Bangladeshis are changing the face of Broadway. With little Bangladeshi shops that have emerged in the area, mostly between 27th Street and 31st Street, Broadway is also now known as the perfume business capital of the world.
The success of Bangladeshis – who came across seven oceans to make possible the impossible – on Broadway is becoming more popular. As many people are greatly noticing their business know-how, the Bangladeshis here are also challenging the long-held supremacy of the Indian Marwari businessmen on Broadway.
These Bangladeshis have followed Nafiul Islam Panna, known as the pioneer of the Bangladeshi perfume business on Broadway. Panna left his business – the Prestige Group – back home, and his family in London, and came to New York with $17,000 in his pocket.
“I have never been anyone’s employee. I always wanted to be independent,” Panna said. “Everything was new for me in this country, so I walked the streets in Manhattan, and watched how people worked and did business on the street.”
In 1990, Panna said, he was introduced to a shop owner on 14th Street, and started business by renting a part of the shop, where he sold T-shirts and underwear. “The income was not bad, but I was already thinking about how to enlarge my business, so I took a lease on a shop. That was the beginning of my rise in the business. Later, I moved to Broadway and opened the Al Maya Perfume and Universal Perfume shops.”
Panna said he was the first Bangladeshi to start a perfume business on Broadway. His shop was the first and all other known perfume businessmen started from his shop, he said.
“I want a bright future of all and pray for their good future. This is a kind of glory for our nation. The perfume business is big capital. I want to know it better and expand even more,” he said, adding that the downside of the business is when retailers of brand-name perfumes, like him, have to deal with businessmen who deceive customers by selling adulterated perfume.
Panna’s son, Rafiul Islam, who also looks after the business, told Bangla Patrika that after Sept. 11, the business slowed down, but he is hopeful that it is picking up again.
Islam characterized the perfume business to be aristocratic, like trading in gold and silver.
Bangladeshi perfume establishments include City Perfume, Manhattan Perfume, Jony USA, Unic Perfume, Bhuiyan Perfume, B&R, Century USA, Nasima Perfume, Perfume Depot America and Nujhat USA.
Shamshur Rahman, manager of City Perfume, sees Broadway is a place for international businesses. Even the businesses fell after Sept. 11, he predicted that Manhattan Bangladeshi perfume businessmen could raise the stakes by competing with Indian businessmen, require professionalism, experience and honest business practices – qualities that have them respect in other communities.
Bangladeshis should come to Broadway, Rahman said, because it would help develop Bangladeshi community in the United States.
According to Anwar Ullah, manager of Nujhat USA, there are more than 300 Bangladeshis between 27th Street and 31st Street on Broadway. He said that the presence of the Bangladeshis – who started arriving 12 years ago – has been changing.
