Mayor de Blasio Signs Executive Order to Liberate Sidewalk Space in Front of Storefronts for Open Air Selling

by Yehudit Garmaise  

Inspired by the success of outdoor dining during the pandemic, this morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new program that allows stores to sell their merchandise outdoors.

 “Let’s apply that same idea [of outdoor dining] to small businesses, retail businesses all over the five boroughs that so much need additional business to survive: but it is hard to do if you have a small space and restrictions in place,” the mayor said this morning. “Let’s liberate the outdoor space for [small business owners] as well, and help these small businesses to continue.

   After announcing the “Open Storefronts Program,” which will start on Fri., Oct 30, and is projected to last at least to the Dec. 31, Mayor De Blasio signed an executive order that he hope will help 40,000 of the city’s small businesses by allowing them to sell their wares outdoors, right in front of their storefronts.

    The Open Storefronts Program, the mayor said, will allow “a lot of people to come and buy, and to be able to expand their staffs.”

 By providing what he called “a simple application” and “very little red tape,” the mayor wants to make it easy for businesses to apply to participate in the Open Storefronts Program, the mayor said that he wants to make it “very easy for people to move forward.”

  In fact, store owners apply immediately online, where the Open Storefronts Program application is posted at nyc.gov/openstorefronts.

   “This is a crucial time of the year for every small business, and we want to be able to maximize it, so we are making this opportunity available right now.”

   The Open Storefronts Program, will allow businesses to use the sidewalk space that is directly in front of their storefronts to take advantage of the greater space for people to walk and the open air, in which COVID is less often transmitted than indoors.

   Also, the mayor said that under the Storefronts Program, businesses that reside on the same block can join together and apply for an Open Street on which to see their wares.

   The Open Storefronts Program also will allow restaurants to use the curb lane that is directly in front of their storefronts for extra seating.

 Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.