STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A popular Italian deli on Hylan Boulevard in Dongan Hills was hit with a summons over a sidewalk sign, prompting a call from Borough President Vito Fossella for city agencies to exercise discretion and goodwill toward small businesses when it comes to enforcing minor infractions.
Standing before the family-operated Ariemma’s Italian Deli at Hylan and Buel Avenue on Friday, Fossella referred to the summons as a “lump of coal.”
The borough president emphasized the difficulty of opening and running a small business without the added stress of a summons over what may be considered a relatively minor infraction.
Ariemma’s Italian Deli in Dongan Hills on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. The corner shop was fined because their folding sidewalk signs were allegedly not in a proper place out front of their store.(Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)
“Government serves a role in terms of public health and public safety,” Fossella said. “But there’s another group of people that just see small business — as difficult as it is in this city — they see small business as a cash machine. So when they need revenue they say, ‘well let’s go bang the small business guy because they have to pay, otherwise they’ll go out of business or we’ll hold up their license and etc.’”
“So my view philosophically is we need to encourage and allow small businesses to grow, to flourish and, to the extent possible, stay out of their way,” he added.
The deli, which has been open for over 70 years, was issued a summons on Dec. 5 for folding A-frame signage located on the sidewalk alongside Hylan Boulevard, according to Fossella.
According to the Department of Sanitation, signs and displays must not extend more than three feet into the sidewalk from a business.
Borough President Vito Fossella, right, stands beside Santo Ariemma, the co-owner of Ariemma’s Italian Deli in Dongan Hills on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. The shop was recently fined because their folding sidewalk signs were allegedly not in a proper place out front of their store.(Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)
“Whatever happened, I think a lack of discretion, a lack of common sense was the order of the day,” said Fossella. “And as a result, Santo (Ariemma) rightfully stood up and spoke out. And you shouldn’t be afraid to speak out when the government does something wrong and in this case I think the government did something wrong. We’re here to support him and small business owners like him to say don’t ruin their day over nonsense, at least give them an option to say ‘hey buddy, you know, there’s a sign here, it’s really not supposed to be here’ or ‘can you move it over there.’ What’s up? You can’t consult with people like that? Is that not the norm anymore?”
Fossella explained that in these cases small businesses may be pressured to pay the fine, which for the deli could range from $50-$500, as opposed to contesting the matter.
Ariemma, a third-generation co-owner of the business, noted that the signs had never previously posed a problem and have been posted for over 30 years. Moreover, he argued that the signage was not in the path of those passing the storefront as it is typically next to the pole in front of the deli.
“Again, the signs are for advertisement, you know, to try to make a dollar — an honest dollar — and now for me to try to fight this ticket, I got to take a day off from work, which I’m going to lose more money,” Ariemma said.
“It’s just a bunch of nonsense for a small family business, I’m over here, I work 70 hours a week some weeks and we do a lot for the community,” he added. “And to have something like this happen, it’s crazy to me, to think that the neighborhood is falling apart like that — it’s no good.”
Ariemma called for residents to come together and show support for all small businesses in the community.