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When the triple forces of Brooklyn Academy of Music, MetroTech and the Atlantic Center Mall converged upon downtown Brooklyn with plans for revitalization, merchants of Fulton Street looked on with something less than hope. In all of these plans for economic revitalization of the area, no one took into account the mom-and-pop establishments who expressed the creative, enterprising African-American energy, that Fort Greene was known for. The strip of Fulton Street from Hudson Street to Greene Avenue was renamed Bogolan Brooklyn and an Afrocentric thrust was given to that downtown area.

Mart 125, which was closed two years ago when the last merchant tenants were evicted, is slated for a revival. Now there is a plan afoot coming out of the office of Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields to develop the space again as a retail center. It is an effort to create a space so some of the same merchants that were in Mart 125 can return. Mart 125 are concerned. Chappel Ventures is one of three Harlem-based businesses doing business as Harlem LLC, the joint venture that will develop the property.

Audrey Miller sat at a side table in Café 34, sipping her coffee and enthusiastically scribbling notes, eager to talk about her clothing line, gift book and the television scripts she has developed. The charming and animated business ingénue describes her label, Yimmee, as easy wrap-around wear that can be used in a number of ways by a variety of women of all ages and proportions. A resident of Richmond Hills in Queens, N.Y. and a pursuer of many vocations, Audrey became interested in psychology while in the 11th grade at Francis Lewis High School in Jamaica, N.Y. Seeking a profession that would guarantee a steady income, she attended York College, where she received her undergraduate degree, and then went on to complete her master's in psychology at Columbia University. In 1998, seeking a change, the ambitious designer/author/scriptwriter returned to New York where the energy of New York once again revived her writing talents.

Reports the plan on the eviction of merchants at Mart 125 by the local government in New York City. Concept of the mart; Assessment of Richard Hollins, President of the Mart 125 Merchants Management Association Inc. on the eviction plan; View of Morris Powell, President of the Vendors Association on the plan.

Reports the pending eviction of the merchants of Mart 125 in New York. Refusal of the city government to accept the rental payment; Purpose of the city mayor for evicting the merchants; Plea of the merchants for the intervention of the city mayor.

The article discusses the slow recovery of a commercial sector in the Mount Eden section of the Bronx in New York City after a fire shut down the intersecting streets to traffic. An overview of the fire, which claimed the lives of two firefighters, is presented. The merchants experienced heavy financial losses due to the lack of business from the street closings. Commentary from several of the merchants, and from Tony Sclafani, a spokesman with the New York City Fire Department, is included.

Focuses on immigrant cooks in New York City who serve quick, cheap and delicious food from makeshift stands at the curbside. Reputations; Publication of the vendors' specialties and often elusive locations on Internet message boards; Examples of their distinguished dishes; Background on Maria Piedad Cano of Colombia, who makes and sells arepas, or cornmeal patties; Why it is difficult for many vendors to obtain a license; How they avoid conflicts with restaurant owners; Brief interviews with mobile food vendors; Recipe for Oaxacan Tamales, adapted from Hilda Jaimes.

Reports on the commitment of New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to work with the vendors at the Bronx Terminal Market to keep them from going out of business when the lease for the property changes hands.

Reports on the request made by the Jackson Heights Merchants Association in New York City to have November 13, the first day of the Hindu celebration of Diwali, recognized as a holiday. Proposal to suspend alternate-side cleaning rules; Indian merchants in New York; Expected parking festival.

Reports on the issues regarding the control of vendors in the streets of Manhattan. Sale of different goods in the streets; Expiration of the city's vendor bill; Streets occupied by vendors.

Looks at the Albee Square Mall in Brooklyn, New York and how the unfinished renovations affected the Christmas sales. Complaints made by the merchants; Delays faced in construction; Whether the owner of the mall wants the smaller merchants to be forced out of their spaces.

Discusses the barber shop of Claudio Caponigro in Italian Harlem, New York City. How Caponigro and his shop have been there since 1950; Discussion of what little changes have occurred for the shop; Discussion of how Italian Harlem has changed over the years; Statement that Caponigro will never move the location of his store.

Profiles Annie, a New York City street vendor who will be forced to move her operations following the relocation of the Fulton Fish Market. Possibility that she may not relocate with the market; Her relations with the workers at the market; Impact of the September 11 terrorist attacks on her business.

Comments on the relationship between New York City and Washington D.C. Discussion of economist Brad DeLong's theory of merchants versus princes in urban civilization; Suggestion that merchants are responsible for the growth of cities which tend to flourish under centralized princes; Drop in city populations when cities were merged into larger empires; Growth and decline of New York City's population in relation to the level of interest expressed by the federal government.

Focuses on plans for the Flatbush Vendor Mart, an indoor market in Brooklyn. Terms to which vendors must agree before being allotted a stall in the market, which will be run by the Caribbean Chamber of Commerce; Impact of the prohibition of street vending; Role of New York City Councilwoman Una S.T. Clarke in facilitating the city-funded project;

Focuses on Mart 125, the New York City-owned indoor vendors' market on Harlem's main commercial strip. Eviction of tenants by the Giuliani administration, which wants to redevelop the building for more profitable use; Comments about the symbolism of the mart in Harlem; Background on the mart and its association with the Harlem Urban Redevelopment Corporation; Outlook for evicted vendors.

Discusses the status of real estate development and neighborhood improvement in Manhattan in New York City, New York. Steps for creating a slum; Effect of the conditions of its slum areas to its merchants.

Features the Victor Moore Arcade in New York City, New York. Effort of its community members to demolish the arcade; Effect of the demolition plan on merchants.

Reports on the meeting of the Central Harlem Merchants Association in New York City, to discuss ways to entice the community to patronize local shops. Key issues on holiday shopping addressed at the event; Plans of the association to promote Harlem businesses during the holiday season.

Focuses on the compensation claims of merchants who were affected by blackouts in the Lower East Side of New York, New York. Problems suffered by merchants due to blackouts; Information on the letter received by Marcia Lemmon, the president of the Ludlow Street Block Association, from Henry Brown, a Con Edison claims agent; Rules for compensation from electrical interruptions.

Discusses shopping resources for Orthodox Jews in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, New York, and the effect of convenient air transportation and the Internet on the region's global clientele. Jewish population of the neighborhood; Commercial growth; Variety of merchandise available, including kosher food and Jewish goods; Facilities offered by the Avenue Plana Hotel; Comments from merchants and customers.

Focuses on the efforts of merchants to restore the Orchard Street Bargain District's past vibrancy in New York City, New York. Plans of Lower East Side Business Improvement District to publish a guide to local stores in the city; Statement issued by Matthew Bauer, executive director of the Business Improvement District.

Looks at how the rerouting of transportation on the upper roadway of the Queensboro Bridge in New York City, New York during August 1998, impacted on the businesses of merchants on the Queens side. Reason traffic was rerouted; How the rerouting helped to alleviate traffic on the Manhattan side; How the businesses are affected; Comments from Adam Janovic, owner of the Janovic/Plaza store.

Reports on negotiations between New York sidewalk food vendors and the New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani administration. The issue of banning all vendors from mid-town Manhattan and the financial district beginning in July 1998 in order to ease congestion in the area; A plan for franchises similar to taxicab medallions for sidewalk vendors of food and other merchandise.

Informs about the rise in the safety measures adopted by merchants in the New York City by using bulletproof cubicles and restricting the access of the customers to them. Impact of the same on the people and the merchants.

Focuses on a decision that excludes all minority vendors from selling their wares in Riverbank State Park during the 1996 summer season in New York City. Why the park was built; Replacement of the North River sewage plant by the park; Why the plant was forced out of the community; New York State's commitment to promote local entrepreneurship; Call for an investigation into vendor awards; Remarks from Maritta Dunn, chair of Community Board 9.

Reports that the Merrick Boulevard Local Development Corp. (MBLDC) and the merchants on Merrick Boulevard in Queens, New York City have participated in a program to beautify their street. Details of the program.

Focuses on merchants in College Point Boulevard, New York, who fear that business is being drawn from the community's center by megastores. Comments from Fred Mazzarello, president of the College Point Board of Trade; Land-use proposals from the Giuliani administration to be discussed.

Focuses on the warm reception that the Romp family receives when it sets up its Christmas tree selling site in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. How long Billy and Patti Romp have been selling Christmas trees; How the community supports them; Comments from those in the community.

Announces that the city of New York has decided to consider merchants' request that they be allowed to buy the building of Mart 125, an indoor market, and run the market as a co-operative. When agreement was made; Problems encountered by market since opening in 1989; Comments from Councilwoman, C. Virginia Fields.