Harlem Small Business Study
Harlem, NY
2020 - Now
This research project identified the immediate and potential lasting impact of changes in consumer behavior on small businesses brought about due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and provides a comparative assessment of their relative sales performance against larger retailers during that period as well as the recovery period. The study predominantly leverages consumer transactional data as its core source of information. Using this data we sought to identify consumer trends and indicators that presage small business resilience and or decline amidst increased competition and Covid-19-related consumer behavior patterns. We focus this on New York City and within the broader neighborhoods that comprise Harlem, New York. We identify three key findings. First, we identify a lasting loss of market share across small businesses when compared to top retailers. Second, we observe market share discernibly shift from offline, face-to-face, to online channels adversely impacting small businesses. Third, we observe uneven impacts in majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods such as Harlem when compared to the rest of the city due to a decline in local consumer sales. A second phase of this research will address the impact of small business uncertainty on the built environment and more specifically on commercial storefronts and corridors.
CCNY Collaborative Team
Shawn Rickenbacker, Director J. Max Bond Center, Associate Professor, Spitzer School
Michael Grossberg, Associate Professor, Computer Science, Grove School
Prabal De, Professor and Chair, Economics and Business, Colin Powell School
Susanna Schaller, Associate Professor, Urban Planning, CWE
Hector Tarrido Picart, Adjunct Professor, Urban Informatics, GIS - Spitzer School
Shubham Khandale, Post Doc, Computer Science, Machine Learning, Grove School
Partners
J.P. Morgan Chase Institute (Proprietary Consumer Spending Data Partner - Advisors to the Federal Reserve and Whitehouse - 1st ever institutional partnership with CCNY)
J.P. Morgan Chase Small Business Initiative (Small Business Forward initiative is a $75 million, multi-year global effort to connect underserved small businesses to experts and critical resources that help them grow faster, create jobs, and strengthen local economies.)
Community Partners
Manhattan Community Board 9, 10
The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce
Harlem Business Alliance
Updates
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