Petition Drive Saves Downtown Snack Shop Owner
(CBS) -- Kenny Patel says he's overwhelmed by the support he's received after word got out he may have to move out of his snack shop he's owned for 27 years inside the CDW Building on Riverside Plaza.
"I was crying with joy that people love me very much," he said. "I did not realize how they really do love me."
He faced eviction in June but after thousands of his customers signed a petition to help him stay, Callahan Capital Partners offered him a long-term lease.
"The owners of the building are very nice to me and gave me a favorable lease," Patel said. "I'll be able to stay for a long time."
The building's owners had planned on bringing in a Gateway Pharmacy franchise. Callahan Capital did not return phone calls.
Patel emigrated from India in 1976 and calls his shop his American Dream, a dream that thanks to help of his customers can live on.