The nation has received a couple of fairly good economic report cards in the last few days. The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported a healthy 3.5 percent increase in the national Gross Domestic Product—the value of the production of all goods and services in the United States, adjusted for price changes—for the third quarter, showing signs of consistent economic growth after a robust second quarter. And on November 7, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the much-watched “Jobs Report,” reporting that the unemployment rate dropped again, from 5.9% to 5.8%. The economy created 214,000 jobs in October, according to the report.
While the numbers indicate steady economic recovery, the good new doesn’t always seem to translate to the streets, at least some streets. Reporters from The Brooklyn Ink surveyed people in Brooklyn to see how they think the economy is working. We asked, how do you feel the economy is working for you? And, How do you measure it? Below are some of the answers we heard.
Frederick Daniels, 47, hair stylist, Park Slope
“Now, I feel you need more than one thing to do. What is your niche? We all know the economy sucks—what are you going to do to survive the economy? Jobs are not soundproof.”
Trisha Tolentino, 25, manager at an antique store, Boerum Hill
“The economy—it is what it is. After the recession, things haven’t really improved. Ten years ago, I had a different vision. I thought I’d have my own apartment, a full time job. The reality is really different. And my spending habits have changed as well. Still, I know that I am doing better than a lot of people.”
Fay Mathurin, 46, crossing guard, Prospect Lefferts Garden
“Rent gone up, food gone up, child stuff gone up, and my check is the same way! The economy is getting better only for the owner of the building. On one scale level they are doing well and on my scale level—Hello?”
Nadia Kaufhold, 37, interior designer, Williamsburg
“It’s always a bit of a hustle and bustle, but things have been looking up for me personally. I changed my career from finance to interior design, and it’s been a crazy feat for me. I have two big projects and various contracts. It’s the classic New York way, you have to tend to yourself.”
Efi Kesslman, 38, Crown Heights, Real Estate Salesman
“It is getting better. Wall Street is doing well. Housing prices are up.”
Aaron Hutcheson, 45, supervisor at a kosher restaurant, Boerum Hill
“In 1989, I was earning the same money as I do today. But at that time, I paid $200 as rent. Everything has gone up but my salary.”
Yuan Liu, 31, filmmaker, Bushwick/Williamsburg
“In terms of job hunting for people my age, my guess from hearing stories and going through it myself is that the economy is not good. It’s not as bad as before, but it is still unstable. For example, fewer of my projects are getting fair pay.”
Hakim Abdul Adel, 49, social activist, Weeksville,
“As much as people talk about equal opportunity, actually it is equal illusion. At the end of the day, the economy in this neighborhood sucks!”
Lizeth Carolina, 19, daughter of the owner of a Mexican restaurant, Windsor Terrace
“We spend more money on food than people are consuming. Our avocadoes now cost more so we have to charge $6 for a side. People don’t understand and don’t want to pay for it.”
Ana Cruz, 55, manager and hairdresser at Villa’s Hair, Bushwick
“As soon as we saw that the economy was down, people were trying to go to different places, checking which one had the lowest price that they could get. Then we said, let’s cut it [the price]. We gotta do it, you know? If people can’t afford, what can you do? Even if we got more rent, more utilities expenses, we have to try to keep our customers, giving them specials, doing what we can do, or else: going out of business.”
Ariel Greene, 29, customer service, Key Food, Park Slope
“I’m in a steady relationship and we’re talking about getting married, having kids. Realistically, you have to budget for kids. Corporations are more at fault because they have more power than the governing body.”
Jim Dowling, 68, Project Superintendent overseeing construction of a Planet Fitness branch in Bedford-Stuyvesant
“It’s been a struggle. I’m 68-years-old and my wife and I are still working to pay real estate taxes on the house that we own [in Long Island]. I built it myself 20 years ago.”
Andrea Demetropoulos, 62, pet shop owner, Brooklyn Heights
“Because of the economy, often people can’t afford daycare for their pets. For me the economic indicator is the number of pets in boarding. Usually the number is around 10 or 11. Today the number is four. So that has surely gone down.”
Geremy Alexander, 25, bartender at Bedford Hall, Bedford-Stuyvesant
“I’ve been able to take care of myself but I haven’t been able to better myself. That’s partially my fault, but it’s partially peoples’ pockets are tight. It’s been a slow summer. All the bartenders I talk to say that.”
Minerva Fuentes, 58, postal worker, Windsor Terrace
“This neighborhood is getting gentrified just like Williamsburg or some of the other neighborhoods. So in a lot of new restaurants the prices are going up, grocery bills are going up, milk is going up. So basically everything. A newspaper. That newspaper used to cost a quarter; now it’s already up to a dollar.”
Randolph Ferdinand Jr., 34, manager for youth and mentoring programs, Bushwick Helping Hands
“People are not employable. They need more training. I get them the jobs, but they don’t keep them.”
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