Help Save 2 Immigrant Owned Businesses & Buildings

At around 6 A.M. on Monday, February the 7th a fire broke out in a vacant building in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn. The blaze lasted for hours and in the aftermath 2 were found dead in the rubble.

 

As a result of the huge fire our neighboring property located at 357 Nostrand Ave. suffered a tremendous amount of smoke damage, and has left the entire property unsafe to occupy. Without the help of our community we're deeply saddened to say that 2 neighborhood staples will not be able to reopen. After these grueling years of COVID ravaging our businesses, the burden of the repair costs are simply more than we can bare. As of now the property is under a vacate order by the Department of Buildings. We need to raise this money in order to contract a structural engineer, an architect, and a contractor, so we can submit our repair plans to the DOB and have the vacate order lifted. Beyond that we need money to replace all of the kitchen equipment that was damaged by the water that was used to extinguish the fire. 

 

Pictured above is Asad Chaudhary, a father, a brother and the building owner. He came to this country from Pakistan as a student with not much more to his name than his clothes. He saw opportunity and promise in Bed-Stuy at a time when nobody else did. After 30 years of hard work, he developed a reputation in the neighborhood as someone who could be trusted, respected, and who always helped people in need when he was able. This fire is threatening to take that all away from him, and so many others. 


Here you can see Asad with his brother Asif, and his two sons Asad and Ahmad. We all have put our blood, sweat, tears, and years into this businesses and this building. This property going into disrepair would mean the end of our lives as we knew them.  

 

 

There's been a deli on this location for over a decade. Stores like this one are more than just a quick stop for a drink or a snack. They represent a community gathering place. Small businesses are the heart and soul of a neighborhood, and are often replaced by large multinational corporations when they go.

 

 

Much the same as the deli, there's been a fried chicken restaurant where this one currently stands for over 20 years. Most of our customers are old friends who have been loyal patrons over the years. We know about the lives of our customers, and they know about ours. We've seen each other grow and change, always as a community, and without your help this neighborhood will lose both of these businesses for good.

 

 

 

These establishments are owned and operated solely by families of Yemeni and Pakistani descent, with deep roots in the local Muslim community. Pictured above is one of the many events catered by Crown Halal Chicken and Pizza totally free of charge at the local Masjid. Our families rely on these jobs to put food on the table, and when possible, to put food on the tables of those in more need than us.

Aside from the businesses, the apartments that are located above were completely ravaged by this tragic event, leaving many displaced or even homeless.

 

 

Without your help, all of this damage simply can't be undone. We ask you humbly to not allow this building and all of it's inhabitants to fade away. This situation is of no fault of ours, yet somehow we find ourselves suffering for it.

 

Give what you can, and if you can't, we ask only that you share this so that others may see it.