Brooklyn commerce sees boost in Sandy’s wake

The Gate in Park Slope, Brooklyn
The Gate in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Sandy’s silver lining: boosted business at Brooklyn bars. In the aftermath of the hurricane, which left tens of thousands of New Yorkers homeless, brownstone Brooklyn businesses actually saw a significant burst of commerce, CNN reported.

Prospect Heights coffee shop Sit & Wonder enjoyed an estimated 30 percent rise in revenue during the days immediately following Sandy, the owners, Gemma and Lucien Redwood, told CNN. In Brooklyn, many proprietors live near their businesses, which helped them stay open in the disaster’s wake.

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“It was like 9/11 in many ways,” Bobby Gagnon, who owns Park Slope bar The Gate, told CNN. “People who went through it really needed a place to go — bars, churches … they become community centers.” [CNN] –Guelda Voien