As retail chains flourish, NY’s Orthodox small business owners protest closures

https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-retail-chains-flourish-nys-orthodox-small-business-owners-protest-closures/

Racks of breezy spring maxi-dresses and colorful long-sleeve tops hang inside Sareka on Saddle, freshly unwrapped and never tried on. The women’s modest clothing shop has been shuttered since March, when the state mandated all non-essential businesses closed to help stem the spread of COVID-19. Now, nearly three months later, Deena Bechhofer and her parents are beginning to worry. They jointly own the shop in Airmont, adjacent to Monsey, New York, a heavily ultra-Orthodox area. If they don’t start selling the inventory it will mean a significant loss next quarter.