Election Report- West Village

Amidst a financial crisis, fixing the economy has become the major concern for small business owners within the West Village.
“It is just that no one has any money, which means they don’t want to spend what they have”, said Gigi Sanchez, a tattoo artist on Christopher Street. “Bottom line is that no one can afford tattoos,” she explained. This customer attitude is not limited to just the tattoo industry.
“People are defiantly coming in less,” said one manager. “It is just not quite the same as, let’s say, the summer.”
For many small business owners, the question of the economy has become the deciding factor in who they vote for. “The recession: that’s thanks to Bush,” said Fin. Fin is a pro-Obama manager at Sema, a small clothing store in the Village. Implying that John McCain was involved in the current economic crisis she said, “Obama did not have anything to do with the recession. Business is down here now, as with the rest of the country because of that.”
While these store owners are only one small part of the voting population, they remain hopeful that the election will go to Obama. “I think the general population is ready for a change,” said Fin. She stopped and said, “I think one thing is for sure; we don’t need any more of the Bush administration.”