Will New York City eventually become a city of conglomerates and chains? 

New York City is a hub of entrepreneurship in multiple sectors, from food and fashion, to tech and retail. While our neighborhoods and communities have thrived because of diverse and unique small businesses in all five boroughs, these independent businesses are getting squeezed by policies and practices that increasingly favor corporate establishments.

​Join Small Business Majority and NYC's Mercantile Mayhem at Welcome to Chinatown for a powerful panel discussion with small business owners and advocates who are fighting to build a fairer, more sustainable small business ecosystem in New York City.

Stand with us to protect the character, culture and community that New York’s small businesses bring to life.

Moderator:

- Nina Roberts, Founder of Mercantile Mayhem

- Lindsey Viogada, New York Director of Small Business Majority National Quality Job
Panelists:
- Vic Lee, co-founder and executive director of Welcome to Chinatown
- Jason Scherr, owner of Think Coffee and founder of Unfair Cafes
- Lola Star, founder of Save Coney Island
- Gabrielle Davenport, BEM Books & More

Meet the Speakers:

Jason Scherr
Think Coffee

Jason Scherr is the founder and principal owner of Think Coffee, a group of eleven cafes in Manhattan and Brooklyn that serve coffee from ethically sourced beans. Scherr launched Think Coffee nearly 20 years ago on Mercer Street north of Soho as a cafe and community space. Each cafe provides a space for customers to relax with a coffee, strike up a random conversation, or attend a pop-up or free cookie giveaway. Scherr is also the founder of Unfair Cafes, an initiative that aims to raise awareness and launch a boycott of Capital One Cafes, the chain of cafes owned by Capital One Bank. Scherr believes banks owning cafes is not only an unfair business practice but also illegal. Will banks soon own and operate a chain of pizzerias? Bagel shops? Clothing shops? 

Gabrielle Davenport
BEM Books & More

Gabrielle Davenport is Co-Founder of BEM | books & more, the bookstore for Black food literature based in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Since launching in 2021, Gabrielle and her sister/co-founder have built a platform for and with writers, chefs, artists, and readers in celebration of culinary cultures across the African diaspora. They opened their brick & mortar in October 2025, which includes a café & kitchen to bring the books to life on the plate.

Gabrielle is also an ambassador for Glynwood Center for Regional Food & Farming in New York’s Hudson Valley, a member of the Brooklyn Book Festival Nonfiction Committee, and is a member of the inaugural cohort of Studio KIN, an accelerator for Black urbanist projects across the country. Gabrielle cooks & sings in her free time; she is always eating a snack.

Nina Roberts
Mercantile Mayhem

Nina Roberts covers the survival of New York City's independently-owned businesses in Mercantile Mayhem. Her words and photographs have appeared in The New York Times and The Guardian, among other publications. 

Lola Star
Save Coney Island

Lola Star is a Brooklyn-based artist, cultural documentarian, community advocate, and longtime New York City business owner whose work explores neighborhood identity, place-based memory, and joy as a form of cultural resilience. She is the founder of New York Is My Happy Place, a citywide cultural project documenting how New York’s neighborhoods function emotionally—not just geographically—for the people who live in them. In 2007, she founded Save Coney Island, a grassroots advocacy effort dedicated to preserving the historic amusement district, protecting equitable opportunities for small businesses, and championing diversity and cultural continuity in the neighborhood. Her activism has included public organizing, media advocacy, and ongoing efforts to challenge large-scale developments that threaten Coney Island’s independent character — including recent opposition to the proposed casino project. Her work bridges culture and civic engagement, emphasizing that neighborhood identity is a public good, not a commodity.

Lindsey Viogada
New York Director of Small Business Majority Quality Job

Lindsey Vigoda directs Small Business Majority’s outreach, policy and fundraising efforts in New York. Using her social work skills, Lindsey builds and maintains strong relationships with small business communities throughout the state, focusing on key policy issues. In addition to her New York Director role, Lindsey serves as Small Business Majority’s National Quality Jobs New York Director to promote policies such as paid family leave and childcare that support access to quality jobs. Previously, she served as Colorado Director, leading the organization's advocacy, education and small business outreach across the state.