subject: Fashion China Jewelry Waiting For The Wrecking Ball [print this page] One pendant, a coin pressed with four Hebrew letters referring to a biblical verse, is a gift from his mother. The other once belonged to his grandfather, who, with Mr. Gindis father, founded the store as Gindi Fine Jewelry in 1959.
The Gindis, a Syrian-Jewish family that settled about a century ago in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, would produce many more jewelers. Adam Gindi, 44, grew up working in the store, and all his siblings have worked in the jewelry business in New York at one time or another.
Diamonds and Dials, with a desirable location near Avenue of the Americas, is popular among young couples who get engaged on the roof of the Empire State Building, just down the street.
But Mr. Gindi now faces an uncertain future. This year, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plans to start construction on a project that will build more train tracks beneath the Hudson River, and a reconfigured station entrance is planned for the spot where Diamonds and Dials stands. As part of the project, the city government plans to exercise eminent domain to close the store. ---------- fashion-china-jewelry.com
Mr. Gindis eviction would signal the further dissolution of the independent businesses along a 34th Street corridor dominated by national retail chains.
A soft-spoken man with dark brown eyes, Mr. Gindi is struggling to keep up with the slow trickle of information that will determine his future.
I know that Im just a small fish over here thats kind of being caught in bigger negotiations that are happening, he said. In the same respect, I have no idea what my futures going to be like, and its in somebody elses hands.
The Port Authority has yet to start eminent domain proceedings, since the project, expected to be completed in 2017, is still undergoing public review.
Our goal is to work with these businesses and help relocate them, said Ron Marsico, a Port Authority spokesman, adding that Diamond and Dials was eligible for compensation in accordance with state and federal acquisition laws. ---------- fashion-china-jewelry.com
Other businesses scheduled to be closed include Hickeys and Blarney Rock, adjacent Irish pubs on West 33rd Street, along with a Sunglass Hut, a Payless ShoeSource, a Foot Locker and a Duane Reade.
Mr. Gindi is taking things day by day for example, spending some time with a Senegalese employee named Samba Dioum, who works downstairs from the shop in a small, windowless room, setting gems and resizing wedding bands. Most of the time, however, Mr. Gindi can be found above in the shop, standing behind the glass counters filled with watches and bracelets, and pondering what might come next. ---------- fashion-china-jewelry.com
You do everything right, said Mr. Gindi, the father of 2-year-old twins. You build a business; you build a family. And then something like this just comes from left field.
