Dec. 27, 2010 By Christian Murray
Many sections of the Sunnyside business district took a battering in the past 12 months, as more than 20 neighborhood stores closed.
Queens Blvd was particularly hard hit between 42nd and 46thstreets. Here, stores such as Starberry, Flynn’s, Corner 46, Rose Diner, The Diving Bell, Shin Chon BBQ, Boost Mobile and the OTB closed. Furthermore, Nourish sat vacant for the past 12 months.
Nevertheless, Sunnyside’s commercial district appeared to be more resilient than many other Queens neighborhoods. In July, Congressman Anthony Weiner conducted a study of 10 Queens neighborhoods and said that the average vacancy rate in those neighborhoods was 12%. Meanwhile, Sunnyside’s was less than 10%.
Signs of Sunnyside’s strength were evident along Greenpoint Ave. In 2010, Lenny’s Pizza, Orchard Farmers Market and Bank of America opened. Rite Aid merged its two stores and Associated expanded. Additionally, Key Food is in the process of expanding its store and has a four-story development on the way.
However, there were still several closures on Greenpoint Ave too, such as Greenpoint Furniture, Manolos and Tasty Fast Food IV.
On Skillman Ave., businesses such as Daco Romano and La Plaza Mexico closed. However, there were many stores that opened, such as Basmati Table, an Indian restaurant; Petunia, a children’s clothing store; and Skillman Pets.
Joe Conley, chairman of Community Board 2, said the condition of Sunnyside’s business district is “symbolic of the economy.” However, “It could be far worse.”
Note: This slide show is based on this site’s 2010 records of Queens Blvd, Greenpoint Ave and Skillman Ave. openings and closings.
