Cherished Mom & Pop Businesses Booted from the Coney Island Boardwalk

This business with it's beautiful signs needs to stay!
Today nine out of 11 businesses on the Coney Island boardwalk received letters from Italian amusement company, Zamperla/CEI, which leases the property from the city. These tenants have lost their leases and have only until Nov. 15 to vacate the property. Businesses that received these letters are all part of the heart and character of Coney particularly Ruby's and Gyro Corner. These businesses are all family run and are being asked to leave in 15 days after years of business. The only ones allowed to stay are Nathan's and Lola Starr boutique.

First it was Freddy's now it's Ruby's!

This is just so wrong. These businesses are what make Coney Island, CONEY ISLAND! What? Are they going to open a bar that is *like* Ruby's, with vintage looking photos of Coney Island along the walls, while Ruby's, which has been on the boardwalk for 76 years, has the REAL THING? Can we please be SPARED an "upscale" Coney Island? The reason I LOVE Coney Island is that it is NOT upscale and also because of its' unique energy that generates from the combination of being a place for ALL New Yorkers (not just the rich) and the presence of the family owned businesses on the boardwalk. This just kills me because I know whatever businesses that they end up putting in there are probably going to just replicate what they are replacing while taking away the authentic patina built up through the years.

I am not one to be nationalistic but this time I am making an exception. How can the city allow a European owned company to execute "their vision" of what they think Coney Island should represent?!

The Atlantic Yards project also extinquished cherished family run businesses and also happens to have foreign investors (from Russia). Excuse me but do I see a pattern here? Is the future of New York going to be outsourced?

Read more at Amusing the Zillion and The Daily News.