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Every now and then, our advocacy positively impacts the future of a family, a business, and even a city.
In one such case, attorneys and communications professionals from the Brewer Storefront, the firm’s community service affiliate, represented Jim’s Shoe Repair, a historic New York City business that was facing certain closure.
Jim’s Shoe Repair has been described as the oldest and most famed cobbler in New York City. It has operated at its current Midtown Manhattan location since 1940 and has been in business since 1932.
Despite the popularity of Jim’s and its standing as one of New York’s oldest family-owned businesses, in 2014 the business faced imminent closure.
Jim’s was in danger of losing its 1,000-square-foot shop at 50 E. 59th Street, due to the expansion of a Duane Reade pharmacy located next door. Attorneys from the Storefront became involved, undertaking a legal and advocacy campaign to help secure the store’s future.
Jim’s fight for survival became a closely-followed case in New York City – emblematic of the struggle faced by small businesses swept away in the corporatization of the city.
Legal and Public Affairs Campaign
The Storefront represented Jim’s in the courtroom, pro bono, and engineered a grassroots petition drive to help save the business. The Storefront attempted to seek a landmark designation for Jim’s.
The Storefront then filed a petition in Manhattan Supreme Court on April 8, 2014, on behalf of the business, against the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. The petition sought to overturn a decision by the Commission to deny Jim’s a landmark designation.
At the same time, the firm’s public affairs team engineered a PR campaign that gave a voice to the historic business. The team arranged for desk-side briefings, pursued media coverage, and launched a petition drive that captured major attention. The team also secured an on-site visit and proclamation for Jim’s from New York Assemblyman Dan Quart.
The campaign received coverage from several leading media outlets, including The New York Times, CNBC, New York Daily News, and the New York Post, to name just a few, as the community rallied to save one of the city’s most famed businesses.
The Storefront also defended Jim’s in eviction proceedings. And, after much negotiating, Jim’s and its landlord, SL Green Realty Corp., settled all claims as a condition of a new lease agreement in January 2015. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
A Historic Victory
Jim’s was founded in 1932 by Italian immigrant Vito Rocco; he named his shop “Jim’s” because he believed an American-sounding name would be good for business. At the time, prejudice against Italian immigrants was common. Now in its fourth generation, Jim’s still retains its “Old World” charm.
The shop utilizes its original gold cash register and antique wooden compartments for customers waiting on shoe repairs. The founder’s youngest son, Joseph Rocco Sr., and his two brothers, Giulio and John, ran the business for years before Giulio and John passed away.
“Jim’s is a business that embodies the American Dream,. The victory is for all those who value family-owned businesses in this country.”
