NEW YORK - The plywood boards protecting the windows of John Doe Bar & Kitchen came down Monday. Anonymity is the last thing the owners want.
“We were just afraid that there might be more looting, protests," co-owner Donna Dobbin said. "Didn’t want a damaged bar because obviously we couldn’t afford to fix it up if anything did happen.”
What You Need To Know
- Thousands of businesses boarded up their storefronts in the days before the election as a precaution
- They feared a reprise of the looting that occurred after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis last spring
- Many businesses began removing the boards Monday but are holding onto them in case looting occurs again
They’re just scraping by and last week was the worst week for the Flatiron District establishment since it reopened in May.
“Everybody was kinda on their tippy-toes around this election," Dobbin explained. "They didn’t know what way it was going to go, whether Trump was going to get in or Biden was going to get in. I think everyone was scared to come out.”
Many businesses boarded up their storefronts in the days before the election as a precaution, fearing a reprise of the looting that occurred after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis last spring.
But there were no problems when New Yorkers poured into the streets Saturday to celebrate when former Vice President Joe Biden was projected to have won the presidential race.
“Since last Tuesday, we’re coming up on a week now, we’ve had a couple small incidents, but overwhelmingly um positive,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told NY1 News.
"The city of New York was very happy and very alive so I felt like we didn’t need it anymore," Josefina Ferreira, the manager of Leather Spa said about the boards she had installed.
The high end leather shoe and bag repair and restoration shop is just a block from Trump Tower and employees say they watched some of the unrest out their window last spring.
Workers taking down plywood boards for a company specializing in their installation say they removed the boards from roughly three dozen storefronts Monday and all are keeping them just in case they're needed again.
John Doe Bar is holding onto them as well, not sure though if it’ll be around to need them.
“Just trying to survive," said Dobbin, "trying to stay positive everyday, but its tough.”
The eatery is down to five employees from 17. Without more business or another round of governmental help the owners fear they won’t make it through the winter.
“I’ve never worked as hard In all my life honestly," said Dobbin. "I just hope we stay open."