Photo: QueensPost
April 3, 2014 By Christian Murray
A Queens Blvd hair salon closed Monday after being in business for several years.
Magic Touch Hair Salon, located at 44-19 Queens Blvd, closed after the owners were unable to renew their lease that ended March 31. Yesterday, the chairs had been removed from the salon and many items were scattered inside.
The long-time owner of the salon died recently and her daughters took over the business, according to a worker. The daughters and the landlord were at odds.
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The reason “Magic Touch” beauty salon closed was because the owner died, she left her son & daughter in debt with problems. The landlord was mean, rude, and did not want to help them or anyone from the salon renew their lease. The 4 – 5 salon employees were left stressed trying to figure out where to go to work. The business slowed down after the owner died, and the employees needed money to survive. After it closed, some employees went to work at 44th street and other at 46th street. Nothing more.
Joe the Magnificent (I mean, seriously, if he can figure out my crazy hair he can do anything) has landed at G & G Barbershop on Queens Boulevard between 46th and 47th.
Note: new coffee shop/bakery on 43rd Avenue and 49th seems to be doing ok also.
I can’t believe people are praising the thrift store’s books — I never saw used books so overpriced. What would be 50 cents at the Strand was $4 or $5 there.
I want to know how Sugar Room is still around. What a tiny niche business, but they seem to be doing so well that they could even upgrade from their small spot on 40th to a bigger store on Queens Blvd. itself. Clearly they’re doing something right. People should be getting advice from them about how to support the neighborhood while also attracting shoppers from other areas.
let’s see how long the “new and trendy”businesses that replace the old time ones last… a thrift store, hair salon, or butchershop can serve a neighborhood 20 years or more… some dumb cupcake shop might as well be selling pet rocks…
that thrift store had a better selection of books that some bookstores… UK and Irish imports, collectible paperbacks, and review copies of interesting books…
LOL please let’s not imitate Astoria, keep that up north.
God, someone from Sunnyside BID please get an aesthetics consultant into this place – I just saw the new joke of a business on Greenpoint and 42nd. The lights…. The stupid stupid embarrassing light show… That’s all I have to say. Businesses in sunnyside are a joke, can we paint Astoria on this signs and trick people into thinking this is a real neighborhood?
I will never shop at. Blue Z liquor, I’d be embarrassed to walk thru the doors of that place.
signed,
Starting to feel I am embarrassed to say I’m from sunnyside
@More Champagne for Lulu a Friend went there 2 weeks ago, had to wait 2 hours because they were booked solid. Or Joe was. Joe always has someone in his chair.
Wondering where he’s going?
@DorothyMoorehead The Irish butcher shop closed because the owner had to go back to Ireland because of his family needed him. He hasn’t been back since the closing.
@sunnysider. Didn’t say I was upset Xios closed. just that it wasn’t a raised rent issue.
Please note that Wespaw Pets on Queens Blvd. is still in business, thanks to all the animal lovers in the neighborhood who provide their pets with quality food. With more and more dogs moving into the neighborhood, I wish Sam from Wespaw continued success! Glad to see our local neighbors who are dog and cat owners, are helping their local businesses and help the economy! 🙂
Stores close down in Sunnyside or anywhere else because they do not get enough business from current residents.
Not because “young and trendy” people move in.
Before blaming the “newcomers” and spewing syrupy nostalgia about good ol’ Sunnyside, ask yourself when was the last time you got a haircut at Magic Touch hair salon?
Never? That’s what I thought …..
@ Sunnysider The closed stores @ hereisthetruth listed were closed for reasons other than increased rents. In the case of Xio it was closed for being a nuisance. The Irish butcher simply didn’t do the business and couldn’t make it.
the reason the pawn show is still open is because of all the lower middle class sunnysiders who have been here for years, they need to find ways to get cash to pay their taxes and rent dah
@ hereisthetruth are u serious that you are upset about xios closing??? Do some research on that place please
Can we please get rid of the pawn shops? How can they afford to pay rent with no business ???
look at the place, with the trend of young people moving in and taking over, no wonder this place is gone. You think a 28yr old girl with an iphone is walking into Magic Touch? Change? You damn right bro!
@HereistheTruth: I was not referencing your list but rather the stories that have been on Sunnyside Post recently. Your list, however, is interesting! Hey Mr. Murray (sp): How about a more detailed story about the stores that have closed in the past year or so and the reasons why they closed?
I’m also for getting rid of the change guy. Once he goes all will be well in the neighborhood. No more problems.
Change!!!!!!
@Native NYEr its true not all are but the one I mentioned did.
Why a place closed is important also.
Like the Halal truck.(missed by many)
Or Xios
Or the Irish butcher.(hope he’s well in ireland)
None of those were raised rent issues.
Can we please also get rid of the CHANGE bum!?!?!! what an eyesore!!!!
I just don’t understand why long serving businesses and venues have to go, and the ones replacing them are trendy and modern. This is an old-fashioned neighborhood for goodness sakes. At least persevere the character of this neighborhood and not alter it.
Wish we could get rid of that pawn shop on the corner of 46th and QBlvd! It’s so ugly with that big yellow awning.
Marilyn S.
Most of the places that were detailed recently on this blog are not closing because of rent increases.
@Jon We’ll see.
Massis, April Glass, the Romanian butcher, and Five Brothers? Not crappy. Just neighborhood spots that are being edged out by rents. Hopefully some of these business will find other spots in Sunnyside.
While the thrift shop may have not been “pretty” it helped many seniors make end meet, it provided wonderful books and the owner had been an active part of the community for over a decade.
But you have a point that if the stores are replaced by privately owned businesses then it’s a changing of the guard.
@Hereistruth
Have you noticed it is all the crappy stores that have been closing.
(thrift shop/Romanian travel store/Pink Icing and second-tier salon)
I would be worried if the nice places were closing down.
I guarantee you that the stores that replace these crappy places will be nicer. There are many examples of this on both the North and South side of the Boulevard. Sunnyside is continually getting better…not worse. Think about it.
So many businesses in Sunnyside are closing…Not a good trend
Who ARE the landlords??