The owner of a neighborhood music store and school in Little Neck is facing thousands of dollars worth of repairs after water flooded into his business during a severe cloudburst at the end of July.
Tony Fabiano, who runs neighborhood institution the Long Island Drum Center at 252-1o Northern Blvd., told QNS water began streaming into his store during heavy rainfall at around 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 31.
Fabiano said the storm water caused a number of ceiling tiles to crash to the ground in the store, damaging a number of drums and other equipment such as stereos and recorders. Subsequent water leaked into the basement and displaced a number of ceiling tiles in many of the store’s basement studios, where Fabiano holds regular music lessons.
All but one of the drum center’s five studios, which Fabiano himself built, are out of service as a result of the storm, depriving the store — and Fabiano — of a regular revenue stream.
Fabiano and store worker Anastasia Timoshenko said the store had previously suffered damage during a similar storm in June 2024, adding that they have been pleading with the building’s landlords to improve infrastructure for several years.
They said the building has been in poor condition for several years but added that issues have deteriorated since the building’s ownership changed hands around three years ago, stating that calls to address badly-needed issues have fallen on deaf ears with the building’s new owners.
Fabiano said he had pleaded with the building owners to address issues with a water runoff pipe prior to the July flooding but alleged that the owners did not react to his concerns.
Footage of the recent floods captured by Timoshenko highlights water cascading through the ceiling and into the store below. Fabiano said he still cannot bear to look at the footage.
“I can’t even look at it,” Fabiano said. “It makes me nauseous. Just the sound of it makes me sick.”
Fabiano, who has been a part of the Long Island Drum Center since it opened 49 years ago and has run the business for the past 40 years, witnessed the partial destruction of his life’s work first hand.
“I hadn’t been able to eat for about two or three days (after the flood). I was about to throw up.”
Timoshenko said she felt “sick to her stomach” watching the water flood the store and studios below, adding that she narrowly avoided being struck by a falling tile during the extreme flooding.
Fabiano has spent a tireless two weeks repairing the damage caused during the floods and said the clean-up had taken an enormous toll on him physically.
“I don’t think anybody needs this at any age, but the fact is that I’m not getting any younger, this has taken a tremendous toll on my health,” Fabiano said.
He said his insurance company has so far refused to compensate him for the damage caused to his business at the end of last month, stating that representatives have informed him that he is not covered for flood damage. Meanwhile, Fabiano alleged that his landlord has refused to make any repairs in the wake of the floods, adding that he cannot afford to stump up the thousands of dollars required to repair the shop on his own.
A representative for the building owners told QNS that they are “working” on addressing Fabiano’s concerns.
The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) said it has been in touch with Fabiano and the Long Island Drum Center after learning of the damage that his business suffered last month.
“No small business owner should be forced to deal with the aftermath of a disaster alone,” an SBS representative said in a statement. “SBS and New York City Government are here to help.”
An SBS representative said the agency can provide support for the Long Island Drum Center and similar small businesses in the wake of disasters through its Emergency Response Unit (ERU), which provides information and resources to impacted businesses. The ERU also provides government and insurance navigation assistance to small businesses in addition to pro-bono legal services and financing assistance.
The SBS representative additionally called on community leaders and local organizations to alert the agency about any business that might be struggling in the wake of any disaster.
Fabiano, on the other hand, said he is considering legal action against his landlord after pleading with them for several years to make necessary upgrades at the building.
“These people have pushed their luck with me and I’m done.”
