BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- A convenience store in a Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood is trying to offset a steep rent increase by offering a bed in its front window on nontraditional rental website airbnb, reported UPI.
Tommy Noonan and Douglass Cameron, who have been helping the owners of Jesse's Deli come up with ideas to offset the rent cost, which went from $4,000 a month to $10,000 a month, set up a bed in the front window display case of the bodega and advertised it as lodging on Airbnb.
"We decided about $329 a night, if we managed to book it out on Airbnb night after night then that would actually help them meet the rent," Cameron told WPIX-TV.
The men dubbed their idea "airBnBodega."
The store previously raised revenue over the summer with an "artisanal" price hike, which branded everyday products with the buzzword as a tongue-in-cheek excuse for the higher prices.
"We were like ‘let’s raise the prices of everything in the store to mirror what’s happening with the rent hike’," Noonan said.
Posters outside the store offered products including "artisanal roach bombs," "Budweiser beer flights" and "Five Hour Slow Roasted Energy."
airbnb describes the convenience store as a “unique property on Atlantic Avenue in gentrifying section of Brooklyn. The cozy semi-private 7x4 bedroom with lofty 14-foot ceilings is separated from the deli by a Doritos and Lays chip stand and book shelf. Space includes iPhone docking station, clock radio, tasteful art and an adjacent deli stocked with reasonably priced beverages, snack foods, produce, frozen foods, lightbulbs and other amenities.”
It continues, “Relax without FOMO [fear of missing out], as the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling windows have up-close and personal views of the colorful street-life. Curtains provide privacy when desired. … Guests have access to the entire bodega, apart from the bathroom, which is for employees only. Thankfully, there are many restaurants nearby on Smith Street, Brooklyn's ‘restaurant row,’ which have bathrooms for customers. If you need to shower, the Dodge YMCA is only 4 blocks west and has both a public pool and showers."
But is added, "Guests are only allowed at the deli during opening hours.”
Click here to view the complete airbnb page for Jesse’s Deli, which includes additional photos.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.