F + S Tire Shop Shut Down by City

One of the oldest businesses on Fulton Street has been shut down by the city, and it appears unlikely it will ever reopen.

On Thursday the Department of Buildings notified the Joseph brothers, who run F + S Tires, that their building at S. Oxford Street cannot legally accommodate their business — though it has been in operation for 26 years.

“No has ever said anything about the zoning of the building,” said a stunned Fequiere Joseph. “I don’t see why they did this. I pay my taxes, pay my bills — I don’t have any problems with anybody!”

But buildings inspectors have loads of problems with his business.

Joseph said he was slapped with over $24,000 in fines relating to a variety of violations. Reports from both the Fire Department and the DOB cited rubbish in the basement, improper support beams on the bottom floor, and the lack of a sprinkler system.

But the real problem was the certificate of occupancy for the building.

“Even though a tire shop could be allowed in that zoning district, this building, as it is right now, cannot be used as a tire shop,” said Jen Gilbert, a spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings. “To bring the site into compliance he would have to hire a licensed architect or engineer and do an analysis and determine if a tire shop could be there.”

Joseph said that the inspector told him it would cost as much as $500,000 to change his certificate of occupancy for the building, which he and his brothers own.

The three Haitian immigrants endured on Fulton Street; back when cabs wouldn’t drop off passengers there at night, and drug dealers and pimps lingered in front of their store.

Now, their tire shop is prime real estate, and seems out of place on a block with new restaurants and several hair salons.

The move to shut down the shop was the culmination of numerous visits over the last six months from the Fire Department, Joseph said. First, FDNY inspectors told him to not stack tires so close to the ceiling, he said. Then they told him to reduce the number of tires in the store from 1,500 to 100. He said he was also told to get a “tire vendor license,” though no one has been able to tell him where he could obtain it.

Then on Wednesday, the DOB got involved.

Phillip Kellogg, the manager of the Fulton Area Business Alliance, said that the group would put Joseph in touch with lawyers and help him “navigate the system.”

Joseph has a hearing for the violation on May 16, but he is not hopeful he’ll get a favorable ruling.

“I could try to fight it, but I’m fighting City Hall,” he said. “There are two agencies against me — Buildings and the Fire Department. If I fight these two, then they’ll bring Sanitation and the Department of Health.”