As the winter chill sets in, small businesses along Mosholu Avenue in Riverdale find themselves embroiled in a struggle to keep their doors open. For close to three months now, these establishments have been operating without gas due to a shut-off initiated by Con Edison on September 25, following the detection of multiple gas leaks. The lack of gas has led to a difficult situation where basic amenities like heating and hot water aren't available - a problem crystallized in the words of Matt Patel, C-Town manager, who told ABC7 News, "No gas or hot water since August. It's cold all the time, and we're losing the customers as well."
The extended outage is taking its toll not only on those businesses directly requiring gas for their operations but also on customer comfort and perception. Teresita Torres, a shopper, conveyed to ABC7 News, "In here it's always cold, whenever I come to pick up a few items. It's cold outside and it's cold inside." Meanwhile, some establishments like New China Restaurant and P & D Laundromat have chosen to keep their doors closed altogether. Piyush Patel, manager of the C-Town Supermarket, described to News 12 the dire state of his store, "How I'm standing I don't know. No heater, no gas line, no water, no nothing."
Con Edison has placed the onus on the property owner to undertake the necessary repairs before gas service can be safely restored. Yet to date, repeated attempts to contact the landlord for a response have been fruitless. This information, including the lack of a timeline for the resolution of the issue, has left local proprietors in a state of uncertainty, especially during the economically critical holiday season.
In addition to operational woes, some businesses have expressed health concerns, having reported an unsettling smell of gas prior to the service shut-off. Although they reportedly felt relief when the gas was turned off, the desire for a safe solution is paramount. "There's no gas," said N Delicatessen employee Ebrahim Alrawhani in an interview with ABC7 News, "I lose a lot customers. They come in and ask for hot food, I don't have it." And for Mike, owner of P & D Laundromat, the crisis could not be graver. In a statement obtained by News 12, he lamented the impact his business has suffered, "All my customers pretty much went elsewhere, so I don’t know if I'll be able to open again." With responsibilities cast amidst the proprietors and the property owner, the Riverdale community watches and waits to see if this gas outage will extinguish a stretch of their local businesses for good.
