Dorothy Singh could barely contain her rage as she spoke about the future of the Aqueduct Racetrack.
For 25 years, the Ozone Park resident has sold shoes and clothing as a vendor at the flea market, held in the track’s parking lot on weekends and Tuesdays. But the proposed expansion of the track, with the addition of Video Lottery Terminals (VLT), could put an end to the market’s time at Aqueduct.
“A lot of people make their living here. What would we do next? Where would we go?” she said.
With five bidders chomping at the bit for the rights to revamp Aqueduct, the New York Racing Authority (NYRA) says expansion will occur soon. NYRA would not say whether it would renew the market’s lease, which expires next month – leaving the flea market and its 500 vendors in limbo.
“There just won’t be room for it,” said Dan Silver, a NYRA spokesman. “It was a nice thing to have, but the importance of Video Lottery Terminals to New York racing and New York State as a whole dwarfs any money generated from the flea market.”
Silver said the revamping of the racetrack would provide $100 million in immediate cash and more than $400 million a year thereafter.
Both NYRA and Plain N Fancy shows, which rents the parking lot to run the flea market, declined to reveal the current lease terms. The company signs a lease annually to work out of the parking lot from April through December. But Silver could not confirm whether the lease would be renewed after this year.
Carol DeSanto, manager of Plain N Fancy shows, said she has not been informed of any decision and hopes to work with NYRA to remain at Aqueduct.
“I’d love to stay here. It’s established, it’s been here forever,” she said. “I would work with them no matter what – and I think they’d like to work with us. We pay our bills on time and we have a good relationship.”
DeSanto said she would scale back the market to accommodate construction. But some residents are tired of the clutter left by the flea market and angered by reports of counterfeit products being sold there – including a 2004 incident in which $1.3 million in bogus designer items was confiscated by authorities.
“Anyone who goes past Rockaway Boulevard after the market shuts down can see the absolute mess left there at the end of the day,” said Betty Braton, Chairperson of Community Board 10. “The future of that area is not contingent on the flea market, it will be contingent on what occurs at Aqueduct with gambling and racing.”
Shoppers and vendors expressed dismay and confusion when asked about the market’s future on a recent Saturday. Andrew McFarland, 25, who has been selling clothes and toys at the market for eight years, said other than a vague flyer sent out months ago, management does not provide updates.
“You don’t get any official word or anything like that,” he said.
Zahir Khan, 37, who sells cosmetics, said that rumors of the market’s impending demise have swirled for years.
“Waiting is all we can do,” he said. “I feel bad for the neighborhood, I feel bad for everybody. A lot of people depend on this.”
Rham Rhaz, of Ozone Park, a flea market customer for two decades, agreed.
“We are very poor people,” he said. “I find I get things here at a reasonable price, and with it we can balance our budget. If they close this down we will suffer a lot.”
