Manhattan Businesses Suffer as Locals Avoid Convention
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Thousands of people passed by Macy’s yesterday afternoon, but hardly any of them stopped in to shop.
The massive protest that swung by Madison Square Garden stifled sales at stores big and small, casting doubt on predictions by Mayor Bloomberg that the Republican National Convention would be a windfall for the city.
Though delis along the protest route apparently benefited from hungry and thirsty demonstrators and onlookers, other store owners and managers reported slowed business all over the city, as many Manhattan residents left the island for convention week and a sizable portion of the bridge-and-tunnel crowd has stayed away as well.
Stores along the protest route felt perhaps the biggest impact yesterday, especially at Herald Square, as businesses running their annual back-to-school sales were treated to largely empty aisles.
“It’s very bad. Sunday we have a lot of sales and look at how many people are here,” said Macy’s sales associate Digna DeJesus as she pointed to a smattering of patrons browsing the ninth-floor luggage section. “I mean, this is Macy’s.”
Security appeared heightened through the landmark department store as multiple guards patrolled each entrance.
Ms. DeJesus said that although she knew of no disturbances, guards were stringently checking employee ID cards at stockroom entrances.
Sales sagged throughout the store and employees talked about a period shortly after midday when the crowds on the sidewalks next to the building along 34th Street grew so large that customers could not enter.
“I’m afraid if I go out, I won’t get back in,” said a second-floor sales associate, Steven Clopper.
The block-long Macy’s building figured prominently in the protest route, which started at Seventh Avenue and 14th Street and went north for 20 blocks before turning east at 34th Street and swinging past Madison Square Garden, the site of the convention.
Police barricades kept demonstrators to the street, but that did not stop additional supporters and onlookers from lining the sidewalks – and blocking store entrances.
The slow sales yesterday came even as Mayor Bloomberg has maintained that the influx of thousands of Republican delegates would result in a boon to city business to the tune of $250 million. Opponents of the convention have questioned that number, and earlier this month the city’s controller, William Thompson, said the convention could actually cost the city more than $300 million.
Stores elsewhere in Herald Square fared no better than Macy’s. At Payless Shoe Store across the street, a manager said she expected sales to be down more than 50% from a usual Sunday in late August.
“Most people come in just to get from one side to the other,” said the manager, Evelyn Navarro. “We’re not getting much traffic.” She said she expected to pull in less than $5,000 for the day, down from an expected $10,000 to $15,000.
At an Express clothing store in the Manhattan Mall, manager Monica Gallo said the store’s only customers were tourists, causing a 50% drop in sales.
The sales manager at Hat & Cap, a souvenir shop on Sixth Avenue, described business as “very slow” and said that he had considered closing the store for convention week.
“The police told us we need to be open all week,” said the manager, Ach Glo.
Slowdowns at some restaurants and nightclubs indicated that locals and people from the surrounding tri-state area are avoiding Manhattan.
Angelo and Maxie’s steakhouse, an eatery heavily reliant on clientele from New Jersey and the outer boroughs, was quiet even for a late summer Sunday, according to manager Mark Fekete.
Mr. Fekete added that he doubted his restaurant on 19th street and Park Avenue South – close to where yesterday’s protest ended – would be a draw for Republicans with a meat or Scotch craving.
“If Union Square is where a lot of protests are going to end up, then what Republicans are going to want to come down through 450,000 protesting naked Democrats?”
Across the street, the City Crab seafood restaurant was unusually quiet as well, according to manager Keith Valenti. He said he was initially optimistic that some of the thousands of protesters would crave seafood. “After seeing some of them, I quickly changed my mind – they aren’t really the sorts to order from the raw bar,” he said.
Mr. Valenti said he has resigned himself “to getting crushed this week – the combination of all our local [customers] being on vacation and the specter of heavy protests is keeping many of those customers who remained away.”
One nightclub where business hasn’t dropped off is Hudson Bar, a high-profile nightspot on West 58th Street. “We did pretty well on Saturday night, since Time-Warner had a party for 7,000 and a lot of people drifted over afterwards,” said manager Patty Sanguedo.
She said that anecdotal evidence led her to conclude that business might be better than expected for the last week of August: “The [conventioneers] seem to like getting around the city and they have a full slate of events, so people will be out.”
To prevent partisan sensitivities from being aroused, Ms. Sanguedo said her door staff has been politely requesting all Republicans to remove buttons and badges before entering the club.