Goodbye, 7-11. P & P Shipping is here to stay! Over 20 years ago, when Sujit Kumar opened his first business in Greenpoint, he knew that this neighborhood supports small businesses like his when neighbors protested against the closure of his small but charming convenience store. To make way for a new 7-11, the landlord did not renew their lease in the location at 883 Manhattan Ave. Now, it is just another empty storefront while Sujit has two thriving locally loved businesses in Greenpoint.
“Big chain businesses don’t do as well here because people like local merchants and small stores in Greenpoint,” says Sujit. Small business owners like Sujit also have the advantage of not adhering to cookie cutter rules imposed by corporations who don’t know the neighborhood they serve. P & P Shipping, located on 746 Manhattan Ave, evolved from Sujit’s intimate knowledge of the neighborhood’s needs so after some bad experiences with the post office and feedback from customers, he decided to offer a better option for shipping.
The expansion into art supplies and stationery goods happened at the request of his regular customers, and today, P & P Shipping is a one-stop shop for shipping services, art supplies, school supplies, stationery, printing, passport photos. Last month, an appreciative customer gave Sujit a handwritten note before they moved out, writing “Countless times I came to your store so stressed out about a problem I was trying to solve and every single time I left, I was calm and had a sense of moving forward.”
“My wife worked in an art supply store when she first immigrated to NYC back in 1991, so this is sort of a full circle story. We are very lucky to be a part of such a community here and would not be able to exist without the support of the artists and creatives we serve, ” said Sujit.
This small mom and pop shop is a lot more than meets the eye, with shipping services (FedEx, UPS, DHL) along with all the necessary supplies: about 100 different box sizes, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, packing tape.
They also carry a wide variety of stationery and art supplies from brands like Moleskine, Strathmore, Canson, GOLDEN, Faber-Castell, Staedtler, and more. In addition, they carry ink cartridges, 3M products, and hundreds of types of pens, pencils, and markers. Other services include passport photos, printing, scanning, faxing, copying, and lamination.
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P&P is great! A lifesaver during extended wfh, helped me mail several urgent filings for my pro bono clients and we never had any issues. We bought labels to DYI our wedding announcements here. Love their art supplies, too. It’s wonderful having a local store with such a great selection.
If you ever need to move via FED EX.
P&P handled not only the volume of large packages, they made sure that they got collected.
I had been shopping there for years previously, it is a fantastic business.
Having to move after 16 years was super sad. They made it so much easier. Bless them.
Georges, Josephs, Harrico, Jockonowitz, Chopin, Green Farms, Cheap Charlies, and Jams are just some of the many lost & beloved local establishments that once served Greenpoint so well. Despite the unsatiable & anti-social greed of landlords, the tradition of mom & pop stores still lives on with people like Mr. Kumar — and that tradition needs to be both appreciated & supported by our neighborhood.
Well said Stan Boomer. I’ve lived here all my life (48 yrs) and I’m sad to see those shops you mentioned gone, but I’m glad P&P and Mr. Kumar are here to take their place. The art supplies section inspires the artist in me!