Jhoanes Bakery and Coffee at 33-04 Broadway. Photo by Neil Herdan.
Feb. 10, 2025 By Neil Herdan
There is no doubt these are very challenging times for Astoria businesses. The cost of many essentials, such as spare parts and food products, has increased. Conversely, labor costs, labor shortages, energy bills, and property insurance have skyrocketed. Some businesses, such as Retro on Broadway, lost their leases. Others, including Chez Olivia and Trattoria L’incontro, decided to move out of Astoria altogether. A few longtime owners decided to retire.
For example, Joe Ciccarelli shuttered Dave and Tony Salumeria after an 80-year run in Astoria. Newer businesses that opened up in the last few years folded. They included Edible, Selo, Burrito Boulevard and most recently, Stuff’d on Broadway. Two eateries were seized for tax evasion or nonpayment of taxes, Queens Bake House and Thirsty Koala. The owners of Zenon decided it was not worth continuing to run their restaurant. It was a very emotional decision for them. Zenon was regarded as one of the most popular and finest-rated Cypriot restaurants in Queens. A few business owners just let their establishments fall apart. Pizza Palace, Mike’s Diner and Associated, well-loved by generations of Astorians, were left to deteriorate over many years. The block where Pizza Palace and Trattoria L’incontro were located is an empty shell, except for Create on Ditmars Boulevard.
Last November, the Astoria Homeowners, Tenants and Business Civic Association compiled a misleading chart of 50 closed businesses. These mainly were businesses that had existed for decades in Astoria. There were factual errors, serious omissions and a general misrepresentation of our community’s current state of the economy. The vast majority of those listed were eateries/restaurants.
The Astoria Homeowners, Tenants and Business Civic Association was preaching to the converted, those who believed Astoria was not the good ol’ community they grew up in during the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. With this list of closures, the presentation conveyed a very unbalanced perspective on the current economic climate in Astoria.
Bartolinos moved to 21st Avenue. They never shut down. The owners of Retro lost their lease on their Broadway pizzeria, which is now situated on Ditmars Boulevard. Last year, the author spoke with one of the owners, who plans to reopen a second pizzeria near Broadway. Filthy Flats should never have been included. They lasted a few months and shuttered their other store in Brooklyn around the same time. Junkie Burger (which had a terrible name) was shuttered for different reasons. Neither of these businesses had a firm or lasting presence in Astoria.
The meeting was picked up by the Queens Post in an article entitled “Over 50 businesses close in Astoria in the past two years, the latest being Selo restaurant on Broadway.” Many old-time Astorians were emotional, upset and angry at the November meeting. Many businesses mentioned were part of the fabric of their younger years. Greedy landlords, illegal food trucks and large corporate chains were some of the things mentioned at the meeting and on social media. These opinions were greatly exaggerated.
If you look at the number of new businesses opening, particularly new restaurants, in the last few years, most are family-owned, sole proprietors and/or small private ventures. Large chains are a fraction of the new storefronts in Astoria and can only be found on a few avenues, including Steinway Street, Broadway and Ditmars Boulevard. The current climate is much more nuanced, and a positive picture emerges when fully investigated.
As early as 2020, new restaurants and bars were opening in Astoria. One of the first was Nikos Souvlaki on Ditmars Boulevard. Bar Dalia and Hutch opened on 31st Avenue. On 30th Avenue it was La Tiendita Taqueria. On Broadway, Barzola opened a second restaurant. The original restaurant was located in Jackson Heights/East Elmhurst. All of them are still in business. The number of new eateries setting up shop has grown exponentially every year since 2020. Anyone who lives in the area knows this first hand. Keeping up with the number of new eateries setting up storefronts is almost impossible. Champion Pizza opened another pizzeria on 31st Street. Compton’s, the popular sandwich shop situated on 30th Avenue, opened a second cafe on 23rd Avenue. Botte, an Italian-themed wine bar on Broadway, opened another bar on Ditmars Boulevard and is currently rebranding.
In the last three years, Astoria has become extremely popular, and some say even an incubator for communities in other parts of New York City. The owners of Chip City recently opened a fantastic new bakery, Somedays. Chip City originated in Astoria. Chip City expanded into Manhattan and is
located in five neighborhoods, including the Upper East Side. Two new bakeries and cafes opened on Ditmars Boulevard, Sweets by Linda and Pastries by Anne. A new film studio, Wildflower, was built by Robert De Niro and completed last year.
Most small businesses have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic quite well. Astoria is reinventing itself, and there is robust growth in terms of new ventures. This is the yin and the yang of our community. Every decade or so, Astoria goes through many changes.
Ayy Chihuahua at 36-16 Ditmars Blvd. Photo by Neil Herdan.
In 2023, the NYC Small Business Services, Central Astoria LDC, and Queens Economic Development Corporation published a Community District Needs Assessment. The report focused on the major avenues: 30th Avenue, Broadway, 36th Avenue, Steinway Street, and Ditmars Boulevard. The findings showed a robust climate, which, in some instances, was better than that of Queens in general.
Among their findings:
- – The average storefront vacancy rate was 10.1%. Steinway Street, once considered the longest shopping mall in North America, had a vacancy rate of 12%. Only Astoria Boulevard had a higher vacancy rate, at 17%.
- – Many of those surveyed had been in business for 12 or more years. On average, most establishments last around seven years.
In my opinion, the information published by the Astoria Homeowners, Tenants and Business Civic Association was highly misleading. The association is made up of very long-term residents, many of whom yearn for the Astoria of bygone years. That is not to say that we could not experience very hard times in the next few years. It is becoming increasingly likely that there will be a major recession and it has always been the author’s opinion that the bubble will burst at some point, with Astoria experiencing a rapid contraction.
Right now, Astoria is doing just fine!
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