Stepping off the 4 train at Kingsbridge Road, one of the first stores people will find is a variety store called “Kings Gift Shop” that has been serving the neighborhood for nearly 30 years. Community members often stop by not only to shop, but also to see a familiar face: Miguel Ramos, the store’s owner, who says his small-business has been struggling to make ends meet.

“Today they gave me the good news that I’ve been looking for,” said Ramos, who received the Business Owner Bill of Rights for the first time in September, along with access to resources to keep his small business afloat.

For Ramos, this is the life line between keeping his doors open and closing up shop. He is one of many small businesses who received first-hand information about their rights and resources available to them in New York City.

The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kenny Minaya and Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez alongside Our Bronx, and others visited small business owners across Kingsbridge Road as part of the citywide five-borough campaign to reach more than 600 small businesses on Sep 1st to inform them of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s reformed Business Owner Bill of Rights — established under Executive Order 18 issued on July 20.

The revised Business Owner Bill of Rights outlines the rights business owners have during city inspections. It includes access to free information, tools and resource opportunities to help small businesses grow; multilingual information and interpretation services and clear, easy-to-understand explanations of rules, regulations, violations and requirements for business owners and how to appeal them.

The bill additionally emphasises consistent and fair treatment to enforcement of agency rules during inspections.

The outreach team split up into groups to ensure they reach multiple store fronts in the community. They provided business owners with a physical copy of the updated Bill of Rights and a survey link for businesses to provide their feedback following inspections and other interactions with city agencies.

The NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kenny Minaya and Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez shares in Spanish the Business Owner Bill of Rights and resources to a restaurant owner. Photo by Rebecca Raghunath

“This is a hallmark of the Mamdani administration. We really want to signal to small businesses, it is a new era, and part of bringing that new era is making sure small businesses know that they have rights when they interact with the city,” said SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya.

“A right to an inspection with the language of your choosing, a right to a consistent inspection, and educational resources.”

The Mamdani Administration hopes that the revised bill will change the culture of how the city interacts with small businesses.

“The first step is making sure business owners know their rights, and then we’re going to work to make sure that it’s better, easier to open a small business in New York City and to stay open,” Minaya added.

Many of the stores SBS and volunteers visited said they were not aware of the Business Owner Bill of Rights. Fewer than 9% of business owners surveyed by SBS reported receiving the previous Business Bill of Rights.

“This outreach campaign is all about going at it the old school way, meeting people where they’re at,” said Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez. “I take every opportunity to come out and talk to our small businesses so that they know that government is here at the local level.”

Through contacting SBS, small business owners and individuals can avoid hiring an expeditor to help them navigate city government. Instead, they will have free access to compliance consultations to help them avoid fines and fees.

Sanchez says that a large percentage of small businesses in her district are immigrant-owned, therefore, seeing an officer in a uniform and badge can be unsettling for many. She emphasized this initiative is important in building trust and educating the community with know-your-rights to prepare them for these encounters.

Starting Oct. 1, city inspectors will also be required to provide both brick and mortar businesses and street vendors with a physical copy of the Business Owner Bill of Rights at the beginning of inspections. The bill will also be posted throughout New York City centers for public notice.