JACKSON HEIGHTS — Comptroller Scott Stringer toured 82nd Street on Thursday to meet with small business owners as part of his bid to help them by fixing government bureaucracy.
Stringer's "Red Tape Commission," which has laid out 60 suggestions to help small business, heard complaints from owners about everything from complicated permits to high rents to competition from online shopping.
Owners said they rarely get any help from the city.
"We're trying to make a decent living," said Ali Hussein, who owns Pro Brands on 82nd Street. He's owned clothing stores in the neighborhood for 24 years, moving from Roosevelt Avenue to 82nd Street three years ago.
But Hussein's felt the squeeze from high rents — he pays more than $14,000 for his 1,700-square-foot store — and business is down thanks to larger stores, the popularity of the mall and online shopping, he said.
"We need to keep our businesses running. We create jobs for people," he told Stringer.
While recognizing they can't regulate rent, Stringer said there's more the city can do to lessen the burden on business owners. To do so, the Red Tape Commission has gathered leaders, experts and advocates to determine 60 ways to help small business owners like Hussein, he said.
"There's a lot that we can do on the government side that respects the fact that many of these businesses have to pay a whole lot of rent, they have a whole lot of expenses, and we should begin to look at ways to reduce that," Stringer said.
Suggestions include creating advocates who work directly with small businesses to act as a liaison, making it easier to track permit progress and giving businesses the chance to turn the tables on city agencies — by giving them a grade.
Lou Cirone opened La Casa del Pollo on 82nd Street last month, after more than six months of renovations, permit issues and fines.
"The permits were difficult. The process was difficult," he said. "It's hard to make money."
Lesley Ramos, the director of the 82nd Street Partnership, said she wanted to show Stringer a variety of businesses in the business district to get a sense of the many issues.
"They are simple solutions that will go a long way to help our businesses," she said.
