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DATE/ AUTHOR None	AUTHORS: Barbara Whitaker

H Stores Damaged by Storm Slow to Reopen Doors

S1 THE Big Top toy store on East Hartsdale Avenue reopened May 11 just as signs were being stripped from the shuttered HSBC Bank nearby.

S2 Both businesses were closed after being damaged by flooding in the northeaster that ripped through Westchester on April 15.
S3 While owners of the Big Top decided to reinvest, HSBC is taking its business elsewhere, a reflection of the struggling state of the shopping district that runs along the street above the Hartsdale train station.

S4 ''As one business goes, it takes away some business to me,'' said Munish Kapur, owner of the Big Top, which depends heavily on foot traffic.
S5 ''We still don't know how many of the closed businesses will go and how many will stay.
S6 That's a concern.''

S7 More than a month after heavy rains flooded many parts of the county, about a half-dozen businesses along the avenue are still closed -- including at least two restaurants, a bagel shop, a bakery, a fitness center and a green market.
S8 The two that have completely reopened -- Tip Top and Hartsdale Wine and Liquors -- are watching closely to see if shoppers return.

S9 ''I'm a little nervous,'' said Robert Troy, the wine shop owner.

S10 Kar C. Kwok, owner of K. Fung's, a Chinese restaurant, said he was unsure how he would come up with the $250,000 to $300,000 needed to make repairs.
S11 Water filled the basement of the establishment and reached more than six inches high in the first-floor dining room.
S12 Flooring was destroyed, furniture and restaurant equipment was ruined and mold is beginning to grow in the basement.
S13 His insurance did not cover the damage.

S14 ''I want to stay,'' he said, ''but I have no idea how I will do that.''

S15 Several merchants who had applied for low-interest loans with the Federal Emergency Management Agency have yet to hear back.
S16 But it was unlikely a loan would come close to covering his damage, Mr. Kwok said.

S17 Other businesses were moving as fast as possible to reopen.
S18 But every passing day means another day with no income and the possibility that customers will take their business elsewhere.

S19 ''It's pretty devastating for everybody, even those businesses that are open,'' said Craig Cupani, owner of Lia's, an Italian restaurant, which hoped to reopen this week.

S20 Mr. Cupani noted that although all the businesses that were flooded are on the same side of the street, businesses on the other side, which have remained open, are also suffering because some customers -- like those who go to the fitness center -- are not coming to the area.

S21 The shuttered shops had also hurt strides made in generating business in the area, he said, which has struggled in recent years to compete against large retailers on nearby Central Avenue.

S22 To try to draw more people to the area, Paul J. Feiner, the Greenburgh supervisor, has proposed opening a satellite library in a vacant site like the old HSBC building.
S23 Many residents and merchants welcome the idea.

S24 ''It's one block, but it's an incredibly useful block,'' said Shula Darviche, a marketing consultant who lives in the neighborhood.
S25 ''It really adds to the life in this little suburb.''

S26 Beyond retaining customers, merchants are also worried about the need to address the conditions that led to the flooding.
S27 Some charge that drainage behind their stores is inadequate and want local officials to address the problem.

S28 ''We've got to make sure this doesn't happen again,'' said Mr. Cupani, who along with other merchants, has hired an engineer to examine the issue.
S29 ''There's no way anybody is going to recoup from another one of these.''

S30 BUSINESSES

