>>1942017There was an entire drag of shops and businesses on a parallel street a couple blocks east but the honors students robbed and looted them so often that they all closed.
The real key to NYC’s success is mixed neighborhoods. Outside of the South Bronx, which was literally burned down in the 70s and was only rebuilt through massive federal grants (and Chicago will never get that because it’s not America’s de facto capital), most of NYC’s housing projects are in neighborhoods that contain at least somewhat diverse populations.
There’s no reason to open a bodega on the South Side of Chicago because all of your “customers” are gonna be hood niggas who steal your iced tea and mug your cashier as he’s locking up. 95% black neighborhoods like Austin, Garfield Park, and Englewood are literal no-go zones that cops don’t enter unless they absolutely have to. In fact, one goes at all to these places unless they live there or are buying drugs.
Opening a bodega in Harlem is a much better prospect, because sure a chunk of your customers will be local blacks, but you also have hispanics, hipsters, jews, kurds, etc. Cops are a visible presence in Harlem. Your store actually has a chance of being profitable.
