Temporary UPS Store Location at 45-18 Queens Blvd.(Photo: QueensPost)
Feb. 28, 2019 By Christian Murray
The owner of the Sunnyside UPS store that was destroyed in the massive fire on Queens Boulevard in December is opening a temporary location next week.
Tony Tang, the long-time owner, said the pop-up store will be located at 45-18 Queens Blvd. and will be open until the fourth quarter of 2019. He said that he will then move to a permanent space at 45-12 46th Street, where he has secured a 10-year lease.
The pop-up store is currently occupied by “The Case World,” and is on the same block where the fire broke out. He is in the process of moving in equipment and setting up his systems.
Tang said that he is grateful to Eugene Choe, owner of Case World, for subletting him the space. Choe also owns the Verizon shop at 45-06 46th St.
“It’s been tough looking for new space,” Tang said. “I’m so grateful to everyone for helping me.”
Lena and Tony Tang, owners of the UPS Store, at the Sunnyside Shines fire relief fundraiser in December. (Photo: Queens Post)
Tang’s permanent space is currently occupied by La Nacional, which is vacating the premises at the end of June. Tang will then revamp the space and then move in.
Since the December fire, Tang has been servicing his Sunnyside customers at his Long Island City location at 46-28 Vernon Blvd. His customers with mail boxes have been going there.
Some of his Sunnyside employees were reassigned to his Vernon Blvd. store. Unfortunately, Tang had little choice but to let some go.
He said those employees have been aided by the funds raised by the Sunnyside Shines Relief Fund. The fund raised $165,000 and is being distributed to the employees of the six businesses that were destroyed who lost their jobs.
Tang, 65, is a popular businessman who was named the The Luke Adams Sunnysider of the Year in 2018 by the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce.
He has been on Queens Boulevard—between 45th and 46th Streets– for more than three decades. He ran Flagship Entertainment, a photo and video store at 45-04 Queens Blvd., for nearly 30 years before closing it in 2011. He then divided the space to create two store fronts, one of which was the UPS. The other storefront went through several restaurant concepts before becoming Zen Yai restaurant. It too was destroyed in the fire.
Tang’s wife Lena, also a well-known figure, works alongside of him.
The UPS store is the second business to come back following the fire that also destroyed Sidetracks, Zen Yai, Romantic Depot, New York Style Eats and Better Line Hardware.
Better Line Hardware reopened about two blocks away at 43-24 Greenpoint Ave. last month.
Tang said that he is looking forward to reopening in Sunnyside. “We love the people of Sunnyside. The people here are just amazing. I’m so glad that I have been able to come back.”
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23 Comments
If you call this “fun”, you obviously have a “sick” problem
Excellent news! So happy to hear you are back! Cheers.
Welcome Back, Tony Tang and Lena! I have had to schlep to Staples to print stuff out. Glad to hear you are back soon! AnnaBNana
I’ve been in that new hardware store twice and love it. They always are helpful and I always find what I’m looking for. Looking forward to re-visiting this UPS store.
What about the sex shop???
Hope we never see the,likes of it again
Mary why do you hate fun?
Hopefully it will be back soon. Need a new leather hood for me and golf balls for my partner. In the meantime I’ll make do with vegetables from Key Food
If you call this “fun”, you obviously have a “sick” proble
So happy to hear you are coming back! Why so much negativity about everything? I’ve never come across people who are so unhappy about everything that happens in their own neighborhood! You don’t want new businesses to come or old businesses to come back! To the man that got overcharged try looking at your bill before you leave the store. I’ve been going there for years and never have had any billing issues. People make mistakes, they are human. Do I care if you like or dislike what I have to say, no not at all. If I did I wouldn’t have to write this. Try being supportive, it’s a new concept.
Ohhh its Tony for sure believe me!!!
So thrilled for Tony and Lena, and all of Sunnyside that they will be back in business. I wish them well. They have been a part of my family’s lives since they opened on 46th Street, so many years ago. I rented my first VHS tape from them, Topgun. My mother watched 3 videos per day for many years. My daughter spent many hours being doted on by Lena, while choosing her movie on Fridays. Congratulations and so thrilled you will be up and running in time for me to send my Easter gifts to my daughter’s new family and my son, who now reside in Kentucky.
Yeah but what are they going to do when the mafia in sunnyside come after them again ?
I miss NY Style Eats. When they comin back!
I never ate there but hated the greasy and grimy sidewalk out front. You could almost see the trail made by the garbage bags they dragged around the corner and all the way past the hardware store to their dumpsters. Yuck!
yeah its cool but they charged me 17$ to send a two page fax so im glad they can return to sunnyside and rip people off.
They have ALWAYS been so .nice & helpful; so glad they found a new placeyou’
Welcome back!
Thanks for the lovely article about Tony Tang securing space for hisUPS store. However, the man in the accompanying photo of a man and woman at the Fire Relief fundraiser is not 65 year old Tony Tang.
I used to have a crush on Mrs. Tang.
Haha! She really is a sweetheart.
I am so happy for them!! Things seem to be working out. I was born and raised in Sunnyside and these stores have been a staple in my life. Wishing them the best of luck. Looking forward to seeing them soon!
The resilience of the business owners is truly inspiring. All the best to them.