Casa Ziki, a gift and design shop known for its colorful, funky wares, announced on Instagram that they would soon be leaving their Williamsburg storefront. The cause? Yet another instance of a rent increase pushing a small business out.
“Our landlords decided to call us this week to inform us that they will be upping our rent by way over 100%. We will not be complying and the eviction process will give us a few more months in our beloved OG location,” the shop wrote on Instagram.
They then called for the community’s help in identifying a possible new location.
Wife and husband duo Sylvana Kiss and Sasha Zinshtein own Casa Ziki, which stocks eclectic design brands like Octaevo, Areaware, and Object Lover. The small, but thoughtfully curated, shop is great for gifts, especially for your more stylish, hard-to-please friends (or anyone who would appreciate owning a Furby sculpture!)
Unfortunately, Casa Ziki is not the only small business in recent memory affected by landlords and untenable rent increases. Cafe Beit and West Wine Bar both recently closed after their respective landlords chose not not to renew their leases. Small businesses make neighborhoods great, and it’s a shame whenever landlords can’t see that.
Stop by the store at 367 Graham Avenue while you can, or check out their Woodstock, NY location if you venture further north.
Isn’t unregulated & naked Capitalism wonderful to see?
Once again, the lawless laws of the economic jungle Trump all
(pardon the expression).
Squeeze out as much blood, sweat and tears as the marker will bear,
Then give the poor blokes yet another twist and watch them squirm. ,
Just because you can.
What should be good for businesses, consumers and owners alike, instead poisons everything with greed, destroying lives, livelihoods and neighborhoods.
There has to be a better way.