The Origins of Steinway Street

Situated in Astoria, Queens, Steinway Street was named after the Steinway family at a time when Astoria was the last place that would come to mind when thinking of diversity. The Steinway family, known for their famous piano company Steinway and Sons, was of European descent, much like the rest of Astoria at the time (Kuban). This, however, was was reminiscent of the late 19th century and early 20th century, and things began to change drastically towards the end of the 20th century when Astoria began attracting other walks of life “due to its proximity to Manhattan, bustling street life, cafes and restaurants, and comparatively affordable rents,” (NYCEDC). Since then, several signs – the biggest of which is the presence of several longstanding small businesses – have attested to the changes that Astoria has undergone. Astoria has become both more diverse and wealthier, and these changes have allowed for the flourishing of the small businesses presently located on Steinway Street.

Just Outside the M/R Train:

Steinway Street, simply put, is the heart of one of the most diverse locales in New York City. As soon as you step out of the M/R train Steinway Street station, you are greeted by a myriad of people from various walks of life: African Americans, South Asians, Europeans, Eastern Asians, Hispanics, Mediterranean people, and Middle Easterns. Beyond these people, you are also greeted with businesses from numerous different backgrounds. However, unlike other neighborhoods in New York City, these stores are not segregated from each other in accordance with ethnic background. It is not uncommon to see a Bengali convenience store, followed by a Hispanic restaurant, followed by an Eastern Asian bubble tea shop, followed by another store of another ethnicity, and so on and so forth all right next to each other. On top of that, people of different ethnicities have mingled with businesses of different backgrounds. Now, you might catch a man of European descent running into a South Asian convenience store to buy a pack of frozen roti, or you might see a group of college students of several different ethnicities walking out of a Middle Eastern-owned hookah lounge. You might also notice that nearly everybody seems to love their local halal cart, no matter their ethnicities, and you might even notice that the local daycare is filled with kids of nearly every race.

Background – Steinway Family Dental Center:

Among the longstanding small businesses of Steinway Street is Steinway Family Dental Center, located just outside the M/R train Steinway Street station. As soon as you walk out of the station located between Broadway and 34th Avenue, you are presented with a bright blue building with a sign that simply reads, “Steinway Family Dental,” and that is exactly how the store stuck out among Steinway’s businesses. The building was not built with eye-catching architecture, nor was it built with elegant all-glass walls, but its color did the attention-grabbing for the business nonetheless. Then, after walking through the front door, a lobby of approximately 15 chairs is present, most of which are usually filled. The secretaries at the front desk are very kind, and the owner of the dentist clinic, Dr. Dayanayev, is also a very respectable man. He came from the Soviet Union to the US in 1992. Shortly after becoming a New Yorker, he began dentistry school at NYU’s very own dentistry school and purchased Steinway Family Dental center from its previous owner, Dr. Stein, in 1999. Since then, Dr. Dayanayev has done a wonderful job keeping his business running smoothly. He quipped that other dentists have tried to copy his business model but have failed to have the amount of success that he does, brining him even more patients every time.

Demographic History of the Steinway Family Dental Center:

The building in which Dr. Dayanayev set up his dentist clinic was erected in 1935, became a dental clinic under the ownership of Dr. Stein in 1959, and was purchased by Dr. Dayanayev from Dr. Stein in 1999. Over the course of these years, the demographics of this neighborhood changed tremendously – under Dr. Stein, the majority of the clinic patients were white. Now, however, the patient base has become far more diverse. Additionally, Dr. Dayanayev made a grand change of business plans in 2012 when he switched from accepting most forms of health insurance (Medicaid, Medicare, HMO’s, etc.) to becoming a private practice where patients pay in full for their dental services. Upon making the switch, Dr. Dayanayev experienced no change in his patient base – the same patients kept coming back for his services. These two facts combined with populations statistics suggest that Astoria has become both more diverse and wealthier.

The statistics presented by the 1980 census data and the 2014 census data line up well with what Dr. Dayanayev said about Astoria – it truly is becoming a melting pot. As can be seen by the 1980 census data, Astoria used to be composed mostly of white individuals. The further back one moves back from 1980, the greater the percentage of white population becomes. Following this pattern, the 1940 census data indicated a 99.8% white population in Astoria. This lack of diversity also meant that most small businesses in the area were of European descent, much like Dr. Stein’s former dental clinic. However, going in the opposite direction towards the 2014 census data for race paints a very different picture of Astoria. In it, Astoria has a much greater presence of non-white people. The influx of the Asian population is especially evident from these charts, going from nearly 0% in 1940 to a 13.9% in 2014. This increase in percent composition, combined with the quantitative increase in population, has led to a significant increase in diversity, and with this influx of nonwhite groups came the diversification of Astoria’s businesses as well.

Also noteworthy of this neighborhood is the considerable increase in wealth. As stated before, Dr. Dayanayev’s dental clinic underwent a massive business change when switching from accepting most types of health insurance to not accepting any health insurance plans. Instead of paying smaller copays, patients now had to pay full price for their services. This is significant when one realizes how expensive dental services, and health services in general, come out to be without insurance. For example, the average dental clinic charges over $100 for just one simple checkup without insurance, whereas most insurance plans cover the full price of up to two checkups per year. Advanced procedures beyond biannual checkups cost far more, some costing even over $1,000. Without context, it might have been assumed that Dr. Dayanayev switched to private practice because he was struggling to keep his business afloat, but this most likely is not the case because he never had problems with paying his rent. Thus, the change from accepting insurance to not accepting any insurance plans begs the question, “How is the population of Astoria able to afford this?” Dr. Dayanayev did not report any decrease in patients after making the switch, so clearly, there must have been an increase in wealth.

In 1980, long before Dr. Dayanayev’s business came into fruition, the average household income was $16,415 in 1979 dollars. This is the equivalent of $53,842.10 in 2016 after being adjusted for inflation. This is a fair income for the time, but the income level skyrocketed in the following decades to $89,343 in 2014, which is worth $89,980.49 in 2016 after being adjusted for inflation. The rise of the average household income from $53,842.10 to $89,980.49 constitutes a 67.1% increase in income. This massive increase in income explains how Dr. Dayanayev was able to retain his patients after switching to private practice – his patients have no issue with paying for their services. This also explains the ability of Dr. Dayanayev and his patients to pay for their increasing rent.

Now, returning to the question, “How is the population of Astoria able to afford this?” the answer is simple. The income levels of the residents of Astoria have increased significantly. Most likely, Dr. Dayanayev noticed this increase in wealth and took it as an opportunity to earn more business. Dr. Dayanayev preceded this plan by first building rapport with his patients. One way he did this was by setting up a free clinic day where once a year, his clinic offers basic dental services once a year, giving new patients a chance to meet Dr. Dayanayev. Additionally, workers at his clinic go to local elementary schools to teach children proper dental hygiene habits. These events helped Dr. Dayanayev build relationships with his patients, on which he said:

We treat patients as they should be treated. – Dr. Dayanayev

Treat Them Right, Or Lose Them:

After building a loyal patient base consisting of patients from as close as Astoria and as far as Brooklyn, Dr. Dayanayev decided that switching to private practice would be better for his business – he would bring in more revenue, while his patients would continue to receive quality dental services. Since he already established rapport with his patients, he knew they would come back for his services. Considering the costs of dental services without health insurance, it is remarkable that Dr. Dayanayev reported no change in his patient base after switching to private practice, and this is a testament to the quality of Dr. Dayanayev’s dental services and the growing wealth of Astoria as a whole.

Rent – A Joke to Some, a Nightmare to Others:

In tune with the rising income levels of Astoria’s residents is the rising rent. As stated before, Dr. Dayanayev discussed the rising rent costs for his clinic. Though Dr. Dayanayev has a good relationship with his landlord and has no issues paying his rent, the rising rent is still a harsh reality to business owners of Astoria. As can be seen by the occasional vacated building on Steinway Street, some struggling business owners have been forced out of Astoria because of rent.

As seen in this image, Dr. Dayanayev’s business, located in Census Tract 155, showed a 70% increase in rent from just 9 years ago. As drastic as 70% seems, other areas of Astoria have seen as much as an 800% increase in rent. What this all means is that people in Astoria either have to earn more money to keep up with the cost of living, or move out to a cheaper area. Without a doubt, some poorer individuals and families have been displaced, leaving wealthier individuals to take their place. This had the effect of increasing the wealth in Astoria, allowing Dr. Dayanayev to switch to private practice without harming his patient base.

The Future:

Like other businesses on Steinway Street of Astoria, this business seems destined for great things. With an ideal commercial location situated right next to a busy subway stop, it is no wonder that Steinway Family Dental Center, among other Steinway Street businesses, has been met with great success. Dr. Dayanayev spoke very enthusiastically about expanding his business, and with the current amount of patients he brings in, it seems like a very reasonable goal. With his business apparently running only at its quarter potential, he wishes to expand his current clinic, then go on to open new clinics. With countless patients walking in and out, it is clear that Dr. Dayanayev’s business is doing exceedingly well, and if Astoria’s trends are any indication, then Steinway Family Dental Center will continue to see growth. Perhaps 15 years from now, we might even see a Jamaica Family Dental Center or a Woodside Family Dental Center, but for now the focus remains on the current clinic. Although, I hope that several years from now, I can return to Steinway Street and still see the bright blue building bustling with more dental patients than ever before.

References:

“Exploring New York City Communities: Astoria, Queens.” NEIGHBORHOOD TRENDS & INSIGHTS (n.d.): n. pag. 1 Apr. 2014. Web.

Kuban, Adam. “NYC Street Names and Their Stories.” Nycgo.com. N.p., 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 30 May 2016.

“Social Explorer.” Social Explorer. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 May 2016.