The new non-Jewish owner of Happy Dry Cleaners - the only business that operated on Shabbat for years on Kingston Avenue, the shopping street of the Crown Heights neighborhood, has decided to close the laundromat on Shabbat.
With the announcement of the decision, all businesses on Main Street will be closed on Saturdays and holidays.
The long-standing business on Kingston Avenue recently changed hands after its previous owner, Yoon Bo Chun, retired at the age of 81. The store was purchased about a month ago by his niece, Lee Young Kim, who now owns and runs the business with her husband Sam.
""We want to respect the Jewish community and respect the Jewish day of rest," Lee Young Kim said. "From now on, the store will be closed on Shabbat.".
Kim said she and her husband are excited to begin this new chapter at Happy Dry Cleaners and look forward to serving the Crown Heights community for years to come.
The news was received with joy by many residents, who saw it as further reinforcement of the Jewish character of the neighborhood, which is affiliated with the Chabad World Center -770.
Over the years, the laundromat's opening on Shabbat has drawn criticism from neighborhood residents, who called for preference for businesses that respect the sanctity of Shabbat.
Now, with the change in ownership and the new decision, residents in the neighborhood have defined the move as "another milestone in preserving the sanctity of Shabbat in Crown Heights," and expressed hope that the special atmosphere of Shabbat in the neighborhood will continue to strengthen and influence Jews from all over the world who visit the Chabad Center.
