When Marilen Rodriguez opened her new flower decoration shop on 37th Avenue in Jackson Heights last July, it was a dream. This was something she had always wanted to do, but never had the means or the courage. After years of taking care of her children and cleaning houses and offices to make ends meet, Rodriguez, 52, hoped to capitalize on her talent for flower arrangement by launching her very own business.
“I didn’t want to clean anymore,” she said. “It’s too hard. I thought in six months I could do everything.”
But she couldn't. Today, the shop she opened has few customers. People stop by to chat, but no one is buying. Without money coming in, there is no way to pay for the running costs. She has defaulted on rent for the past two months, and her landlord won't let her out of her five-year lease unless she finds another tenant.
"I have had a headache for 15 days!" she said, nervously tapping her feet on the ground.
It is not an easy time for anyone to be starting a business. As recession looms, people are spending less, and the credit crisis makes it difficult for small businesses to get loans.
Over the past two months, as reports on job losses, tightening credit, and low consumer spending filled the pages of newspapers, Rodriguez’s optimism about the future seemed to be waning. But one piece of news gave her something to be happy about: the election of Barack Obama. A few days after the election, Rodriguez said proudly that she'd cast her ballot for Obama. She thought an Obama administration would help small businesses like hers. “Marilen the Florist” wasn’t one of the names tossed around as the candidates argued over who would be better for the middle class, but she is one of the many struggling New Yorkers who pinned her personal hopes on the election and believed in the promise of change.
—Paul Daniel Stephens
The story wasn't supposed to go that way. Rodriguez's love of flowers started off as a hobby and grew into a small venture. Her husband, a building superintendent, let her use the basement for flower arrangements. She kept flowers in a small fridge and made arrangements for family weddings, baby showers and quinceaneras -- the traditional, and often elaborate, Latin American celebration for girls turning 15. She ran her business part-time out of the basement for seven years.
In April 2006, Rodriguez took up a flower arranging course at the Bronx Botanical Garden to polish her innate talent. One and a half years later, she opened a store on 82nd street in Jackson Heights. The shop was small, and tucked inside another store, so few customers could find her. She said that the people on that side of the neighborhood didn't know her. So she took a risk, signing a five-year lease, and moved to her current, larger location on the busy thoroughfare in the Jackson Heights historic district. The new shop was more accessible to foot traffic. It was also a lot more expensive.
