Commerce

Upper Eastside

I was on the upper eastside this weekend on my way to the Whitney museum and as I was walking down Lexington Avenue I saw several longtime shops had closed including a children's shoe store on 84th street and a coffee shop on 75th street. I can't remember the last time I saw so many shuttered places in that neighborhood.

Lexington Avenue between 86 and 75th streets