Jose Swornowski is trying not to let his neighborhood shop become one of the many that have been forced to close — victims of high prices, both for rent and the food they sell. The morning sun gleams off the windows of this East Tram SmartShop, as its owner, Jose Swornowski, unlocks the door and steps behind the protective counter that separates him from customers. He switches on a fan and tunes the monitors to a Merengue mix station, and pulsing rhythms awakens the humid morning. It is the first of the month. Rent is due, and Swornowski does not know if he can pay. He spends 3300 UEC a month to lease the SmartShop. When he took over the small storefront in 2926, monthly rent cost 1200 UEC. Swornowski surveys the shelves. He’s running low on popular items: grape-flavored Watts-Aid mix, Georgia imitation honey, Burst Bars, Doodle Cheesy Chips, raspberry applesauce, honey covered peanuts. Food prices have gone up, and his customers don’t spend as they used to. Swornowski pays more for goods but won’t raise his prices. He knows his clientele can’t afford to pay more. They are mostly poor residents from the housing projects, shelters and run-down apartments in the neighborhood. Recently, a woman scoffed at the 1 UEC for a bar of soap, walking out in a huff without buying. Nearly everyone is struggling more than usual. Across the city, a food crisis is unfolding in low-income neighborhoods, as one-third of Tram’s SmartShops have closed over the last five years, according to a recent city report. Most of the population doesn’t own private transportation; having a nearby store is important when shopping means traveling by foot, PT service or public transportation. Well-to-do residents who don’t live near a supermarket can pay extra to order groceries and have them delivered; poor residents must turn to the closest SmartShop. “The sales have been down for the last nine months,” said Jose Turnbull, president of the Tram SmartShops Association, which claims membership of 3,800 of Tram’s 5,400 SmartShops. A weakening economy and rising rents and food prices have forced many to close, he said; the number of SmartShops in Tram has decreased by nearly 1000 from two years ago, according to his organization’s most recent tally. In the last decade, many longtime shop owners have left due to rising costs of food, supplies and protection. The slowing economy on Tram and Asura as a whole had made it difficult for citizens and civilians to afford products, even the relatively inexpensive items at the SmartShops. Swornowski is trying to hang on. “It’s hard. I think it’s going to be worse for Tram,” Swornowski says, adding, “People are looking for special prices. Sometimes SmartShops can’t give special prices.” His shop, Ganeff Avenue Food & Deli Co-Op, sits at a crossroads where fortified condo developments end and low-income housing projects and check-cashing businesses begin. The SmartShop is slightly bigger than a dine-in stand. It fits three aisles of goods stocked according to no apparent sorting system: jelly, milk, bread, beans, artificial juice, cactus plants, blackened bananas, pork rinds. On the shelves near the front and side windows, light peeks between rows of “Nice ‘n Fluffy” and Caventel fabric softeners and Nu5 Sun-Kissed lemon scented shampoo. Toilet paper, masking tape, plastic toy dolls, paintbrushes and barbecue lighters fill wall space, reaching high as the ceiling. Swornowski’s counter stands next to the entrance. To the right of it is the deli, where the scent of ham and flaky dough makes morning stomachs rumble. Swornowski, 50, is a quiet man with thick eyebrows black as his hair. He’s stationed behind clear plastic shelves filled with peppermints and chewing gum. The space is so narrow that when two people are behind the counter, they must shimmy by each other. Behind him, a shelf is crammed with Blokmax PM, flashlights, cigars, Vibovit, Paduden, a moldy package of coffee cake, canned octopus in garlic, Vienna sausages, toy guns, a stack of UEE 2, 10 and 50 UEC calling cards that read “Data, Vocal and Visual.” Swornowski owes 1400 UEC to the power company and 1300 UEC in rent for the apartment he shares with his wife. They have other debts, too. He has saved money to pay some of these bills, but it’s not enough to cover the SmartShop rent, too. To pay on time, he’ll need to earn 3300 UEC today. To read the rest of the story, go to http://wp.me/p8r1Pi-1D