Chandubhai Patel keeps downtowners up on the news

For nine years, C Patel News has been providing newspapers, magazines, candy, soda, maps, umbrellas, cigarettes, and more to people strolling through and working in Lower Manhattan. Each weekday, operating owner Chandubhai Patel arrives by 4:30 a.m. to collect the newspapers delivered to his stand on the southeast corner of Park Place and Church Street. Patel puts in a 15-hour shift, his busiest time being the early morning hours before most people's workdays begin. His son, Piyush, joins him at the booth in the afternoons.

Of the dailies, the New York Times is snapped up most frequently by customers, says Patel. For weekly publications, People and US Weekly are the big sellers. A new feature at the newsstand is a 12-week book club offered through the New York Post, which includes books like Huckleberry Finn and Moby Dick on sale for $5.99 plus tax with a coupon found in the newspaper.

People working in the neighborhood make up the bulk of Patel's customers, and he has developed relationships with many of them over the years. When Patel was forced to close shop for three months after 9/11 because the area south of Park Place was shut down, several customers offered donations to help make up for lost business. It's these kinds of relationships that make Patel stay put at his corner, in contrast to other newsstand operators who often move around in search of better opportunities.

"I want to remain here," Patel says. "I want to be with my customers."

C Patel News
Southeast corner of 99 Church Street and Park Place
Hours: Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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