Finding our second interview proved to be a lot more difficult than before. We made multiple trips to Jackson Heights walking in different directions every time. This gave us the opportunity to further explore the neighborhood. When we got off the F Train at the Roosevelt Station, the first initial observation was how busy Roosevelt Ave, especially the 74th St and Roosevelt Ave intersection, was. The stores around the station were very diverse. It had Hispanic, East Asian and South Asian restaurants, as well as stores that provided various services, like immigration law firms and phone stores that provided people the opportunity to call back to their homeland for a discounted price. As we walked westward on Roosevelt Ave from the train station., the community and stores became more East Asian. We saw more Thai and Pilipino restaurants and stores. As we continued to walk more West on Roosevelt Ave., the community and stores became more Hispanic. This was evident because most of the signs on the stores were written in Spanish. As we walked South-East from Roosevelt Ave from the train station., the community and stores became more South Asian, as the majority of restaurants sold products from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The train station functioned as a meeting place for all three of these cultures and ethnicities to meet and interact.
We located a bike store directly off Roosevelt Ave., but due to scheduling and lack of contact from the store owner the interview could not be conducted. We ended up locating another convenience store called Deli & Grocery. This store was a family-owned and was operated by Rashid and his wife. The Deli & Grocery was larger than most that I have seen and during our interview, there was a constant flow of costumers coming in and out. Although most came to purchase lottery tickets or snacks, some came in to complete their weekly shopping list. This store also sold hot food, which I thought was unique because most Deli & Grocery stores that I have seen or gone to had a section where they sold hot food. Typically their products were limited to drinks, chips, cookies and occasionally basic grocery items, like bread and eggs.
We were able to interview the store owner, Rashid, who is of Pakistani man. He immigrated to the U.S. with his wife in 1997. His old brother, who immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1990s, brought Rashid here in order to give him a better opportunity. With the help of his brother, he was able to open up a Deli & Grocery. Rashid chose to start his small business in Jackson Heights primarily because of the population and the cost of doing business. Most of the people who reside in Jackson Heights, especially on and around Roosevelt Ave., are of South Asian, East Asian, or Hispanic origin. This wide variety of ethnicities made it possible for him to provide a larger range of products. Rashid made it a point to mention that starting and operating a small business, like his own, used to be much easier and simpler back when he started. In fact, we asked him what the biggest problem that a small-business owner in Jackson Heights would face and the immediate response was the rent prices. A lot of business have closed down around him because the landlords refused to reduce rent prices after the recession in 2008. This additional pressure to just break even is made more difficult since he is finding it difficult to reduce the prices of his products. Large retail stores, like Walmart and CVS, are able to provide almost all the same products at a lower cost because they are able to buy a lot more in bulk. Another reason why the cost of operating a business has increased is because of an influx of richer people. We asked Rashid how the community has changed since he has been here and he replied that
Visiting and interviewing this Deli & Grocery was a unique experience because he was very open with his thoughts about how the community has changed and how the government has changed. Unlike the other small businesses that we interviewed, Rashid felt comfortable sharing his experiences and really relate to everyone who comes into his store.
