Times Square businesses slowly start to gain ground

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

Many people are remembering those days when business boomed at their family’s souvenir shops in Times Square.
Although tourists have started tocome back, foot traffic into Grand Slam souvenirs is still not like before, when groups of global visitors crowded under the canopy of electric billboards.

But the return of foreign tourists in the city would definitely help in recovery for businesses like these — many of them mom-and-pop shops — that collectively employ thousands of people, serving as one of New York City’s most important economic activities.

Times Square has long stood as asymbol of New York’s hustle and bustle. But as Broadway theaters shut their doors and the city became an early epicenter of the global pandemic, 9 in 10 businesses in the area shut their doors, as per a district civic group, The Times Square Alliance.

“We really were were a symbol to the world of the pandemic and the pause,” said Tom Harris, the alliance’s president.
Three-fourths of area businesses have reopened, with Broadway shows reopening to vaccinated-only audiences.

Among those restarting their businesses with hope are those that don’t cater directly to tourists, but are part of the city’s entertainment ecosystem.

They hope that more people buying tickets on Broadway will bring busier times.

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