NYC's Mercantile Mayhem: West Indian Day Parade Vendors, Films of NYC Shops, Foreign Agents and Wabi Nori

A newsletter about the survival of independent businesses in New York City with a focus on immigrant-owned, storefront retail and CPG enterprises.

WEST INDIAN DAY PARADE MERCHANTS & CUSTOMERS

The West Indian Day Parade celebrates Caribbean culture along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn each Labor Day. The hours-long parade features the most creative costumes and the floats blare music—soca, dancehall—with bass so loud your organs vibrate. Besides the costumes, music and dancing, I’m always in awe of all the vendors, officially sanctioned by the parade or otherwise, who sell their goods along the sidelines. It ranges from colorful bottles or bags of nutcracker (a medley of alcohol) out of a cooler and delicious Jamaican dishes like curry goat or chicken, to crafts and even services, like bespoke embroidery on clothing.

Vendors at this year’s West Indian Day Parade along Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.

I might not have taken the best photos after 2:30pm because I happened to be very close to the tragic shooting that killed one young man and wounded four others. I heard the shots and saw crowds running, but assumed it was a false alarm, which has happened before. I got closer, saw someone on the ground holding a white cloth to his face, blood, loved ones hysterically screaming nearby, it was truly awful. The NYPD and paramedics acted quickly, eventually the parade continued, but the victim’s family has been changed forever; the shooter is still at large.

A FILM FESTIVAL DEVOTED TO THE SHOPS OF NEW YORK

Mark your calendars! September 12 is the second annual Shops of New York Film Festival at SVA Theatre. Yes, a film festival featuring a handful of exceptional New York City shops that add humanity and vitality to our city streets. Click here for tickets and an overview.

Film subjects include the West Village’s Music Inn, a shop filled with ouds, guitars, banjos, sitars—even a kantele—drums of all types, flutes, shakers and basically any instrument you know (or don’t know). It first opened as a record shop in 1958, Jeff Slatnick, the current owner, has been running it since the 1960s.

Shops of New York founder Mark Stinson, also the Director of the Shops of New York Film Festival on the left, Music Inn owner Jeff Slatnick on the right, outside the shop on West 4th Street.

There are 16 films in the festival, including subjects like Mamoun’s Falafel, which first opened in 1971, the ultra community-oriented, bike-centric Principles GI Coffee House in Gowanus, Brooklyn among others.

The Shops of New York Film Festival Director Mark Stinson launched the festival last year, a natural offshoot of his growing passion for independent shops that he began to chronicle during the pandemic. The jury (Caroline Weaver of The Locavore Guide and Variety Store [if she sounds familiar to Mercantile Mayhem readers, I wrote about the shop opening here] director Jonah Feingold and Backstage Editor-in-Chief Briana Rodriguez) will choose winners in several categories.

SVA Theatre
333 West 23rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues
Doors open at 6:30pm, screening is 7:30 to 9pm, followed by the awards ceremony.
Click here for tickets.

ONCE AGAIN, INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES FOR THE GREATER GOOD

I’ve been visiting Powerhouse Arena in Brooklyn quite often lately, first for Andrew Garn’s The New York Pigeon book party and recently, to listen to Casey Michel discuss his new book Foreign Agent: How American Lobbyists and Lawmakers Threaten Democracies Around the World with editor Hannah O’Grady. I first heard Michel interviewed on Fresh Air and was astonished (not in a good way) to learn about DC lobbyists and PR companies making millions of dollars advocating on behalf of dictatorships and corrupt governments to US policy makers. A few names were mentioned: Ivy Lee, Paul Manafort and Rudy Giuliani.

Casey Michel’s Foreign Agents book party at Powerhouse Arena.

Since the reading, I’m experiencing foreign agent whiplash listening to the news. The DOJ is investigating Russia’s disinformation campaign that includes RT covertly paying the Tennessee-based media company Tenet $10 million to churn out noxious videos aimed to divide US citizens for Russia’s benefit. In New York City, Linda Sun, a former aide to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, has been charged with being a spy for China. It’s been like learning a new vocabulary word and hearing it everywhere. We all need to read Foreign Agents.

PS I’m aware there was an event cancelation incident at Powerhouse Arena a couple weeks ago, the owner Daniel Power wrote a statement to address it. We need independent book stores like Powerhouse to have frank conversations about controversial subjects when opinions differ. It’s so much more productive than tweeting.

NEW NYC RESTAURANT ALERT!

Wabi Nori is a new Japanese hand roll bar on Essex Street launched by the indefatigable Hakki Akdeniz, owner of Champion Pizza. I first met Akdeniz, originally from Turkey, when I interviewed him for a New York Times story I wrote about founders who are unusually frank in the “about us” section of their website or on social media. Some founders like Akdeniz are comfortable telling their whole story (not just the glossy version) that include personal struggles. In Akdeniz’s case, it was being homeless when he first arrived in New York City. He now gives back by donating pizzas to homeless initiatives, gives out food in person and even buys clothing for someone when he sees they are in need.

The new Wabi Nori hand roll bar on Essex Street .

Hakki Akdeniz and Cumali Kurt in front of Wabi Nori on the left, a couple hand rolls on the right.

The opening party was a little crowded and frenetic so I didn’t get a chance to try the hand rolls (also, it’s difficult to take photos while eating) but everyone seemed to relish them. The highlight of the evening for me was meeting Cumali Kurt who gave Akdeniz his first job at his pizzeria in Hoboken, NJ when Akdeniz was homeless and even took him into his home for a period. Kurt’s act of kindness altered the trajectory of Akdeniz’s life. Akdeniz has since won theatrical pizza dough spinning prizes (in fact, that’s in part how he qualified for his visa) launched Champion Pizza and now Wabi Nori.

SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS, LOANS AND PROGRAMS

The US Chamber of Commerce has an ongoing list of various grants, loans and programs geared for small businesses. These grants, loans and programs tend to have requirements contingent on geographic location, sector, type of business, revenue, woman- or minority-owned (let’s hope they recognize MENA-owned) and other factors.

MERCANTILE MAYHEM NEWSLETTER SPONSORSHIP

Will the city become full of Sweetgreens, Chipotles and bank ATM locations? If you care about independent businesses, I am still looking for two (maybe just one, keeping fingers and toes crossed) additional sponsors—individuals, businesses, organizations or foundations—who believe in the survival of independent businesses. Sponsors, like the extraordinary Accompany Capital have a footer that is viewed by all sorts of brilliant people on the mailing list. If you would like to know sponsorship rates and newsletter stats (open rates and such) please email me: ninarobertsnyc@gmail.com and I’ll send you the details. Please forward this newsletter to others.

A million thanks to Mercantile Mayhem’s sponsor Accompany Capital, helping immigrants and refugees with loans and financial services. Read about Accompany Capital here.

OPPORTUNITIES

1. International law firm Morrison Foerster’s Emerging Companies and Venture Capital Group will hold an in-person CPG Pitch Day in New York City on November 12, 2024. Companies in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector can submit pitch decks until September 13. Finalists will pitch to a panel of local investors in the industry, judges will be from funds focusing on the CPG space. Click here for requirements and how to apply.

2. Food Future Co is a scale-up food accelerator and applications are open for Cohort 13. Food Future Co’s primary interests are: consumer products, local food, plant-based food, sustainable seafood, ag tech, food tech and food waste. Click here for details, deadline is October 28, 2024.

3. Applications are open for the prestigious Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans that pays for one to two years of graduate study. It’s open to immigrants or children of immigrants. Deadline: October 31, 2024.

4. Immigrant founders, find your people and network through the Unshackled Ventures community. Unshackled Ventures is VC fund based out of the Bay Area cofounded by Manan Mehta and Nitin Pachisia, apply here.