Concern over new pawn shop in Sunnyside

From the Sunnyside Post:

Three Sunnyside elected officials received a petition today asking them to block the opening of a pawn shop at the corner of 46th Street and Queens Blvd.

The petition calls on Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan and Congressman Joseph Crowley to help “close” or “move the location” of a proposed EZ Pawn Corp. store that is schedule to open next month.

“We are distressed about the opening of an EZ Pawn Corp. branch at the most visible, prominent corner of the area, across the street from the Sunnyside Arch and at 46th/Bliss station,” the petition read, adding that it sends a “message of financial decline, counter to every effort community groups and individuals work hard to achieve every day.”

The petition was signed by about 60 residents and business owners, including Ira Greenberg, the president of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce, to well-known business owners and residents (see petition letter below). The group, spearheaded by Patricia Dorfman, continues to collect signatures.

In response to the petition, Van Bramer said that he too didn’t want EZ Pawn to be located there.

“I would certainly prefer an old fashioned deli,” he said, adding that he lives on the same street just two blocks over. However, “I don’t have the power to say no pawn shops.”

Van Bramer said he would try to get the owner of EZ Pawn, the landlord and the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce together to see if some sort of a solution could be worked out.

Petition Letter

To sign the petition, write to pdpictures@earthlink.net