Queens small businesses struggle to survive six months after shutdown

Queens Chamber of Commerce President Tom Grech speaks at the last event at Antun’s before the state-imposed shutdown. Photo courtesy of Queens Chamber

By Tom Grech

On March 11, hundreds of business, community, and political leaders in Queens gathered, as we do every year, at Antun’s of Queens Village for the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon. The luncheon is one of my favorite events of the year and we were thrilled to have two great honorees, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and Dee Tubridy of the Bungalow Bar. As they dined on corned beef and sipped their Guinness, many attendees got notifications on their phones that the Coronavirus had been officially declared a pandemic. Little did we know the impact the virus would have on our borough.

Queens was the epicenter of the epicenter of the global pandemic. In addition to the tremendous personal toll, COVID has devastated our local economy, particularly small businesses. It was heartbreaking to see so many cherished neighborhood businesses close their doors to the public, not knowing if they would ever be able to open them to customers again. 

For the oldest and largest business association in Queens, this was a challenge we could never have anticipated. Our mission is to foster connections, provide educational opportunities, and develop programs to help our members succeed, and to advocate for the interests of Queens’ business community. But how do you do that amidst a global pandemic? 

We stayed true to our mission of advocating for our members, educating them on what resources were available and connecting them to help. We hosted virtual townhall meetings with elected officials from all level of government, so they could hear directly from business owners about what help they needed. We connected local small businesses with lenders charged with distributing loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program. When too few smalls businesses in Queens got the relief they needed from the first round of this program, we advocated to our Congressional delegation to push for more money to be added.  

We also had to adapt to the circumstances and reimagine what a Chamber of Commerce could and should be doing to support businesses in the community it serves. And we had to do it quickly. 

We partnered with the New York City Department of Small Business Services and Commissioner Jonnel Doris to distribute nearly one million masks to businesses throughout Queens. We also launched a program with NewYork-Presbyterian Queens to provide grants to small businesses so they can purchase PPE for their employees, and cleaning supplies and services so they can reopen their doors to customers safely. 

Our goal over the past six months has been to support and serve all businesses in Queens, not just our 1,150 members. And because we are the most diverse community in the world, we’ve offered services and programs in a variety of languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Greek, Urdu, and Creole. 

It looks like the worst days of the pandemic are behind us and New Yorkers should be applauded for helping control the spread of the virus. Small business owners played a crucial role over the past six months in keeping their staff, customers, and communities safe – and they will continue to do so for as long as it is necessary. But it has come at a significant cost. In April, I expressed fear that half of Queens’ 6,000 restaurants might not survive the pandemic, and I have the same concerns today. We must continue to advocate for relief for small businesses and business-friendly policies at all levels of government, working to connect business owners to the resources they need to continue to serve their neighborhoods.  

Small businesses are the lifeblood of Queens, creating economic opportunity in every corner of our borough and adding character to our neighborhoods. If Queens is going to remain a great place to live, work, and raise a family, we need our small businesses to succeed. You can help by taking advantage of outdoor dining while the weather is still nice, and visiting your local shops and stores. Now, more than ever, they need your support. 

Tom Grech is the president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.