Subway renovation creates fuss

Business owners along the Newkirk Plaza say their profits are being hurt by construction being done to the nearby subway station. The Newkirk Avenue subway station is getting a $30 million restoration,

News 12 Staff

Feb 27, 2009, 12:40 AM

Updated 5,781 days ago

Share:

Business owners along the Newkirk Plaza say their profits are being hurt by construction being done to the nearby subway station.
The Newkirk Avenue subway station is getting a $30 million restoration, with repairs being made to the stairwells, platform and station booths. But local entrepreneurs say along with the restoration come inconveniences, such as a fence that?s been put up.
?With the fencing, a lot of people don't come over from the other side,? says Arti Giannopoulos, of Linderman Flowers. ?People are lazy, they don't want to come over.?
Leon Kogut, who owns a local barber shop, is also president of the local merchant association. Kogut says his business is also hurting and everyone directs their grievances to him.
?Everybody is complaining to me - people come to me because their business went down 30 [percent] to 40 percent,? he says.
However, the business owners do acknowledge that the renovation could prove to be a long-term benefit once the plaza looks pristine.