Small shops fear more train shutdowns will break them

The G train in Brooklyn is taking another long nap. For ten more weekends through 2026 it will stay parked, plus some overnight weekday snoozes. Local leaders say the MTA keeps launching the same summer track fixes they tried last year and the year before, making the same promises that never seem quite true. Shop owners who count on weekend cash are steaming. Rachel Despeaux runs a vintage store right beside a G stop in Greenpoint. Weekdays barely cover the rent; weekends are when the shop actually breathes. Another wave of empty sidewalks could close the doors for good. She already survived a ten-week blackout that the MTA swore was a one-time shot. Now she’s being told the same again – and this time the retail world is colder.The reason this time isn’t just upgrades. A tunnel under Newtown Creek is falling apart faster than planned, forcing more weekend work. The MTA boss calls it “generations of neglect, ” which sounds honest but doesn’t pay the bills for merchants. Small stores operate on tight margins; losing their busiest hours is like asking them to run a marathon without water. Local politicians are pushing back. They want fewer weekends blocked, more work moved to overnight, and real backup plans. When asked about the damage to shops, the MTA says it will “minimize impact. ” That phrase usually means “we hear you, but the work still happens. ”