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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Adrian Cepeda, Owner of World's Borough Bookshop
2:41:41
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127 sec
Adrian Cepeda, owner of World's Borough Bookshop in Queens, testifies in support of street vendors. He argues that competition is beneficial for businesses and innovation, and that street vendors play a crucial role in serving communities like Jackson Heights.
- Cepeda shares his personal experience as a first-generation immigrant and the first in his family to pursue higher education.
- He emphasizes the importance of street vendors in providing affordable food options and supporting their families' aspirations for better education.
- Cepeda draws parallels between his bookstore's community-focused mission and the role of street vendors in serving local needs.
Adrian Cepeda
2:41:41
Hi.
2:41:41
Good afternoon.
2:41:42
Sorry.
2:41:44
Good afternoon.
2:41:44
My name is Adrian Zepeda.
2:41:45
I am the sole owner of the Worldsboro Bookshop that is located in the Worldsboro, is Queens.
2:41:51
It is a bookstore that amplifies BIPOC voices and really represents the diversity of Jackson Heights.
2:41:56
Now, I had a different speech when I before I came here today, but here as someone who represents brick and mortar, this idea of competition and this idea of them taking resources or businesses away is extremely interesting to me because it doesn't make any sense personally.
2:42:13
When you see competition, I don't view competition as something that's bad.
2:42:18
Competition is important for everyone.
2:42:19
It is what leads to innovation.
2:42:21
If I am just a bookstore selling books, not serving my community, and there's another bookstore across the street from me who is offering events, authors internationally and from across The United States, I'm going to assume that bookstore is doing better than me.
2:42:33
If your store, given the amount of feet that I'm given, I cannot give enough to my community or offer community events, Know Your Rights Workshops, bring in these authors, offer a third space for them, then I'm not doing what I was supposed to do.
2:42:46
So I want to make you guys understand and make everyone here know that Jackson Heights, I've lived there for thirty years.
2:42:53
I was a first immigrant here.
2:42:56
My mom was born here, but my dad was not.
2:42:58
He came here.
2:42:59
He did not go to college.
2:43:00
They did not have college education.
2:43:01
I was the first in higher ed.
2:43:03
A lot of these families are just working to provide for their children.
2:43:06
I am working to provide for not only my child, but for the children of the neighborhood who are now growing up with a bookstore where when I grew up there for thirty years, I did not have a bookstore.
2:43:15
There was no bookstores anywhere, but what we was there were food vendors, street vendors.
2:43:19
I grew up all around there with street vendors and food vendors, and they are the ones who served me when I was a broke college student.
2:43:24
They are the ones who served many families around there, and they're the ones who provided payments to the Catholic school that I went to for their children because they wanted their kids to have good educations.
2:43:35
So these families are here to work hard.
2:43:38
They're here not to make a million dollars.
2:43:40
They're here just to provide food.
2:43:41
I own a bookstore.
2:43:42
I will not be a millionaire.
2:43:44
I know that.
2:43:45
But I do it to provide for the community just like these street vendors are.