NYC newsstands may soon sell more stuff: umbrellas, batteries, earphones
Officials said on Monday that the City Council plans to introduce legislation soon that will allow newsstand operators to sell goods costing up to $10. Since 2001, the limit has been $5, but the cost for many useful items – such as umbrellas, earphones, chargers and batteries — has increased since that time.
“We need to keep up with the times and help ensure these small business owners can continue to compete and succeed in our city,” City Council Speak Christine Quinn said at a press conference in downtown Manhattan at one of the city’s 300 newsstands.
Robert Bookman, Counsel to the NYC Newsstand Operators Association, said in a statement that there were once over 1,500 sidewalk newsstands in the city. “Today there are about 300. We want to make sure we don’t lose any more of them.”