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The owner of a longtime Upper East Side newsstand is preparing to close the business at the end of this month. He’s hoping to relocate nearby, but he’s facing an uphill battle.
International News & Magazine, located at 302 East 86th Street near Second Avenue, has been a fixture in the neighborhood for nearly three decades. But the building’s sale to a new management company has left longtime owner Zafar Ahmed without a lease renewal, forcing him to close up shop.
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“It’s not an easy task for a first-generation American to have their own business,” Ahmed told PIX 11 News. “Many people love us, and we are part of the fabric of the community.”
Ahmed, now 68, immigrated from Pakistan and has spent much of his life running the store, which offers items like lotto tickets, smoke and tobacco products, snacks, newspapers, magazine and more. He’s grown a reputation among locals, especially seniors, for going above and beyond, like braving tough weather to deliver physical copies of newspapers to people’s front doors.
But the path to reopening is complicated by a little-known city law: tobacco retail licenses in New York City are not transferable. That means Ahmed would need to apply for a brand new license to reopen in a different location—and currently, those licenses are being distributed via lottery.
More than 1,000 customers have signed a petition urging the City Council to make a one-time exception. During the PIX11 interview, supporters continued to trickle into the store to sign their names and share their appreciation.
“We’re going to miss you,” one customer said. “You’ve been here forever.”
In an Instagram video shared late last month, District 5 City Council candidate Collin Thompson echoed that sentiment, encouraging residents to sign the petition and calling on city government to “make an exception for someone who has served our community for 25 years.”
For his part, Ahmed says he’s grateful—and determined.
“This business has fed me and my kids,” he said. “I have no pension and have to work very hard, but I want to continue this business until my last breath of life.”
City Council representatives have not yet publicly commented on the petition.
Ahmed is still looking for a new location, hopeful he’ll be able to reopen and continue serving the neighborhood he calls home.
