The lights will be turned back on at the historic Eagle Theater in Jackson Heights, but rather than spotlight Bollywood productions, they will showcase South Asian food. The New York Daily News reported that the owners of the 4,000-square-foot, circa-1930s theater, dormant since the film strike in India in 2009, will transform it into a South Asian supermarket and food court called the Jackson Heights Bazaar.
“In this neighborhood, if you open any Indian store you’re guaranteed to make money,” said Razi Ahmed, one of the owners of the Bazaar.
But with the introduction of a pedestrian plaza to the area, automobile traffic to the area has slowed and congestion has increased, a combination that has irked many local merchants and led Ahmed to temper his confidence.
Nevertheless, Local Council Member Daniel Dromm Has Supported The Plaza and instead lashed out at the Bazaar plan, questioning the need for another supermarket in the already over-crowded heart of Jackson Heights. [NYDN]