It looks like Israel Wholesale Importing, Inc., at 23 Essex Street, is closing for good. Heidi Yousef, who has managed the store for 15 years, told us last spring the business was shuttering. Somehow she was able to keep it open for another year, but one of the last remaining Judaica shops on Essex Street has now apparently reached the end of the line. The last day in business will be Friday.
It’s a familiar situation: the store simply doesn’t have enough customers these days to justify the rent (around $2500/month). Israel Wholesale Importing has been located on Essex Street for 60 years. There’s a possibility the store will re-open in Brooklyn, but that’s not certain.
