Arlington businesses feel pains of construction, economy

The economic crisis that hit in October of last year has substantially affected a number of the businesses on Raymond and Collegeview Avenues—especially the restaurants. The construction on Raymond Avenue last summer and fall has also contributed to the slump.  

"Nobody's doing great on this block," said Brian Nesheiwat, who has worked in his family's Zorona restaurant since he was 15. "I've seen a lot of businesses come and go," he said. 

According to Julie Anemelos, the owner and operator of Julie's Restaurant on Raymond Avenue, October, November and December were the worst months she's seen in her 14 years at this location. "I'm struggling to pay my bills," said Anemelos. Other local business owners have faced similar struggles. "Oh yeah, with the construction, the economy, business was hurting," said Gino Gjonaj, the owner and operator of Marco's Pizza, located on the corner of Raymond and Davis Avenues.

Walter Effron, the owner of Three Arts Bookstore on Collegeview Avenue, said that the drop in business was the most noticeable around Christmas, when sales are usually the highest. "Christmas business was off, down by 25 percent," said Effron.  

Anemelos said that she is not worried about the economy because "My food is not a luxury; my prices haven't gone up in two years, and I have regular customers." 

Out of the five businesses that originally shared the building that Julie's occupies, only three have survived these tough times. Mike's Laundromat and the Dollar Yard are still in business, though Michael Caballero, the laundromat's owner, said that he saw a noticeable dip in business. "Hopefully it will get better," he said.

Bare floors and blank walls now mark the space previously occupied by Griff's bar and Delforno's deli, which both shared the same building with Julie's and went out of business last fall. Twisted Soul, which Vassar students may know best as the restaurant that sells empanadas on Tuesdays in College Center, is set to move into Griff's old location sometime in April, according to Elizabeth Eismeier, Vassar's Vice President for Finance and Administration.

Gjonaj said that Marco's has seen a big drop in local, non-Vassar customers since the economy turned. "Some of my customers are getting laid off; other local people don't come in as often as they used to. They're scared to lose their jobs," he said. He also noted the added problem of being in food services on a block that houses mostly restaurants. "The locals have too many choices," he said.

To make ends meet, Gjonaj decided to keep Marco's open until 3 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. "I was thinking about extra hours [before the economy turned], but I've got three kids; I wanted to be home after 9 p.m. to spend time with them. If business was better I probably wouldn't be open late." On Friday nights, Gjonaj gets home between 3:30 and 4 a.m., only to be back at work on Saturday at 9 a.m., prepping pizzas for the store's opening at 11 a.m.

Zorona Restaurant is also still reeling from the economic crisis and last year's construction on Raymond Avenue. "People don't come in as much. When they do come, they don't spend as much. People are gypping us on tips," said Nesheiwat. Zorona is also struggling to cope with rising food prices, which in some cases have doubled in recent months. A friend of Nesheiwat is waiting tables for free, just to help out.   

While Nesheiwat cites the economic crisis as having a big impact, he does not want to dismiss the slump caused by the construction on Raymond Avenue last summer and fall.  "Construction screwed us over big time; our business was down 70 to 80 percent," he said.

For Julie's and the adjacent businesses, two construction projects were underway simultaneously. The state was working on the roads and roundabouts, and River Management was giving a facelift to the façades of Julie's, the Dollar Yard and Mike's Laundromat, as well to the spaces that used to house Griff's and Delforno's. River Management is the company hired by Vassar's subsidiary, College Properties LLC, to manage properties on Raymond and Collegeview.

For Anemelos, in particular, the construction process was too long and ultimately a deficit to her business. "I was told the construction would take three weeks. It took nine," she said. River Management's construction project put a large wall in the glass front of Julie's while construction workers upgraded the front. "People thought we were closed for business; three large parties cancelled during Christmas time," said Anemelos.

Caballero also said that some of his customers didn't know that his laundromat was open. Eismeier said that the delays in construction were regrettable, yet also unavoidable.  It also could not be helped that the construction came after the roadwork, rather than before.

"Concerns about the construction's effect on business have been raised with the property manager, and the College is guided by their [River Management's] views of what should be done in these circumstances," said Eismeier. 

While Anemelos and Caballero both feel that River Management did not carry out the construction as best it could, they both made it clear that they do not blame Vassar, whose subsidiary leases the property and contracts River Management. Both Anemelos and Caballero are generally happy with the work now that it is over, but both have also expressed concern over the non-existence of advertising and signage on the new windows of their businesses. They are waiting to hear from River Management to see if the company plans to pay for new signage to restore the windows to their pre-construction condition. Eismeier explained that the issue was still in the process of being resolved, but that a solution had not yet been decided upon.

Vassar did help ease the financial burden by offering discounts on rent to businesses located on properties leased by the College. "We worked with River Management to decide what the best solution was. We try to take their advice on most of the decisions, since it's their field of expertise, not ours," said Eismeier.

Vassar and River Management eventually decided to give all the properties leased by College Properties LLC a 10 percent reduction in rent for four months, or almost a half-month's rent off. 

Julie's and Zorona asked for a greater reduction in rent, but were turned down. "Vassar offered us a discount on rent," said Nesheiwat, "but it was almost nothing. We wrote letters asking Vassar for more help, but they wouldn't budge."

According to Eismeier, River Management notified Vassar about these requests, but Vassar deferred to River Management to make the ultimate decision. River Management decided that a 10 percent per month reduction in rent was enough.

River Management declined to comment on any of the issues surrounding the properties that they manage for Vassar's subsidiary, College Properties LLC.    
The financial crisis's impact on Vassar is also contributing to the slump in local businesses.

The financial climate is chief among multiple reasons why the move of the College Bookstore into the space currently held by Juliet Café and Billiards is being delayed. Juliet's lease has been extended to May, and College administrators are waiting to confirm the cost of the renovation, and to ascertain whether funding can be obtained, before deciding whether it is appropriate or possible to extend the lease again. "Obviously we would like [Juliet Café] to stay longer if we're not going to start the renovations in June," said Eismeier.  

On the whole, the Vassar community is very supportive of immediately local businesses. Members of the Vassar community comprise 40 to 50 percent of the business at Zorona and 70 percent of that at Marco's. Ken Kraft, owner of the Crafted Kup on Raymond Avenue, agreed that Vassar has helped his business, saying that there is a "tremendous bump in business when Vassar is in session." 

Effron said that business from certain professors who have directed students to buy their course books at Three Arts has really helped offset the decline in walk-in business that his store has faced. "Otherwise, it would be a really bad situation," said Effron. Associate Professor of Geography and Geology Joe Nevins encourages his students to buy their books from Three Arts for two main reasons: "One, for the well-being of the area; it is important that the Vassar community support local businesses. And, two, for the well-being of mechanisms of democratic and intellectual engagement; it is of utmost importance that independent bookstores such as Three Arts not only survive, but thrive," said Nevins.

Local businesses greatly appreciate business from the Vassar community, and wanted students to be aware of how they were helping. "When you guys left [for winter break], I really felt it," said Gjonaj. "Marco's appreciates Vassar," he said. "Without you guys, I've got nothing."

"If it wasn't for Vassar, we'd be hit hard," said Nesheiwat. While Anemelos said that Julie's doesn't depend on the Vassar community, she said it certainly helps. "I want you to be here," she said of Vassar students. "I give you more than I can, I give you my love."


—This article is part of an ongoing series of investigative stories examining the effect of the economy on Vassar College and the Hudson Valley. Additional reporting by Mike Alberti, Features Editor.