Brighton Beach: Economy

From Decoding New York

A Russian Bookstore that sells books, movies and music in Russian. Phtot by yuliya B.

The Brighton Beach economy is flourishing and growing daily. Small businesses constantly close, while other ones open. The large population of residents only accounts for a small portion of Brighton’s economy. Large numbers of Russian immigrants come to Brighton Beach from other neighborhoods just to enjoy their cultural food, music, clothing, restaurants and other stores they would rather visit to simply conduct business with fellow Russians.

Every business has mostly Russian workers. This has to do with the fact that the owner is Russian, the neighborhood is Russian, and the customers will be Russian and would rather speak their native language rather than struggle with English. The main reason that most Russians enjoy Brighton Beach so much is because it is familiar and they could be relaxed there. In Brighton Beach stores, customers can find Russian brands, and everything written in Russian for their convenience.

Traditional Russian Food. Photo by Valerie T.

Brighton Beach is a little Russian world in New York City, and absolutely everything Russian can be found there. A great business that began in Brighton Beach and has expanded greatly is that of Russian restaurants. They consist of great food, great music, a dance floor, live shows and everything provide a great party and amazing nightlife and socializing scene. The restaurants along Brighton Beach and Boardwalk have strongly established themselves over the last decade and have only grown and improved. They are in constant competition with one another, pressing each restaurant to improve further. This multi-millionaire dollar business has such a large impact on the community, that all 4 of the biggest and most popular restaurants, Tatiana’s Restaurant, International, Oceana and Imperator, have been open and attracting more customers over the past decade.

International Food is also a well established business that has been open for over ten years and expanded from a little store to a two-floor supermarket. Russians from all five boroughs travel there to stock up on delicious cooked food for the week. The fresh products straight from Russia are what is expected to be provided by Brighton Beach. Food is a great way to bring families together, and fresh, delicious Russian food is proved to be highly demanded by the amounts of Russian stores along Brighton Beach Avenue; at least two on almost every block!