From The Peopling of New York City

After my conversation with the owner of Jay Variety and Corner Luggage Appliances, I walked across the street to Alankar Jewelers. The owners of both the Jay Variety shop and Jackson Tailors paid a monthly rent to the owner of Alankar Jewelers, and I was informed that an interview with the jewelry shop owner would give me a great deal of information about the business practices of Jackson Heights.

I walked into the jewelry shop and introduced myself as a student from Hunter College and informed the owner that I had just had a conversation with the owner of the Jay Variety and Corner Luggage Appliances shop, and he had instructed me to come to this store. After I had told him what I had learned from the owner of the variety shop, the owner of the jewelry store gave whatever information he had that he found helpful. The owner of the store was a middle-aged man from India.

-How long have you owned the shops across the street?

I do not own those stores, but am currently leasing that location. Five businesses in that location are currently paying me rent.

-How did you decide who you would allow to acquire a section of that location for their own business? What made you pick someone like the owner of the variety store to rent out the location you currently control?

Actually, the owner of the variety shop has been there longer than me. He had already established his business before I came to lease that location. As for your other question, I select individuals who I believe are “suited” to practice business in this area, and have merchandise that the people of this area will buy. The owner needs to cater to the needs of the community, and whatever he or she does must be relevant in someway to Jackson Heights.

-Is a race a factor in your selection?

Yes, race is defiantly a factor. I usually select only Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Nepali people. If the people don’t have the right skin color, and don’t know the language there will be no trust between the customer and the business. I personally believe that an African American, Hispanic or Caucasian individual will have a very difficult time conducting business in this area, and because of this, I usually rent my land to Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Nepali individuals.

-Do you use these same criteria for hiring your employees?

Yes, the same principle is applied to my employees. Once again, the color of skin is most important followed by the language they speak. They do not need to speak several languages, but they all should at least speak Bengali or Hindi. If they don’t know Bengali, they will have to learn if they want to work in this store, and most stores in this area. Being able to speak Hindi is also important, but they will be able to work if they do not know it. The same is true for other South Asian languages and dialects.

-The main question I had about the business practices in Jackson Heights concerns the dual businesses that are prevalent in this area. What are your thoughts about this business tactic and its suitability for Jackson Heights?

I feel this is a great tactic for business owners in Jackson Heights only if they are Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Nepali. South Asians owners work really well with each other, and this is another reason why I believe you must be South Asian to survive in this neighborhood. Because of their common origins, a sense of trust is created between these people, which leads to a good business chemistry. I know several owners who say their shop benefits from sharing customers with their close neighbors. For example, in the building I lease across the street, those stores and shops all feed off and benefit from each other. The Nepali restaurant is quite popular and attracts many customers, who often will stop by either the phone store, which is very popular in this area, and the variety shop and tailor shops. From my own personal experience, I can tell you that those stores across the street really benefit from this method.