CHALLENGE & OBJECTIVES

185,000 small businesses account for a majority of middle-income jobs in New York. Every month, between 1000 and 1200 of those businesses lose their lease due to exorbitant rent hikes by greedy landlords and financiers. This typical process plays out: small business occupies storefront for many years -- landlord wants to oust them to make room for corporate tenant or high-end establishment -- landlord increases rent by 200-300% to price them out -- tenant is forced to leave. Jesse, from neighborhood mainstay Jesse’s Deli, was also getting priced out of his store and asked if we could help other small business like his before their rents went up, too. Our objective was to help raise awareness for the effects of gentrification on small businesses and for the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, a law improving commercial tenant rights that had been in gridlock for 30 years.

STAGES

Our work began at Jesse’s Deli where we had a price hike sale, raising all his prices and renaming his products to justify the increase. We posted these renamed products in his windows. The idea evolved and we worked with other store owners confronted with forceful price outs, including a whole city block in Washington heights. There we employed the same tactics of dressing storefronts with wry attention-getting posters. We then headed back to Jesse's and held a Bed and Breakfast in the bodega window, charging$329.99 a night to make up for the store owner’s rent increase - posting the room on AirBnB. People were able to protest in the Bed-In holding a sign to help spread word about the Small Business Jobs Survival Act. For each stage we made a website, all pointing people to support the Small Business Jobs Survival Act.

BUDGET

Several local printers that we work with in the area offered to help at no cost: Extreme Digital Graphics, Inc, Imagine This Enterprises and New York City Center Performance Art Center. Total Budget for three stages: $3415.99 Media Spend: $0.00

RESULTS

The campaign helped push the Small Business Jobs Survival Act forward, moving it from 14 supporters in city hall to the 26 needed to secure a majority! (for the first time in the 30 years since this retail rent control legislation had been introduced.)

The story became an international phenomenon. It received coverage on 38 television news broadcasts, in over 1500 magazines and blogs, and in 30 newspapers, ranging from features in global journals to cover stories in local papers. In the end, it generated over 300 million media impressions. Once we established a personality and a humor behind the issue of rent increases, New Yorkers were reinvigorated by the issue and followed and spread the word; Bringing an issue that was “tired” in the eyes of the press back into the local, national and international discourse.