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Businesses Near Mets, Yankee Stadiums Take A Hit As Baseball Returns Without Fans
By Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The boys of summer are back in town, but establishments near Yankee Stadium and Citi Field are fighting an uphill battle in a comeback dampened by a baseball season without fans in attendance.
“So far, since the pandemic, my sales are down $300,000,” said Joe Bastone whose family has owned Yankee Tavern for 93 years.
On the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by BNB Bank, Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso examine how the local economy is impacted by empty stadiums as Major League Baseball begins its 2020 season Thursday night with the Yankees in Washington, D.C. The Mets host the Atlanta Braves on Friday in their season opener that can be heard on WCBS 880 at 4:10 PM.
Bastone says 50 percent of his revenue is earned during Yankees home games. Patronizing his bar and restaurant is a game day routine for fans who travel from the region and throughout the country. Yanks legend Babe Ruth was known for buying a round of beer there for fans to celebrate a Bombers victory.
“It’s really devastating,” he lamented.
Yankee Tavern is only making 10 percent of what it typically earns on 161st Street. Bastone added televisions to an extended outdoor dining space with indoor dinning prohibited under state law indefinitely. He hopes people will enjoy a ballgame from his establishment beyond the right field gate.
“I just got a rent bill, which included $85,000 in real estate taxes,” he said, continuing, “I just don’t understand why we’re paying real estate taxes when the municipalities, the State and the City tell us we’re not allowed to operate.”
Bastone told Connolly and Carousso that “half” of businesses in the 161 Street Business Improvement District, which represents many of the merchandise shops and sports bars outside The Stadium, will not survive the pandemic-related shutdowns and the 2020 MLB season absent fans.
Irene DeBenedittis, third generation owner of Leo’s Latticini in Corona, Queens, is looking at the glass half full despite a grim outlook for what is typically their busy season with both the Mets in town and the U.S. Open Tennis Championships that draws millions of people from around the world every summer.
“I had the plexiglass set up for outside and we’re just doing takeout and home orders,” she said. “For now, I think it’s going well like that.”
Her grandparents started the family deli in the 1930s. Irene grew up making fresh mozzarella with her two sisters Carmela and Marie. Their mother Nancy took over the business and was beloved by her customers. But, the millions of Mets fans who came for lunch before an afternoon game at Shea Stadium and the City workers who stopped in on their lunch hour for a homemade hero did not know her as Nancy; they knew her as “Mama” – the endearing nickname that lives on since she passed away in 2009, as the deli is colloquially referred to the name of their Citi Field concession designation “Mama’s of Corona.”
“I’m proud of what we were taught – our ethics, the background,” DiBenedittis said.
It’s that positive outlook on life that is getting her through this crisis.
“You have to appreciate what you have and work for it,” she said.
Irene told Joe and Neil that she is operating her Queens deli out of love – the same unconditional love her grandparents instilled in Mama who raised three daughters in a community that saw them as family.
She said in these unprecedented circumstances, she encourages her workers to treat their customers “like yourself or your family.”
It’s #OpeningDay for the @Mets! Sports sidelined to #COVID19 has had a considerable impact on the economy.
Listen to @JoeConnollybiz & my @WCBS880 podcast as we talk to the owners of 90+ year old businesses Leo’s Latticini/#MamasofCorona & @YankeeTavern: https://t.co/MnZI2bDMO1 pic.twitter.com/r4FgahqcWd
— Neil A. Carousso (@NeilACarousso) July 24, 2020
DiBenedittis says Leo’s Latticini is earning a much smaller profit amid the coronavirus pandemic between the deli and the bakery next door. The concession at Citi Field, where they sell their specialty sandwiches and Italian desserts, will remain closed this season.
“We’re doing the best we can,” she said.
Hear what a baseball season without fans means for the local economy plus stories about legendary players going out to eat on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight Podcast on the RADIO.COM app or on the media player above.
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A Week Of Pandemic Violence
By Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — A surge in gun violence this week began with the killing of a 1 year old in Brooklyn and continued throughout the week as police officers, including NYPD Chief of Department Terrence A. Monahan, were injured in a Wednesday protest on the Brooklyn Bridge that was billed as a march against violence.
Neil A. Carousso produced the Week In Sound as heard on WCBS Newsradio 880 for the week ending July 17, 2020 that included an increase of gun violence in New York City, spikes in COVID-19 cases nationwide, progress on a vaccine from Moderna, and debate over reopening schools safely. Hear it on the media player above.
You can listen to The 880 Weekly Rewind with Lynda Lopez Friday nights at 7 PM ET for a deeper dive into the top local, national and international stories of the week, featuring interviews with newsmakers and the Week In Sound as heard on WCBS Newsradio 880.
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Long Island Moms Accelerate Digital Sales When Retailers Shutdown
By Neil A. Carousso
EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. — Two Long Island mothers have increased the sales of their DEET-free insect repellent 6,000 percent over the last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic-related shutdowns with a keen focus on influencer marketing.
3 Moms Organics, LLC co-founders Lisa-Jae Eggert and Jennifer Decker told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by BNB Bank, that a meaningful, personal message on Facebook from customers has brought in more sales than buying online advertisements.
“We’ve realized that spending less money is actually working,” Eggert said.They spent more on customer acquisition costs in the first weeks after the business shutdowns in March, but they have drastically reduced those expenditures when they saw revenues accelerate due to modern word-of-mouth marketing from satisfied customers, mostly parents, with substantial social media followings within their communities.
“They love our product and there’s nothing that sells a product better than someone loving the product,” said Eggert.
The synergy is seamless with “endorsements” from customers to which they give discount codes to share with their social media followers. Lisa-Jae and Jennifer chose the company name 3 Moms Organics because they’re the two moms and the customer is the third. By shifting growth strategies, the name holds more true than ever.They both had been going store-to-store to demonstrate how TickWise, made from natural essential oils, repels ticks that are prevalent on the East End and other wooded and grassy areas where deer and other animals they feed on roam. It is on the shelves of about 80 stores with the goal of expanding to another 100 retailers in the next year. When that opportunity sailed because of the coronavirus, they improved their website and reached a national direct-to-consumer audience they hadn’t yet tapped into.
“In this day and age, this takes the place of touching and feeling,” Eggert said, adding that everyone’s public feedback matters, “good and bad.”
Of their 6,000 percent increase in revenue, 5,000 percent of that 3 Moms Organics attributes to Facebook content from local influencers and their own pictures and videos. Eggert told Connolly and Carousso that education is important for 3 Moms’ success. One video they posted of ticks on a pink sheet avoiding the border where they sprayed TickWise is proof of concept.
They have also taken the last three months to improve the quality of their website.
“On our website, when you click on it, it immediately goes to our shop page, now,” Eggert said.
They continue to personally manufacture and ship TickWise across 47 states and Washington D.C., now that they are registered through the Environmental Protection Agency in all states except California, Maine and South Dakota. 3 Moms Organics also used the past three months to apply and receive the Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise Certification (MWBE), which has opened new doors for potential revenue streams.
“Places like PSEG, they use that as a kind of vetting for us,” Eggert said. “They’re piloting our product on twelve of their trucks, and so far, the response has been fabulous.”
They developed TickWise in their homes to keep their children safe from further tick borne illnesses of which both families have histories. Decker had been experimenting with essential oils for at-home remedies for years and would spray early renditions of their product on her kids and dog before they went outside in Montauk. Eggert studied entomology and Earth sciences in college. They combined their expertise to produce a product that is effective, has a pleasant smell, provides skin nourishment, and is vegan for those who suffer from Alpha-Gal or meat allergies.
Two Long Island moms developed TickWise to keep their kids safe. When retailers shut down, they focused on digital marketing and boosted sales 6,000%.
Hear growth ideas for this tough economic climate with @JoeConnollybiz and @NeilACarousso: https://t.co/fl3D7mVzQH pic.twitter.com/G8OaaODBz0
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) July 15, 2020
Hear ideas on how to recover and grow your business even in this tough economic climate on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight Podcast on the RADIO.COM app or on the media player above. -
Doctor Advises Americans To Avoid All Gatherings To Stop COVID Spread
By Lynda Lopez
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Coronavirus cases have been spiking throughout the country over the past weeks, and some believe some states should not be moving as quickly as they are to get the economy running again.
The New York Times reports much of the surge of new cases has been driven largely by states in the south and west that were among to first ease restrictions.
At least six states set single-day records on Thursday for daily coronavirus cases – Albama, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Oregon and Texas.
As New York and New Jersey continue to see a significant drop in cases, there’s worry that travelers from surging states may lead to a spike in the Tri-State, but both Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Gov. Phil Murphy have began easing restrictions to allow for some indoor and outdoor gatherings again.
Currently, areas in Phase 4 in New York are allowed to hold gatherings of up to 50 people and indoor gatherings at 33% capacity. Meanwhile, New Jersey permits outdoor gatherings of up to 250 people and indoor gatherings of 25% capacity.
WCBS 880’s Lynda Lopez spoke with Dr. Waleed Javaid, director of infection prevention and control and Mount Sinai Downtown, who cautions for more safety measures.
He says with areas still experiencing a rise in cases, there’s a chance the virus has not peaked in certain areas and the death toll could continue to increase.
“What we’re seeing across the country if the spike,” he said. “Hospitals are getting overwhelmed. I was listening in to some reports from Florida and other places that, literally, they are running out of space. This is very much the same or similar to what we saw in New York a few months ago.”
“The transmission of the virus takes time and when it does, it take about 10 to 14 days before we’d be the peak and then also mortalities falls a few weeks behind that as well,” Dr. Javaid explains.
The doctor thinks gatherings should not even be permitted at this stage and Americans should consider the fact that the pandemic is no over and the virus remains a real threat.
“I know it’s very hard harsh statement to say something like that but we need to think beyond today and beyond tomorrow beyond next week and look into months from now,” he said. “All activities we do today impact what happens tomorrow, so overall my final statement would be avoid gatherings if at all possible.”
He notes that while outdoor gatherings are better than indoor gatherings, that does not mean the virus still cannot be transmitted from person to person. Dr. Javaid says people still need to wear masks and need to practice social distancing.
Meanwhile, he says while younger people may think the virus does not affect them, they are wrong.
Many of the new cases in states with spikes are people from the younger generation and he believes the easing of restrictions may have contributed to that.
“You and I both heard the reports of a lot of people mingling, a lot of outdoor activities in certain states. I’m not saying one is equal to the other, but there is some degree of link between the activities – going to the beaches for example and parties – and having a higher number of cases. Even though we might see a higher number of younger people going to the hospital, the severity of the illness is almost always worse as the age progresses,” he tells WCBS 880’s Lopez.
Dr. Javaid says in a perfect world, he would ask everyone to avoid all gatherings until a proper treatment, vaccine or cure is found.
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Week In Sound: COVID Spikes and Classroom Debate
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Coronavirus cases increase throughout the nation, including in New Jersey where Gov. Phil Murphy mandated people wear masks outside when social distancing is not possible. Plus, leaders debate how to reopen schools safely and much more on a busy news week.
Neil A. Carousso produced the Week In Sound as heard on WCBS Newsradio 880 for the week ending July 10, 2020. Hear it on the player above.
You can listen to The 880 Weekly Rewind with Lynda Lopez Friday nights at 7 PM ET for a deeper dive into the top local, national and international stories of the week, featuring interviews with newsmakers and the Week In Sound as heard on WCBS Newsradio 880.
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