Women Who Influence Hosts Awards and Panel on Brooklyn Business Vacancies

Women Who Influence held its annual Pink Apple Awards and The Power Seat panel at Brooklyn Borough Hall on Oct. 22. The gathering focused on strategies to help small businesses maintain operations despite rising storefront vacancies.

A June report from New York City Comptroller Mark Levine indicates that Brooklyn has a 12.3 percent storefront vacancy rate. This figure places the borough second only to Manhattan in vacancy levels. Current rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels and frequently appear in clusters. High rent and the absence of commercial rent stabilization contribute to these persistent empty spaces.

Vacancy rates exceed 15 percent in specific areas, including parts of Ocean Hill, East New York, Bedford-Stuyvesant, and Crown Heights. Gabrieline Reece, who founded Women Who Influence in 2021, organized the event to support women and underrepresented business owners. The organization works with the Office of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Jeanny Pak, chief operating officer at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, joined Reece for a panel discussion on economic barriers. Pak stated that the inability of minority-owned businesses to grow results in lost jobs and investment. She emphasized that these issues require solutions that address the underlying barriers.

Delia Awusi, appointed as New York City’s mom-and-pop czar by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in April 2026, identified affordability as a primary obstacle. Awusi noted that small business owners face increases in rent, utilities, and insurance costs. Additional challenges include payroll expenses and limited access to funding after the initial launch phase.

Reece highlighted the financial strain on businesses that have loyal customers but struggle with operational costs. She cited rent, inventory, payroll, and delayed payments as common hurdles. Reece reported that 68 percent of the businesses surveyed by Women Who Influence cited access to resources and opportunities as a barrier to success.

The New York City Economic Development Corporation is implementing funded programs to assist small businesses. Initiatives such as Women.NYC and ConstructNYC provide networking and educational opportunities. Pak stated that in fiscal 2026, the agency awarded $43 million in contracts and provided training to 61 firms.

The Oct. 22 event recognized three women with Pink Apple Awards for their community impact. Recipients included Pamela Morgan, Co-Chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women; Kanchana Suggu, Senior Vice President of the United Way; and Dr. Erica Ford, CEO of LIFE Camp. Kitty Chan, deputy commissioner of business services, noted that many businesses are unaware of available resources.

Chan, a panelist, observed that small business owners often struggle to know how to request assistance. Reece described the effort to connect these owners with resources as a slow but necessary conversation. The group aims to facilitate progress in addressing the economic challenges facing local storefronts.