NYC's Mercantile Mayhem: The Official Bits and Bobs Edition with a Dash of Hasan Minhaj
A newsletter about the survival of independent businesses in New York City with a special focus on immigrant-owned, storefront retail and CPG enterprises.
Kolkata Chai Co Opens Third Location
Kolkata Chai Co has officially opened their third New York City location, this one is in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It’s in conjunction with Inday All Day at 658 Driggs Ave. At Tuesday evening’s opening sidewalk party, people milled around sipping chai, listening to the DJ, catching up with friends and chitchatting with co-founders Ani and Ayan Sanyal’s parents. And then suddenly this gentleman popped up in the window to serve chai, none other than Hasan Minhaj!
Minhaj had conversations with each person arriving to the chai window, graciously posing for photos and group selfies. Eventually, the chai line got so long the interactions had to be slightly shortened.
If you are unfamiliar with Minhaj, he’s a comedian, writer and producer. He was a Daily Show correspondent (and almost the new host, long story) and later had his own show, the Peabody and Emmy award winning Patriot Act with Hassan Minhaj. Currently he’s on his stand-up Off With His Head Tour and Kolkata Chai Co serves chai at select shows.
Sophi, a woman I met, came to Kolkata Chai Co’s opening party precisely because she sampled their chai at a Minhaj show; she was shocked yet thrilled when he appeared at the chai window and he handed her a cup of chai.
I wrote about Kolkata Chai Co’s creative approach to retail for the New York Times in February, along with several other shops. Sophi is a good example why collaborations with like minded people can be so successful. On a complete side note, I would like to know Minhaj’s health regimen (daily chai intake?) he glowed.
Ode to Small, to Basketball, to Home, at McNally Jackson Books
On Monday, May 13 at 6:30pm, Hanif Abdurraqib and Jennifer Wilson will be in conversation at McNally Jackson’s Seaport location, 4 Fulton Street.
First, shout out to McNally Jackson, one of the first independent bookstores to emerge at a time when it looked like Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Borders were going to crush independent book sellers. McNally Jackson not only survived and expanded, but it has also spawned similar independent book stores throughout the city, like Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, they continue to proliferate.
Hanif Abdurraqib and Jennifer Wilson, both culture writers, will discuss Abdurraqib’s new memoir There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension. Abdurraqib, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, (and is a MacArthur Fellow!) writes, “There is something valuable about wanting the small world around you to know how richly you are being moved, so that maybe some total stranger might encounter your stomp, your clap, your shout, and find themselves moved in return." In a world where everything seems to be about going big, it’s lovely to read about valuing the small.
RSVP is required and McNally Jackson has a civilized seat saving method. Attendees pay $5 to hold a place, redeemable the night of the event via purchase, which can include snacks. Attendees can cancel 24 hours beforehand for a full refund, just email events@mcnallyjackson.com.
Bhoot Bangla Madness
These bottles of Peepal People hot sauce first caught my eye at Pop Up Grocer. I am a massive sucker for beautiful packaging and I love the delicate line drawings on the labels. I am also a super fan of the upper Scoville heat units, these sauces are made with peppers that include ghost, jalapeño and habanero. There are no preservatives and hot sauce names are translated from Urdu into English, as the co-founders Alyzeh Rizvi and Ahmer Zaidi are originally from Pakistan. My favorite hot sauce, Bhoot Bangla, translates into “Haunted House”.
I think I finally met my Scoville match with Bhoot Bangla. It’s hooooot. When I sampled a healthy dose my “oral mucosa” (meaning, mouth epidermis) felt like it was on fire with tiny flaps of skin dangling from the roof of my mouth, heat emanated from my stomach; my nose and eyes became faucets—but all in the best possible way! (When I order food “really hot” in restaurants, it’s never hot enough.)
The green Hara Bhara, which translates to “Lush Green” is the most mild of the trio, using the friendlier serrano and jalapeño peppers with a dash of mango, and Peela Patakha, the deep orange “Yellow Firecracker” sauce has habanero and yellow bell peppers with a touch of turmeric, is slightly fruity but not at all too sweet, and somewhere in the middle in terms of heat.
What I love about some immigrant-owned packaged goods, is that a third culture food can emerge—not quite like back home, not quite American either—but a fusion of the two. This might occur because certain ingredients are not available in the US, or it’s a healthier version (some people in the US are health conscious), or the product has to be presented in a way the mainstream US consumer understands.
Peepal People’s hot sauces do not really exist in Pakistan as such, but the rich, robust spicy flavors do. And US consumers not only understand but also love bottled hot sauces. We need to get Peepal People on Hot Ones! (One of my favorites is with Conan O’Brian). Keep your eye on Peepal People because there will be a change in the next couple of months, but I’m not going to spill the peppers.
Calling all New York City Small Businesses Negotiating Leases!
Retail is rough in New York City because commercial rents are sky high. There are decent landlords in the city who rent to businesses (so far I’ve met a total of one, but I know there are more) who are willing to work with potential tenants they deem desirable.
If you are a small business looking to lease a space in New York City, this May 9 webinar could be helpful. This online workshop run by a staff attorney at Community & Economic Development, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A focuses on lease negotiations. Participants learn what to look for when signing a new lease (ask about “the good guy clause”) and how to negotiate. This workshop is also geared for current lease holders who want to terminate or renegotiate their leases, and those who are experiencing harassment from landlords.
Workshop details: Thursday, May 9, 2:00 – 3:00pm, register here. This workshop is provided by our ever-amazing sponsor Accompany Capital in partnership with with the Queens Chamber of Commerce. Feel free to contact Accompany Capital’s Tsetan Dekyi at tdekyi@accompanycapital.org or 845-241-3691 for more information. It’s sponsored by Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A and NYC Small Business Services.
Opportunities & Events
The Biomimicry Institute’s Ray of Hope Accelerator program focuses on nature-inspired startups. The six month program is geared to help startups with solutions for environmental and social challenges. Applications are open until May 3.
Food and agriculture startups anywhere in the world can compete in the Grown-NY startup competition. Three million dollars in prize money is awarded to seven winners, the first winner is awarded $1 million of it. Applications close May 15, 2024. There are restrictions and winners will have to have its primary headquarters in the Grow-NY Region, which is Central New York, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier.
It’s time for the New York StartUP! 2024 Business Plan Competition, open to entrepreneurs who live and work in Manhattan, The Bronx or Staten Island. You must submit your entry form by May 31, 2024, but read all the requirements before applying. The entrepreneur winning first prize will get $15,000, second prize is $10,000 and third prize is $7,500.
New York City’s DragonFest, a spring to fall street food fair focused on Chinese cuisine and culture, is still open to new vendors. Apply here.
Sponsorship
I plan on keeping this newsletter free by getting additional sponsorship from organizations, I will keep you posted. Some of you have paid for subscriptions, thaaaaaaank you so much! (If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact me: ninarobertsnyc@gmail.com). Please feel free to forward to others.
Interesting bits and bobs Nina! And thanks for the shout out!❤️