NEW YORK — Two beloved businesses on Staten Island are being told by their landlord to leave by the end of next month, to make way for a state-licensed cannabis dispensary the property was approved to have.
CBS New York heard from the business and outraged residents on Monday.
Forest Card & Gift and S&T Bagel have been neighbors in the small Forest Avenue strip mall for decades. Now, those picking up their bagels, lottery, or coffee, are also signing petitions to keep them open.
“It’s sad that we’re going through this at the same time. It’s pretty sad,” said Shamin Frammosa, owner of S&T Bagel.
“It will be heartbreaking for many of us, for sure,” added Dimesh Patel, owner of Forest Card & Gift.
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Frammosa has owned S&T Bagel since 2001 and Patel has owned Forest Card & Gift since 2004. They said they didn’t expect to get an email from their landlord in mid January telling them to leave by the end of March. Patel said he would lose $60,000 to $70,000 worth of inventory.