The Park Avenue car-free zone was a godsend for food vendors, but caused indigestion for businesses relying on vehicular traffic.
Mark Barbosa, manager of Manhattan Cabinetry near East 30th Street, said his sales dipped 50 to 60 percent compared to a typical Saturday.
“It makes it very hard to park around here,” Barbosa said.
“Sometimes, people are in a hurry; they don’t want to walk.”
Barbosa said most of his customers arrive by car, and while they swarmed in once vehicular traffic was permitted after 1 p.m., the rush did not compensate for the morning lull.
Food places, on the other hand, were thrilled by the spike in revenues from hungry cyclists and pedestrians.
A Subway sandwich shop down the block reported a 10 percent increase in sales, and a Guy & Gallard eatery a block away raked in an extra $500, compared to average Saturday sales.
In a trial run, the city will bar vehicular traffic along sections of Lafayette Street, Fourth Avenue, Park Avenue and 72nd Street for part of the next two Saturdays.