From The Peopling of New York City

The following interview was conducted with the owner of the Khera Travels shop on 37 Road and 74th street. The owner is in charge of both the travel agency and the adjacent clothing store. After introducing myself as a Hunter College student and describing the purpose of the interview, the owner of the shop provided me with some valuable information about the current real estate situation of this street, his opinion about a dual-business and the shifting dynamic of Jackson Heights.

-What country are you from? Also, what region of that country?

I am from India, from the Punjab Province.

- How long have you been at this current establishment?

I have been in this current location for three years, but have been in Jackson Heights for the past 10 years. I used to work in at a shop around the corner for seven years.

- Who owns the shop?

A Korean businessman who works in real estate in Manhattan owns this shop. Two individuals, the Korean businessman who owns this shop and another Jewish businessman own almost all of the stores on this street. They both work in Manhattan and have a lot of real estate in Queens and Manhattan.

- How many owners are there for this shop?

I am the owner of both of these shops. I pay a monthly rent for this location to the Korean businessman, and have divided it into a clothing shop and a small travel agency.

- Were you allowed to decide what merchandise you would sell, or did the individual you are renting this location from tell you to sell a specific merchandise/service?

I am given full control over both of my shops and I decide what merchandise I sell. I chose to open a clothing store because my wife is able to help me run the business. She basically runs the clothing shop, and I am in control of the travel agency. I chose to get into this business because I feel under the present economic conditions, many people will want to go on vacation and take advantage of the cheap ticket prices. A round trip to India right now is about $850. I wanted to open up a restaurant like the one I have in Minnesota but my wife is against the idea and even if we were to open it, she would refuse to touch any of the meat. I would like my wife to contribute to any business I open, and because she was against the idea of a restaurant, we decided to open this clothing shop. Sometimes I wish we had a restaurant instead of a clothing store because the store is suffering right now in this economy. I feel like people are only purchasing the things they absolutely need, and are able to live without buying a new outfit.

- Do you feel the practice of dual-business enhances your sales?

Yes, I definitely would say that having two stores in one location increases my sales. Many customers from the clothing store are often unaware that there is a travel agency next door. When my wife tells them that her husband runs the business, they will often stop in if they are looking to go on vacation or travel. Because my wife has a great relationship with many of her customers, they begin to trust her and because of this, are more willing to meet with me than another travel agency.

- Where are your employees from?

Most of my employees are from Bangladesh. Aside from my wife and son, I would say all of my other employees are Bangladeshi.

- How do you decide whom to hire?

I choose my employees based on their knowledge of the latest fashions in India and the language they speak. All of the girls in the clothing shop speak Bengali and most know Hindi. If they don’t know Hindi its fine, but they should know Bengali because this area is now primarily Bangladeshi. I would say about 80-90% of the people who live, work and shop in Jackson Heights are from Bangladesh.