By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — A slew of longtime neighborhood businesses on Broadway say they're being pushed out of their spaces to make way for new development.
Several business owners on the east side of Broadway between West 77th and West 78th streets said landlord Friedland Properties asked them to move out by early spring because Friedland plans to tear down all or part of the buildings on the block.
Merchants in the affected buildings include Laila Rowe women's boutique, World of Nuts candy shop, a nail salon, Curl Up and Dye hair salon, a watch repair service, a travel agency, a jewelry-making school, and others.
Friedland Properties could not be reached immediately for comment Wednesday.
"Basically the landlords are kicking everybody out," said Kathryn Yang, a co-owner of S. J. Kim's Tae Kwon Do school, which has a second-floor space on the block. "I'm guessing they'll be building condos."
Yang said her business had a 10-year lease that expires in three years. But a demolition clause in the agreement allows landlord Friedland Properties to push her out now because she's heard they plan to tear down some of the buildings on the block, Yang said.
"It's tough to move a business, but it's something that I think we were all aware could happen," Yang said. The school will move by the end of March. Yang said she's hoping to open in a new spot on West 60th Street and Broadway.
Employees at Laila Rowe said their store will close at the end of February. Susie's Nail Salon, which has been on the block for 25 years, will leave at the end of March, said owner Susie Chang.
Employees at New Pizza Town and Manhattan Diner referred questions to owners who couldn't be reached Wednesday.
World of Nuts, a candy and ice cream shop that also stocks Beanie Babies and small gifts, will close after 24 years in business, said owner Omid Sadri.
Sadri said he's heard rumors that the southern end of the block will demolished and replaced with a high-rise, and that buildings on the northern end will either be torn down or gutted.
"We knew it was going to eventually happen," said Sadri, who inherited the candy store, a family business, after his father passed away.
"It's sad, but what are you going to do?" said Sadri. "New York has changed a lot over the years. A lot of bigger chains and banks are coming in, and small stores are moving out."
